The views expressed in this article are of the author only and do not necessarily represent those of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
Making Disciples: Catechesis in History, Theology, and Practice
Alex Fogleman
Eerdmans (2025). 220 pp.
Alex Fogleman’s Making Disciples: Catechesis in History, Theology, and Practice is a deeply helpful exploration of how the church has understood formation across history and how those practices have developed over time. Fogleman is incisive in distinguishing the church’s rich traditions of catechesis from many contemporary, ad hoc approaches to spiritual formation, Christian education, and discipleship. By mining the church’s past, he offers readers a refreshing tour of the values and practices that have shaped Christian communities since their earliest days.
Like many theologians of recent decades, Fogleman demonstrates that the ancient church often speaks with surprising clarity to modern and postmodern concerns. Yet he is not merely antiquarian; he remains attentive to the necessary revisions, contextual updates, and creative innovations required for catechesis today. I found particularly illuminating his account of how catechetical training is historically intertwined with liturgical practice, as well as his reflections on catechesis in the family and home. These insights are pastorally valuable, especially for those seeking to disciple congregations in meaningful ways while also respecting the constraints of people’s lives and calendars.
Readers from Anglican or liturgical traditions will recognize much here as recovery and renewal of well-worn paths. But those from “free church” contexts, with little exposure to ancient or medieval formation practices, may find their imaginations opened to the possibility that tradition can be not only old, but profoundly fresh and life-giving.
What stands out as particularly original in this work is the way Fogleman holds together the scholar’s precision and the pastor’s heart. He deftly expounds the history of catechesis, the development of various methods, and the shifting theological landscapes that have influenced them. At the same time, he consistently attends to the lived reality of formation—how these practices actually shape souls, nurture disciples, and build Christian communities.
Reading this book, I found myself both learning about the historical depth of catechetical practice and imagining new and faithful ways to lead my own congregation in theological and spiritual formation. Fogleman has offered the church not only a historical study, but a gift of renewed imagination for the task of making disciples.
Jarrod Longbons (PhD, University of Nottingham) is the Senior Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA. Jarrod is a member of the St. Peter Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
