Module 04 — Creeds, the Lord's Prayer, and Church History

Workload: Approximately 40 hours | Section: Scripture and Doctrine

This module forms you to confess and teach the Creeds and the Lord’s Prayer as living formation texts. It traces the Church’s history from the apostolic era and persecution through the councils, the Great Schism, the Reformation, the Old Catholic movement and the wider independent sacramental movement. Moral theology, ecumenism and the pastoral teaching of doctrine follow in Module 05.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Explain the Apostles’ Creed as baptismal faith.
• Explain the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as conciliar faith.
• Explain the Lord’s Prayer as doctrine and prayer.
• Trace the Church’s historical arc from the Early Church through the Great Schism and the Reformation to the Old Catholic movement and independent sacramental movement.
• Distinguish universal Church history from the jurisdiction-specific due diligence confined to Unit 1.3.

Your four units

Unit 4.1 — The Apostles’ Creed
Unit 4.2 — The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed
Unit 4.3 — The Lord’s Prayer
Unit 4.4 — Church History: From the Early Church to the Independent Sacramental Movement

Required and supporting resources

Each Book contains five Day chapters, the Institute’s teaching, an embedded Scripture Study practice each day and a linked complete CPDV collection. Use the approved received texts, Lord’s Prayer worksheet template, teaching-piece guide and rubric and optional mentor form. Supplementary sources are linked with their rights and relevant theological cautions. All required study material is supplied.

Scripture and Scripture Study

Compare the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, examine words in their actual passages and prepare a Scripture-grounded explanation of one line of the Creed. Use the STEPBible-based Institute Scripture Study tool throughout all four units.

Assessment and evidence

The single module knowledge check follows Unit 4.4. It draws 20 questions from a bank of 60, allows 25 minutes and two attempts, and requires 80% to pass. Your highest grade counts; answers and feedback appear after grading. Submit the Lord’s Prayer worksheet and approximately 1,000-word teaching piece as separate PDF or DOCX files. Private daily notes support these tasks and are not additional uploads.

Monthly cohort discussion

“What does the Church’s long history teach a deacon about faithfulness across change?” Your cohort has a minimum of two learners. Attend the required discussion or complete the Course Director’s expressly authorised alternative.

Before Module 05 opens

Read the introduction; complete all four Books; submit the worksheet; pass the module quiz; submit the teaching piece; and have attendance recorded. Begin with the Module 4 introduction.