What is a Family? A Catechism for Diagnosing and Restoring the Christian Home
Book Description
Use this book to pass on the richness of the doctrine and functionality of the family to coming generations.
Our culture today is in ruins because we've spurned God's vision for family life. This catechism reclaims Scripture's teaching on marriage, parenting, household order, generational legacy, and much more.
Using a simple question-and-answer format, it gives robust but concise definitions of what a family is and how God designed the home to function. Not only is each answer given from Scripture, but foundational Scripture verses are provided for each topic to help you build your understanding from the Bible itself. Each section also features family discussion questions--including simpler prompts for younger children--along with a suggested hymn and memory verse.
Author
Scott T. Brown is the president of Church & Family Life and an elder at Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Scott graduated from California State University in Fullerton with a degree in History and received a Master of Divinity degree from Talbot School of Theology. He gives most of his time to local pastoral ministry, conferences on fatherhood, church reformation, and strengthening the family. He has been married to Deborah since 1982, and they have four grown children. Scott also helps people think through the two greatest institutions God has provided — the church and the family.
Endorsements
"With brevity, clarity, and biblical faithfulness, my dear friend Scott Brown has bequeathed to the church this well-crafted, valuable synopsis of family life, marriage, manhood, womanhood, childrearing, and family worship from a Reformed perspective. Read this catechism. Pray over it. Weep over it. Teach it to your children, line upon line. And above all, live its truths for the glory of the Father who has adopted us into His family, and the Son who has betrothed us to Himself forever. A radical return to the beautiful, refreshing model for family life outlined in Scripture is the crying need of our day in the family, the church, and the nation."
—Joel R. Beeke, chancellor of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and pastor of Heritage Reformed Congregation, Grand Rapids, Michigan
"The family is central to virtually every societal endeavor under God: from education (Prov. 22:6) to charity (1 Tim. 5:8), from economics (Deut. 21:17) to individual discipleship (Eph. 6:1-4), from the care of the aged (1 Tim. 5:3-13) to the subduing of the earth (Gen. 1:26-28). This catechism is a primer for all these things and more. Highly recommended."
—George Grant, pastor of Parish Presbyterian Church, Franklin, Tennessee
"Scott Brown is at it again! In this Catechism on the Family, he has found a new way to remind us all and to teach our children basic, biblical truths about the family. This is so important in a day when such basic, biblical truths are being buried in an avalanche of silly, woke wickedness. May God bless his labors!"
—Sam Waldron, dean and professor of Systematic Theology at Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, and author of A Man as Priest in His Home
"In a deeply confused age, this catechism shines the light of Scripture into darkness. This God-given tool will strengthen your family and reorient it according to God's design. What is a God-defined family? What is godly manhood? What is virtuous womanhood? A Catechism on the Family answers 201 questions with God's infallible Word. Delivered with conviction and clarity, these answers are accessible, memorable, and Christ-honoring."
—Jeff Pollard, editor of the Free Grace Broadcaster and retired pastor of Mt. Zion Bible Church
"A Catechism on the Family is a remarkably rich and concise resource. In just a few pages, it delivers a robust, theologically grounded summary of biblical doctrine of the family. Every sentence is saturated with truth, touching on virtually every facet of family life through the lens of Scripture. It powerfully affirms the beauty and significance of the family in God's design and redemptive purposes. Clearly the fruit of deep study and long ministry experience, this work leaves no stone unturned. I can easily see myself using it in every pre-marital counseling session--both as a study tool and as a foundation for shared conviction. This is an invaluable resource for individuals, couples, and churches alike."
—Jeffrey Johnson, pastor of Grace Bible Church, Conway, Arkansas, president of Grace Bible Theological Seminary, and founder of Free Grace Press
"Scott Brown's catechism provides sound biblical theology on men, women, and the family, along with relevant Scripture references, that will aid parents training children and pastors seeking to teach these important truths to their congregations. Catechisms are time-tested tools for teaching theology, and there are few topics as important in our day as that of the family. I highly commend this work and plan to use it in my own teaching."
—Zachary Garris, pastor of Bryce Avenue Presbyterian Church (PCA), White Rock, New Mexico
Additional Information
Cover: Softcover
Number of Pages: 183
Publisher: Church & Family Life
Publication Date: February 2026