Westminster Shorter Catechism Songs

The Westminster Shorter Catechism was written for exactly this: teaching the faith by question and answer, a line at a time, to people who would carry it in memory rather than on paper. Its answers are compressed on purpose. That density is what makes them worth knowing and what makes them hard to learn. Most families who stick with it find a rhythm, a question a week or so, and something to carry the words between sessions.

Questions 1-10

The text below is the traditional 1647 wording, which is in the public domain. Some churches use a lightly modernized edition; if yours does, learn that one.

What is the chief end of man?

Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

The word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

What do the scriptures principally teach?

The scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

What is God?

God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

Are there more Gods than one?

There is but one only, the living and true God.

How many persons are there in the godhead?

There are three persons in the godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

What are the decrees of God?

The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.

How doth God execute his decrees?

God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.

What is the work of creation?

The work of creation is God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.

How did God create man?

God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.

Sing the question, not just the answer

A catechism is a call and response. If only the answer is memorized, a child can recite it but cannot find it when asked. Put the question into the song as the first line, so hearing “What is God?” starts the answer on its own. It also makes review at the table easy: you ask, they answer, nobody needs a book open.

Pace it by the answer, not the calendar

• Short answers like Q5 and Q8 can be learned in a day or two and bundled together.
• Long ones like Q4 and Q6 deserve a week each. Q4's list of seven attributes is the classic stumbling block, and exactly the kind of list a melody holds in order.
• Keep earlier answers in rotation. A playlist of every question learned so far, played in the car, does the review for you.
• Many families pair each answer with one of the scripture proofs the catechism's authors attached to it, as a second, separate track.

What to expect by age

Young children can learn short answers by ear long before they understand them, and many traditions consider that the point: the words are stored now and understood later. Early elementary children can usually handle a question a week. Older children can move faster and are ready to ask what “chief end” and “decrees” actually mean, which is a conversation worth having.

Using ScriptLoop for the catechism

Paste one question and its answer together, pick a style, and let it play. Give each question its own track rather than one long song, so you can build a playlist in order and skip back to the one that is slipping. The Westminster text is public domain, so there are no rights to worry about. Paid plans include more songs each month for families working through a catechism week by week; compare plans.

Using a different catechism? Check first whether it already comes with its own official songs, and see scripture memory for kids for the habits that keep any of it going.