The Formula of Concord: A Yearlong Reading Plan

Throughout 2025, The Lutheran Witness printed a monthly reading plan that walked through the 12 topics of the Formula of Concord — original sin, free will, good works, Law and Gospel, the Lord’s Supper, etc. — with just a few pages of reading a month.

Now, we have repackaged this resource as a booklet that you can return to year after year, use with your youth group or classroom, or recommend to friends.

This reading plan, written by the Rev. Brady Finnern, is a simple and low-investment way to dive into our Lutheran Confessions and ponder theological topics that are still crucial today. If you have been meaning to open up The Book of Concord but don’t know where to start, this reading plan is for you!

Full Reading Plan Booklet

Including monthly reflections by Rev. Finnern, which you can download or print.

Download Booklet

Reading Plan At-a-Glance

A one-page overview of the readings for the year, which you can hang on your wall, use as a bookmark, or save to your phone for reference.

Print one card

Print two cards to a page

Note on the readings: There are two parts to the Formula of Concord. We will be primarily reading the Epitome (“Ep”), the first and shorter part. Page numbers refer to the Reader’s Edition of the Book of Concord (CPH 2006), but you can use the section and line numbers to follow along in any edition.