# New City Catechism

> Christian faith doctrines resource with Q&A, scripture, prayers, and devotionals. (iPhone/iPad app by Crossway.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-city-catechism/id564035762 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Crossway](https://appshunter.io/developer/361797276)
- Category: Reference, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 175 App Store ratings · 91 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.2 · 22 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2012-10-08
- Data updated: 2026-08-23
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-city-catechism/id564035762/reviews.md

## What is New City Catechism?

The New City Catechism is a modern-day resource aimed at helping children and adults alike learn the core doctrines of the Christian faith via 52 questions and answers. The New City Catechism mobile app makes it easy to take all of the questions and answers with you wherever you go—for free!

The app pairs each question and answer with a Scripture reading from the ESV, a short prayer, and a devotional commentary written by contemporary pastors, including John Piper, Timothy Keller, Kevin DeYoung, and others.

The app also includes a short version of each answer and kid-friendly songs designed to help children memorize the entire catechism.

Features:

• 52 catechism questions and answers related to God, humanity, sin, salvation, and more
• Devotional commentary on every question and answer written by respected pastors and church leaders
• Short prayers to accompany each question and answer
• A children's mode featuring short versions of each answer and quick access to kid-friendly songs designed to aid memorization
• Related Bible passages drawn from the ESV

The New City Catechism is a joint project of the Gospel Coalition and Crossway.

## Key features

- 52 catechism questions and answers
- Devotional commentary by pastors
- Accompanying short prayers
- Children's mode with songs
- Related ESV Bible passages

## What do users think of New City Catechism?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👨‍👧‍👦 Excellent tool for teaching children catechism
- 🎵 Catchy, memorable songs aid learning
- 📚 High-quality theological content
- 🎨 Clean, intuitive, modern design
- 👶 Dedicated kids mode with simplified answers
- 📖 Comprehensive commentary and scripture references
- 🆓 Free app with no ads
- ⛪ Valuable resource for families and churches
- 🎯 Effective memorization tool
- ✨ Beautiful color-coded sections and animations

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on various iOS versions
- 📱 Poor iPad compatibility and formatting issues
- 🔤 Font size too large with no adjustment settings
- 📏 Excessive padding/empty space on sides
- 🔊 Audio/song playback issues
- 🔄 App doesn't remember last question viewed
- 🎵 Incomplete song library (not all questions have songs)
- 🔁 No continuous/autoplay feature for songs
- 🌐 Accessibility settings not respected
- 📵 Screen locks during playback if not actively touched
- 🔌 No landscape mode support
- 🏠 No home button to return to splash screen

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening sections (iOS 11.3+ compatibility issue)
- Stuck on welcome/tutorial screens with no bypass
- Audio not working on videos and songs
- Songs play only once without restart
- Wrong songs assigned to questions
- Media player inaccessible without workaround
- Bottom menu buttons not visible on newer iOS versions
- iPad landscape mode causes freezing
- Graphics overlay Done button on intro screens
- App doesn't respond to Per-App Accessibility settings
- Automatic song progression skips or fails
- Incompatible with older devices (iPhone 4s, iOS 9.35)

**Most requested features**

- Font size adjustment/accessibility controls
- Remember last viewed question on app restart
- Continuous autoplay for all songs
- Landscape mode support for iPad
- Note-taking capability within app
- Share Q&A functionality within app
- Ability to view commentator information/credentials
- Multiple user profiles to track individual progress
- Simultaneous display of kid and adult answers
- Kid-friendly commentary section
- Screen lock prevention during playback
- Home button/navigation to splash screen
- Android version of app
- Google Home casting support
- Different scripture translation options (NKJV, etc.)
- Song loop/repeat feature
- Highlight kid answers within adult answers
- Tweet/share Q&A on social media
- Simplified version for pre-schoolers
- Cross-reference with other catechisms

## Recent user reviews (10 of 91)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-city-catechism/id564035762/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Love this!

*2025-04-13, version 2.0.8*

I love this app! We use it to help our girls learn the catechism!

### 2/5 — Needs more polish

*2025-01-07*

It’s a great idea for the app, but it doesn’t quite work in its current state for me. Two reasons - related to UX designs and my personal preferences.

First and most important one is the design. The font is too large on my iPhone XR. It’s readable but inconvenient - and there is no setting to change that. I even tried using Per-App Accessibility settings on my iPhone, but your app doesn’t react to any changes there! That’s not right!

It also has too much of empty space on sides. I understand the need for padding, but when it take 1/10th of the screen width, that’s a bit over the top. In combination with the abnormally large font, the entire thing just doesnt look good.

And I want it to look good. I entirely agree with the words of Tim Keller in this app - the practice of catechesis needs to be re-instated in Evangelical circles! But, as I said before, I have one more request…

There is an option to read commentary. I wish there was also an option to click on the name and see who the person is - what views he supports, what position he holds, etc. Unfortunately, there are people associated with both The Gospel Coalition and Crossway that support some ideas and views that, I personally believe, contradict the Scripture. I’m not even talking about Calvinism here - last year Ray Ortlund made a post on social media voicing support for Kamala Harris. He can vote for whoever he wants, but using his platform to urge others to vote for politician who actively supports abortions until birth and transgender surgeries on children, is just wrong and immoral. Nevertheless, the guy is still contributing to Crossway and was even featured in the special New Year episode of their podcast. 

Perhaps a better alternative would be to use voices of the past for the commentary - people whose moral values are not in question. Focus more on Augustine, Francis de Sales, AW Tozer, CS Lewis, Timothy Keller… Not contemporary theologians most people are unfamiliar with.

### 5/5 — A great resource for kids - and the rest of us too!

*2024-12-28*

Our little one loves the songs that go with these questions. We often pause and give our own answers first, then compare with the provided answer and discuss - a great tool for instruction. Thank you!

### 3/5 — Good

*2024-08-05*

I’d gladly give this app five stars, if only it wouldn’t go back to the first question every time I open it. Is there a way to get it to remember where I left off?

### 5/5 — Great catechism and app but some technical issues

*2024-05-30*

This is a brilliant initiative helpful for both adults and children. 
However my app is playing the wrong songs for each number.

### 3/5 — Great but…

*2024-05-01*

I love the content (have been using this catechism with my kids for years now), and I’m pretty content with the app; unless it’s a user error, I do not like the fact that the app doesn’t load up with the current week’s catechism question. It’s quite frustrating having to scroll to the current week every time. I’d imagine this would be a pretty simple fix, and it would greatly enhance the user experience (at least for me). Thanks for considering this adjustment!

### 4/5 — Good but room for better

*2024-03-25*

It is obvious from the format that this is not only amenable to individual study, but also groups like Sunday Schools, Bible Studies, and even Worship Services. However, this also reveals one major shortcoming, and that is the lack of ability to make notes of your own as you study the questions, answers, and commentaries. I urge the designers to consider adding this capability.

### 1/5 — Great idea. Needs an edit

*2023-09-21, version 2.0.8*

For example- lesson 24,  the question is not answered. Songs often will not pause or replay without many pauses, on off etc.

### 4/5 — Landscape Mode would make 5 stars

*2023-06-21, version 2.0.8*

Great app of the NCC and Landscape Mode especially for iPad would be be great

### 5/5 — Love it, with one little annoyance

*2023-06-04*

A solid catechism that meets a need and fulfills a role. The introduction does a good job explaining how that plays out. 

My only frustration—and it’s nitpicking—is that I can’t figure out how to get to the Home Screen without closing and restarting the app; I don’t believe it’s possible. Do I need to go to the Home Screen? Not really. Can I navigate to all relevant places without doing so? Yup. But my brain desperately wants to be able to hit a “Home” button and get back to the splash screen. 🤷🏻‍♂️😂

## Frequently asked questions about New City Catechism

### What is the New City Catechism app?

The New City Catechism app is a free resource designed to help both children and adults learn the core doctrines of the Christian faith. It presents 52 questions and answers, each paired with scripture readings, short prayers, and devotional commentaries from respected pastors.

### What are the key features of the app?

Key features include 52 catechism questions and answers covering topics like God, humanity, sin, and salvation. It also offers devotional commentary on each Q&A, short prayers, related Bible passages from the ESV, and a special children's mode with simplified answers and memorization songs.

### Is the New City Catechism app free to use?

Yes, the New City Catechism app is completely free to download and use. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, making it a freely accessible resource for learning.

### Who is the target audience for this app?

This app is intended for a broad audience, including children and adults who are interested in learning or deepening their understanding of the core doctrines of the Christian faith. The inclusion of a children's mode makes it particularly suitable for families.

### How does the app help with memorization?

The app aids memorization through its structured 52 questions and answers, which can be reviewed regularly. The children's mode specifically includes kid-friendly songs designed to help younger users more easily memorize the catechism content.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.0.8 — 2019-02-06

New:

You can now play songs one after another via a playlist, playable while the app is in the background. Tap "All Songs" to begin.

### 2.0.7 — 2018-08-29

- Added songs for questions 42-52

### 2.0.6 — 2018-04-10

Bug fixes for the song volume-control which caused crashes on iOS 11.3.

### 2.0.5 — 2018-02-15

New songs added for questions 32-41. Visual updates for iPhone X.

### 2.0.4 — 2017-09-16

New songs added for questions 16-31.

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## More apps by Crossway

- [ESV Bible](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esv-bible/id361797273)

All apps by Crossway: https://appshunter.io/developer/361797276

## Related topics

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-23.*