Cities and territories that adopted the Reformation gave themselves a Kirchenordnung, a church order, often adopting one written elsewhere. According to German Wikipedia, these orders marked the beginning of a phase of consolidation. In northern Germany the leading author was Johannes Bugenhagen. Braunschweig adopted his order in 1528, Hamburg in 1529 and Lübeck in 1531. With the Braunschweig order Bugenhagen laid the foundations of the school system and regulated care for the poor. In 1528 Martin Luther saw on his visits to parishes that ordinary believers knew the faith only in fragments. In 1529 he wrote the Small Catechism, which explains the faith in questions and answers. It was meant as a basis for the heads of households to teach their families. It is still often used today in confirmation classes.