"I’m here because my parents want me here," one youth mumbles with eyes half-open looking toward the floor.

"I’m here because my brother had to do it, and my parents are making me, too," another shares matter-of-factly.

"I’m here because . . . I guess it’s just what I’m supposed to do," another youth says, shrugging his shoulders.

"I’m here because my parents dropped me off here!" one youth quips, anticipating the laughter and high-fives from his friends.

"I have no idea why I’m here," one youth shares while doodling on a notebook.

These comments are pretty standard for the first night of confirmation in our church. The students are even more bewildered when I suggest that they are in confirmation class because God has called them to the church. And that this call is lifelong–extending far beyond the confirmation experience. Although that’s the standard answer, do we–pastors, youth workers, and lay ministers–truly believe it?

Assumptions About Confirmation

Many youth workers and church leaders treat confirmation as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for youth to explore and learn about the Christian faith and United Methodism. We also assume that confirmation is only for youth. Because most of us were confirmed in our youth, we’ve probably never seen it done any other way. Besides, The Book of Discipline suggests that, "classes for professing membership and confirmation," be done at or about the sixth grade level.¹ We further assume that other church programs offering continued spiritual growth are and will be available. Let’s explore these assumptions.

Assumption #1: Confirmation as a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

When parents see the requirements and intensity of the confirmation program at my church, I have caught myself saying to concerned parents, "But this is the one time your child can intentionally explore faith issues among his or her peers," as a way of "selling" our church’s one-year confirmation program. And what a self-fulfilling prophecy! They sign up for this "one time" experience and I rarely, if ever, see them again. While that scenario may not be true of the majority of families, it’s true of those people I most want to reach: those families "on the fringes" when it comes to church.

One way to be involved in the lives of families at all different stages is to celebrate re-affirmations of faith. Youth confirmation can be the beginning of a lifetime of spiritual discovery, spiritual formation, and re-affirmations or confirmations in the church. "Unlike baptism, which is a once-made covenant and can only be reaffirmed, not repeated, confirmation is a dynamic action of the Holy Spirit that can be repeated."²

Confirmation can be started with youth at the junior high level, continued at the senior high level, offered again as young adults, again before marriage, at the emergence of parenthood, at retirement, or at any time of life a person chooses. That yearly ritual of confirmation in our churches could include all persons who wish to confirm their faith, not just our youth. Youth and adults could witness to one another their spiritual journey, sharing the same moments of commitment though the experiences may be vastly different. Picture some of the people below, all standing together before the congregation to confirm or reconfirm their faith:

• Mentors who have worked alongside youth confirmands


• Senior high youth who have completed a Youth Disciple class or other Bible study class


• Members of adult Bible study groups (like Koinonia, Disciple, or Covenant Discipleship)


• UMW or UMM members who have completed study units


• Teachers of children and youth who have learned about their faith by teaching and showing others

The possibilities are endless! When we shift our way of thinking from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to a lifetime of opportunity, our vision broadens to include confirmation at all ages and stages of life.

Assumption #2: Confirmation Is Only for Youth

Changing our assumption that confirmation is a once-in-a-lifetime experience also means changing our assumption that confirmation is only for youth. "There are many occasions as persons mature in the faith when the Holy Spirit’s confirming action may be celebrated, such as in the reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant or other services related to life passages."³

If confirmation is open to all persons and is repeatable, then what’s so special about youth confirmation? That question has more to do with our well-held, almost sacred, traditions surrounding youth confirmation than it has to do with the act of confirmation. Even those who embrace the notion that confirmation is repeatable and can be celebrated many times in a person’s life may not do it for fear it would take away from those sentimental moments of a youth’s confirmation. Many of us who cherish those traditions surrounding youth confirmation (like a special dinner or banquet, gifts, or other memory-making events) may feel that the meaning of youth confirmation will be diminished if confirmation is "suddenly opened" to include everyone.

But our traditions don’t have to change. An adult who reconfirms his or her faith publicly probably doesn’t need or want much more attention or celebration than what is received in the act itself. We can still have our banquets and give our gifts to first-time confirmands, preserving the "special-ness" of that rite of passage. Youth confirmation is still unique in that it is the beginning of a lifetime of mature spiritual discovery. Another option is that adult confirmation could take place separately from youth confirmation. This preserves the rite of youth confirmation, while giving adult confirmation an identity of its own. What a great way to practice what we preach!

Assumption #3:Other Church Programs Will Offer the "Continuing Education" Needed for Continued Spiritual Growth

While this assumption may be true in some churches, ask yourself:

• Does my church offer alternatives for youth who cannot participate in confirmation?


• Do we see a large percentage of our confirmed youth (and their families) involved in the church after confirmation?


• Does my church offer more "in-depth" classes for those who may want to know more than what is presented in membership classes?


• Do (or could) our other youth or adult Christian education classes lead to confirmation or reconfirmation?

If your answer to one or more of those questions is no, then you may be in the same boat I am in. My church currently doesn’t offer an alternative to our one-year confirmation program. That means youth who cannot participate because of scheduling conflicts don’t have the opportunity to be confirmed at all. My church does have a lot of Christian education classes and opportunities that are well attended. But none that lead to, or allow people to publicly acknowledge their milestones along the journey of faith.

You may feel that you can’t change how your congregation feels about confirmation. But you can change how you view confirmation. The bottom line is that we as church leaders provide care for and spiritually nurture our members. That may mean we change some of our approaches and consider new ideas that will enhance what we already do. I may not change things overnight, but I may reach a few more people who are seeking a deeper understanding of faith and spiritual growth.

Melissa Groe is the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at First United Methodist Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She has been in youth ministry for the past seven years. She also leads conference canoe trips for youth and provides leadership for the northcentral jurisdiction’s international youth mission program, Mission Discovery.

¹ From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church–1996. Copyright ©1996 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.

² From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church–1996.

³ From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church–1996.

From YouthNet, © 2000 The United Methodist Publishing House. Permission is granted for copying for educational purposes.