Confirmation

This week was Confirmation Sunday, in addition to being Reformation Sunday. It seems that most Lutheran churches throughout the country confirm students either on Reformation or Pentecost. Something about the red? I don't know, but it's kind of cool to have a general idea of when it's going to happen.

Anyway, I haven't had a lot of interaction with these particular confirmands. On my first week at the church, I sat in on their meeting with Pastor Linda about what this Sunday would entail, who would do which jobs in worship, how they should wash their hair because Pastor Linda would be doing a laying on of hands, etc. Beyond that, I haven't spent much time with them, with the exception of the one girl who attends youth group.

These five students are sophomores in high school. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Lutheran process of Confirmation, this is fairly late. Most churches do 1-2 years of Confirmation classes, either during Sunday School or evening times, and then the students are confirmed in the fall of their freshman year. At St. Mark, the students have two years of Sunday School classes, then a third year of evening classes. This system is not Pastor Linda's, but the previous pastor's doing. When I first talked to her about it, I thought it was a bit much--three years? But as I've spent time with the students, watched the different classes in action, thought about the classes, and talked to my fellow students about Confirmation, I've come to realize that this is a great system for a few reasons.

First of all, the students get a full year to study the Old Testament, New Testament and the Catechism. They have a wide variety of teachers, settings, and classes throughout these years. When they've completed Confirmation, they actually have a working knowledge of the Bible, as well as Lutheran doctrine. Imagine doing all that in just one year!

Second, the students have time to grow as people during the course of Confirmation. Rather than jump in during eighth grade and be expected to affirm their commitment to the faith the next year, there is time for struggling with questions about the Bible and faith, and plenty of time to learn.

One of the main motivators I have for liking this system is that students are confirmed in the fall of their sophomore year. For the past three years, one of which was their freshman year of high school, they have been expected to attend class and worship, sometimes instead of other activities. By the time they are sophomores, then, church has become a regular part of their life, not something they can just skip when it doesn't "fit into the schedule." I haven't gotten the chance to ask Linda yet, but I'm wondering what the retention rate of confirmed students is at St. Mark.

This Sunday also marked the 10th anniversary of my own Confirmation, something I could not believe. When I texted my mom about it after the service, she was pretty surprised by it, as well. I had an interesting time reflecting over the last 10 years of my faith life. When I was confirmed, becoming a pastor was the farthest thing from my mind. I was convinced that being a lawyer was my calling, and that I needed to work hard, go to school, and fight in court for the rest of my life. I had a pretty good knowledge of most of the Bible, but there were parts of it I had never read. I understood some of the Lutheran doctrine, but couldn't articulate most of it.

Now, here I was, presenting candidates for Confirmation with tears in my eyes. What an amazing opportunity to see these kids accept responsibility for their own faith, but also recognizing how much farther they will go. God is truly at work, and it was wonderful to be a part of God's work this past Sunday. And, as Pastor Linda said, "Just wait until you've spent three years teaching and working with the kids you're confirming."