Katie’s Beer

New ELCA definition of confirmation: to excite and encourage youth to grow in their faith through both large and small group experience and a variety of awesome medium. At the end of confirmation, they will affirm their baptism by their own acceptance of Jesus Christ as their savior.

I have written before about my former ELCA church’s abandonment of Luther’s Small Catechism and scripture study and memorization due to complaints by parents and confirmands that it was too boring. Instead, the confirmation leaders chose the Alpha curriculum (designed for non-believers and based on decision theology) to educate the confirmands. To my horror, and to their pride, last fall the first group of confirmands was confirmed without study’s Luther’s Small Catechism. No scripture memorization and no proof that the confirmand understood the basics of the faith. In keeping with these changes, it was just announced that the Confirmation Service has been renamed. It is now to be called the Affirmation of Baptism Service. See the announcement below, copied from their website today and found it their September newsletter:

Confirmation - For youth in grades 7, 8 & 9
A time when youth explore their faith and affirm their baptism by their own acceptance of Jesus Christ as their savior.
Our goal is to excite and encourage youth to grow in their faith through both large and small group experience and a variety of awesome medium. Confirmands will actively participate in Wednesday Night Live (WNL) - our large group experience, retreats, group service projects and personal service. During the Lenten season, confirmands partner with a mentor for Wednesday evening services to participate and discuss the character portrayal of the week

It doesn’t mention any curriculum. I was a confirmation leader two years ago and I know firsthand that there really isn’t any. The goal of the program is to keep the kids entertained enough to keep coming to church because it is fun. And that is the confirmation program – have fun and do a service project once in a while. The thought is that they will keep coming through college and into adulthood. I do understand the desire to keep youth coming to church - every church faces that battle. However, it is not possible to justify cutting the educational purpose of confirmation just to keep them entertained. Will singing “Our God is an awesome God” help you if you don’t know enough scripture to turn and walk away from an abusive boyfriend, or pressure for premarital sex or the allure of a cult?

This self-proclaimed mega-church churns out about 200 “confirmands” each year. At the very least, I will pray for the many unsuspecting and uninformed parents who don’t read the monthly newsletter or follow their kids’ education closely enough. It is reassuring that several of these confirmands attend a confessional Lutheran high school and will be exposed to the whole story of salvation there.