Is Confirmation Christian Education?

Or is it something else? In the Bible, it is not really mentioned. In the Church, we call it a "rite." And in most congregations, it is---among other things---a time when young people are received into a new level of membership in the congregation. The rite includes a public confession of faith, agreement with a body of doctrine, and a promise to behave in specific ways as a child of God. And from the first years of the Christian Church, confirmation has been preceded by thorough instruction, Christian education.

It strikes me that confirmation has both a cognitive aspect and an affective aspect. We don't, can't, measure faith, but the young people whom we confirm need to be able to stand their ground in an increasingly hostile world. Confirming those who lack a strong Christian-Lutheran worldview---or who have no interest in life-long participation in the Church's Word and Sacrament ministry---may not serve your church or the Church well.

So what will a church or pastor do if one or more prospective confirmands seem cognitively unprepared for confirmation? (Let me acknowledge, though, that late April is not a great time to be asking this question. Most reasonable alternatives will require advance thought, discussion, and "corporate approval" [that is, approval by "the body," the church].) You could simply not allow participation in the rite, but alienating families and kids is not a great option. Is there a win-win?

Here's what I would probably work for:

• Acknowledgement that the "minimum standard" for confirmation could be very low, as it is when we confirm those with certain disabilities and cognitive limitations.
• Understanding that the promises one makes in the rite of confirmation should not be made falsely or lightly, but rather that they can be made honestly and eagerly. Even confirmands who demonstrate excellent cognitive understanding of the Small Catechism should not be confirmed on that basis alone.
• A decision that, if public questioning will not be a positive, helpful experience, seek the church's permission to skip it or alter the process---even in a congregation where this has been a long-standing practice.
• Commitments by family and young people who seem cognitively unprepared to continue in instruction after confirmation. Accept that this may be a lost cause, but publicly affirm that it is an expectation of all confirmed church members, as they promise during the rite to "hear the Word of God" and "live according to [it]."

Confirmation instruction is indeed Christian education. It is for many the epitome of their instruction in the Christian faith.

God bless you as you teach His children, and these young people, His Word!