Toll

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December, 2000 - Vol. XXIX No. 3
All About Confirmation

"Young People and Confirmation"
by The Rev. Richard K. Toll

I was ordained to the priesthood at Grace Memorial Church in Portland in 1968. The Episcopal Church was involved with the turmoil of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, dramatic cultural changes were occurring in every area of our common life, and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer was starting to be revised.

One of the conversations of the time focussed on confirmation. Back then, we encouraged young people who were eleven or twelve to be confirmed because once they were confirmed they could receive communion. The Church at that time required confirmation in order to receive communion.

I found that argument no longer was a good one. All of my studies in church history had held up baptism as the sacrament that brought people into the Church. For centuries the Church included infants in baptism and the reception of communion after their baptism, often with a spoon as is still the practice of Orthodox Christians in the Russian and Greek Churches.

At Grace Memorial in 1968, we began to offer communion to young children if their parents wanted them to receive. Amazingly, most parents liked the idea. They remembered their own torturous history of receiving communion only after being confirmed, and their reflection told them it was not a good thing. They wanted their children in church to receive communion with them. And so for 33 years of priesthood, I have offered communion to infants and small children prior to confirmation.

Confirmation is a sacrament above baptism in the old system of the church because it was required to receive communion.

Now, confirmation is recognized as a sacrament that affirms our baptism and gives the opportunity for us as adults to accept our baptism and all the promises that were made for us at baptism.

I don’t feel that there’s any reason for younger children to be confirmed today because they aren’t ready to think through their relationship with God and make the decision for confirmation until they are at least in high school. The high school years are critical years for growth, and confirmation instruction during those years can be very valuable as a means for establishing the meaning of faith for an individual. I think it’s appropriate for confirmation to be offered to adults and "emerging adults" in their high school years. Real choice and experience of life can be talked about.

In the old system of confirmation, it was done so the "reward" of communion could be received and the expectations of parents could be met. Today, we take seriously the need for everyone to affirm his or her baptism and the service of confirmation provides that opportunity.

Dick is rector of St. John The Evangelist, Milwaukie. Contact him at stjohns3@worldaccessnet.com