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

"Confirmation Practices Involving Youth in the Diocese of Oregon
or Do You Ever Wonder What Becomes of Those Darned Questionnaires?"
by Stephanie Wight

    This spring, the Department of Christian Education for this diocese set about gathering information about how and when confirmation preparation is done in our parishes. Questionnaires were distributed to 70+ congregations. After some nudging, 31 responses were received. As one of the individuals who composed the questions, I appreciate the mixed feelings when one receives yet "another" one of those questionnaires. Yet the information gleaned from your responses is invaluable. Your answers can paint a picture of how things really are within our diocesan family.

    When more than half of the parishes do not respond, we can only presume that the information is representative of the whole. The purpose of gathering information such as this is two-fold, the most important being to offer this information to congregations to support them in their ongoing efforts. The secondary purpose is to inform the department where there are needs so the department can make resources available to fill those gaps. In other words, requests for information such as these may not be your favorite bit of paperwork, but there is great benefit that comes from your participation.

And the survey says........

A drum roll please...

The earliest age a person would be considered for confirmation:

No minimum age (2)
Ten (1)
Eleven - Twelve (8)*
Thirteen-Fourteen (8)
Fifteen-Sixteen (6)
Eighteen and Up (2)**
Other (1) ***

*One congregation indicated children this young are offered confirmation only if their parents are also in the confirmation process.

**one respondent felt that age 18 should be the absolute minimum age

*** when parents request or as young adults

Who prepares these young people for confirmation?

The priest alone (12)
Lay leader or catechist alone (9)
A team approach (6)

Describe the format for this preparation (duration of program varied from 2 ½ months to 1 year)

During regular Sunday school time or youth group time (4)
After church on Sundays for 10, 1 hour sessions
4-6, 2 hour sessions
6, 2 hour sessions
Weekday afternoons or evenings 6, 2 hour sessions
10-12, 90 minute sessions
Once a month for 3 years plus two after church sessions and Maundy -Thursday service
Weekend retreat followed by 16 sessions 1 ½ hours and meet with mentor 1 hour a week, concluded with over-night retreat, special dinner and vigil on the night prior to the confirmation.

What materials are used in this preparation?

Note: as the resource center person I hoped I would glean all sorts of resources from this question...but no. Several parishes reported using the Episcopal curriculum from Morehouse- Barlow but weren’t specific as to which one.

The following were listed in no particular order:

the old Church’s Teaching Series

Scriptographic booklets

The Bible, the Hymnal and the Prayer Book

The Episcopal Church, by John Westerhoff

Knock and Enter

Videos mentioned included:

Who is Jesus,

Journey Through the Book of Common Prayer

Several parishes mentioned using "handouts" on liturgy, scripture, baptism, lectionary, church year and the prayer book, but were not specific.

Comments

    It was of interest that in the comment section, only two distinct themes were evident. The first being that a program (rather than curriculum) was needed that was based on faith formation. Nine respondents mentioned they were considering the "Journey to Adulthood" program (or one similar to it). The second theme expressed the desire to offer confirmation as an adult rite. It was acknowledged there is a need for a rite of passage at an age traditionally considered for confirmation, but that confirmation itself should be an mature faith decision, made after living in the adult world for a period of time.

Conclusions

    As true Episcopalians, the parishes of the Diocese of Oregon exhibit a wide variety of practice vis a vis Confirmation. It is of some interest that as educators we often hear from parents that they want "content based" programs for confirmation, yet as educators we would like to see "formation based" offerings. According to this sampling more priests prepare young persons for confirmation than do lay persons or teams that include priests. The majority of these preparations are based on no formal program or a mosaic of materials, (whose titles could not be recalled). It is the opinion of this writer that this wide variance in "how things are done here" comes from the ambiguity with which many clergy and lay persons view the place confirmation holds in the sacramental life of the church today.

Stephanie is the Christian Ed resource person (aka guru) for the Diocese of Oregon. You can contact her at resource@diocese-oregon.org.

© 2001, Diocese of Oregon
updated 05/03/2003 16:06
contact: kylew@diocese-oregon.org