St Mark Lutheran Church

Confirmation PlayBook

2023-24

At St Mark, students in 6th-8th grades are invited to participate in Confirmation Class with Pastor Dave. Classes normally meet for @45 minutes on Wednesday evenings during the school year. During the 2.5 years of classes students are invited to explore their faith; explore and learn how to study the Bible; learn why the parts of the Small Catechism are so important; and to participate in the life of the congregation as a young adult.. 


WHAT IS CONFIRMATION ABOUT?

Confirmation classes have been around in Lutheran Churches for centuries. While many of us have memories of what it was like when we attended Confirmation class, it can be helpful for us to

pause and explore the basics of Confirmation. Whether you are a parent or a student preparing to begin classes, it is helpful to think about “what” Confirmation class is about, and “why” we do it. Here are a couple of really good descriptions: 


“Confirmation ministry is a pastoral and educational ministry of the church which helps baptized persons through Word and sacrament to identify more deeply with the Christian community and participate more fully in its mission.” -the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)


“Many people, including pastors, wonder what the point of confirmation is. Something that helps me is to call it Affirmation of Baptism, which is a much more descriptive name for what we’re doing. Basically, it’s an opportunity for people to affirm for themselves the promises that their parents, sponsors and congregation made for them at their baptism. At baptism, parents make this promise: “… to live with them among God’s faithful people, bring them to the word of God and the holy supper, teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed and the Ten Commandments, place in their hands the holy Scriptures, and nurture them in faith and prayer, so that your children may learn to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace.” 


At their affirmation of baptism, confirmands are asked to make this promise for themselves: “…to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.” The process of preparing people to affirm these promises can take many forms, including classes and increased involvement in congregational life. The process of confirmation takes many forms and varies from congregation to congregation, but the end goal is the same: to prepare people to boldly and confidently make those promises, affirm their baptisms and continue to live out their faith in the church. (LIVING LUTHERAN August 11, 2014)


At St. Mark, our hope is that this journey will help to inform and shape the faith and lives of those who attend. The purpose of this page is to help students and parents journey through these 2.5 years together, and for young men and women to be prepared to "affirm" their Baptism in the 8th grade. 

Confirmation Program Goals

  • 1. To gain appreciation & understanding of the Holy Scriptures and the Sacraments as means of encountering God in our lives.

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  • 2. To become fully aware of the promises God has made to you and to learn how to depend on these promises throughout your life, especially in times of need.

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  • 3. To grow in your awareness of the Lutheran understanding of the Christian faith.

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  • 4. To express willingness & ability to profess the Christian faith as your own.

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  • 5. To understand that the Church is the people of God, and as the Church, we are called to serve each other and all peoples in God’s Kingdom.

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  • 6. To identify appropriate service opportunities in both the church & amp; the community, and to accept the responsibility to fulfill that service and love the neighbor.

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  • 7. To develop a greater understanding of stewardship and the Christian’s responsibility to care for and wisely manage God’s creation.

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  • 8. To realize that Christian growth and understanding is a lifelong process.

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  • 9. To witness Christian growth in worship, education, and service.

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  • 10. Select and meet with a Confirmation mentor monthly.

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Overview

1. Classes meet weekly. 6th and 7th Grade students meet on Wednesday evenings 6:00 PM in the Office Conference Rooms. 9th Grade Students meet on Sunday mornings 10:00 Office Conference Room.


2. Worship is the central activity in the life of individual Christians, families, and congregation life.

We ask that students are in worship on a regular basis and hope that this is already a practice for your family.


3. Annual Confirmation Service takes place on the last Sunday of October each year. This year it

will be on October 29th at 9:00.

Expectations for Youth and Parents/Guardians

1. Youth and their families are asked to make a firm commitment to attend worship together.

Worship is essential to our identity as believers in Christ.


2. Youth and their families are asked to make a firm commitment for the student to attend all Confirmation classes.


3. At baptism parents and sponsors make promises to their child. Parental participation in the Confirmation program is a part of living according to those promises. We ask that you keep the promises you made to your child by engaging them in conversations about their Confirmation lessons and projects in the car and at home. This is a vital component of Confirmation learning for your child and takes only a few minutes.


4. As a part of our Christian vocation, we are called to work and serve in the world. Each student is expected to participate in the lending of their gifts and talents in service to the church and the world.

Confirmation Covenant St Mark Lutheran Church 2023-24

Words from the ELW Affirmation of Baptism Service

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your

heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you

today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and

when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix

them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your

gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Important Paperwork

  • 2024- SMLC Student and Parent Covenant sheet

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  • 2024- SMLC Confirmation Mentor Guide

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