“Confirmation to me is the Church’s creative impulse to reflect her deepest yearning to proclaim resurrection in all forms of abundant life within a formative framework that would be intentionally replicated from generation to generation.”
Rt. Rev. Prince Singh, “Christian Identity” in Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Theologies of Confirmation for the 21stCentury (New York: Morehouse Publishing, 2014 ), 89.
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Confirmation Resources
While the content of a confirmation program is important, the most valuable aspects of any program are the building of relationships, a supportive and safe environment, the sharing of faith stories and questions, and the community that supports the process.
Parent support is an important component of confirmation preparation. Many may be returning to church with their child for this milestone event after a long absence. Many may have been raised in another faith tradition and don’t know what confirmation is all about in the Episcopal Church. Hold a parent, guardian, carers meeting to share understandings and expectations. This presentation may give you an outline of how to hold such a conversation:
Curricular resources are tools for you to adapt and use that fit the needs of your youth and context of your community. They should be chosen with intention, following a process that includes the input of many voices (clergy and lay, parents and youth). As Episcopalians, we understand the Rite of Confirmation as one in which an individual affirms their baptismal promises as stated in the Baptismal Covenant (BCP, 304-305). How do the resources you choose to use expand these promises, allowing participants to go deeper and make them their own?
For information on Spanish resources, please contact the Office of Latino Ministries of the Episcopal Church.
Review some of the learnings from The Confirmation Project for help in developing your program.
The below documents can also assist you in evaluating and choosing program materials.
- Recommended Components for Preparation
- How to Choose a Curriculum
- Evaluating Curriculum
- A Confirmation Curriculum Overview Chart
- A list of Confirmation Curricular Resources
- An Annotated List of Episcopal Confirmation Curriculum
These documents can help you plan your program:
- Age and Attendance Recommendations
- Preparation Time Recommendations
- Guidelines for Choosing Mentors
- The Role of the Bishop
- The Role of Clergy and Lay Leaders
- The Role of the Faith Community
- Resources for Service and Mission
- Walking Together: A Resource for Mentors
- Additional Ways to Celebrate Confirmation
- What Next? Life after Confirmation
"It's not that imparting information in an effective way is either trivial or easy. But the information we share about our faith and tradition needs to be in conversation with the lived experience of those who are exploring whether or not to be confirmed."
Laura Darling, “Everything You Need to Know to Be Confirmed” in Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Theologies of Confirmation for the 21st Century (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), 98.
The Needs and Developmental Growth of Youth
It is important to understand the developmental growth of young people. No one category can describe a person, so knowing the individual (including how they learn best) and how they interact with others is important.