The Confirmation Journey is a family-paced faith process for young people (7th-12th grades), who want to dive deeper into understanding what they believe and why! The Journey is quite flexible, it can be completed in a year or as long as you need. Together, students & a parent/mentor are invited to explore what it looks like to be followers of Jesus while working through Journal lessons, reading Scripture, and using the Catechism. At the end of the journey, students are invited to publicly confirm and claim their identity as disciples who intend to continue to follow Jesus.
Questions about the Confirmation Journey? Contact Lindsey Schmidt
WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR CONFIRMATION JOURNEY:
1. Family Discussion
Step 1: As a family discuss whether you believe you are ready (or your student is ready) to begin this journey. Here is a list of faith topics and questions to guide this discussion. The journey is designed to take at least a year to complete, all families are welcome to take as long as they need.
2. Launch Meeting
Step 2: To register for a Launch Meeting, sign up here or email Lindsey. Be sure to Register for WLCyouth Wednesday night programming! All students participating in the Confirmation Journey must be faithful, frequent, and engaged members of a Youth small group.
3. Confirmation Journaling
Step 3: Complete the Confirmation Journals (Divided in 2 parts, made up of 11 units, containing 49 lessons total) along with the 11 Unit check-in sheets (see Item 6 below) along the way and action module components (Worship Notes, Participating in your Small Group, Service Hours).
The Confirmation Journal is a study guide to work through what we believe and why. The Journal covers an Intro to the Bible, what it means to be a Lutheran Christian, Luther's Small Catechism (10 Commandments, Lord's Prayer, Apostles' Creed, Baptism, Holy Communion and Confession), Faith practices for a Christian's life, and how to write and share your faith story. The lessons in the Journal are brief and devotional in nature, taking 10-15 minutes to complete. There are questions for reflection and response. At the end of each unit your student will complete a "check-in" page to summarize what they learned. This will help us keep track of how they are progressing. Lindsey Schmidt will check in periodically along the way and you're always encouraged to contact her as questions come up.
We encourage families to work on the lessons together or for students to find a trusted adult to work with. As part of the Confirmation Journey, students should complete 15 worship notes on Sunday services, regularly participate in their small group, and complete 15 service hours prior to registering for Confirmation Weekend. At the end of the process, students will share their faith story with their Wednesday evening small group.
4. Celebration Interview
Step 4: Sign up and complete a 30-minute Confirmation Celebration Interview by October 1st or February 1st depending which is closer to when you complete your testimony sharing and check-in sheets.
5. Confirmation Weekend
Step 5: Register for your Confirmation Weekend. All students who have completed their Confirmation Journey journals, check-ins, action module, testimony, and interview are given the opportunity to confirm their faith along with other students during their regular worship time.
There are 2 Confirmation Sundays each year (usually the 5th Sunday of October or 1st Sunday of November and the 1st Sunday in March).
6. Resources & Check-ins
CHECK IN 1: INTRODUCTION & REGISTRATION
CHECK IN 2: BEING A LUTHERAN CHRISTIAN
CHECK IN 3: THE BIBLE
CHECK IN 4: THE LORD'S PRAYER
CHECK IN 5: SIN
CHECK IN 6: THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
CHECK IN 7: THE APOSTLES' CREED
CHECK IN 8: BAPTISM
CHECK IN 9: SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR
CHECK IN 10: FAITH PRACTICES
CHECK IN 11: TESTIMONY
Printable Check in Part 1 and Part 2, (if you prefer to write and turn them in).