Confirmation as bridge

Like the majority of Presbyterians—and perhaps the majority of all mainline Protestants—our church offers confirmation for youth who are in eighth grade. The church I served previously did confirmation in ninth grade, so I’ve always reflected on the difference between the two. At first, my thinking mostly involved differences in maturity. Having done five classes of high school freshman and seven classes of eighth graders, I’m not sure that the maturity difference is that significant. Honestly, neither age is probably ready for the kind of life decision we associate with confirmation—though offering it to them is part of the wider transition into adulthood that is adolescence.

Lately, though, I’ve been thinking more about this in terms of the significant attrition we experience between confirmation and high school, a phenomenon which is also shared by many other churches. While much of this attrition is due to post-Christendom realities beyond our control—which is why we must be proactive about developing new forms of high school ministry—I wonder how much locating confirmation in 8th grade sets us up for trouble.

In our church—like in many other churches—confirmation is perceived by youth and families as a “graduation” from Sunday School and often marks the end of active participation in youth ministry. I know of some churches that offer confirmation in high school precisely in order to address this issue. Confirmation is understood as a high school activity and it is believed that more youth will stay involved in youth ministry during high school because they have made this association and have recognized the value of a high school youth group.