I’ve wrestled with confirmation for two years now as an Associate Pastor. I never did it as a youth, and I’ve never spent any length of time in a church that did. So I’ve read and re-read, thought and re-thought the process we put 9th graders through more times than I’ll recount.

One thing I’ve changed this year is the statement of faith that confirmands are routinely asked to produce. Heavily influenced by this Martin Copenhaver essay in The Christian Century, I’m instead asking youth to compose a narrative instead of a statement. Copenhaver writes

Over the years I have come to realize that I am just not that interested in a 15-year-old’s reflection on eternal matters. In fact, I think we do youths a disservice by implying that they have anything important to say on such things at that point in their lives. Doing so may only create more adults who are overly infatuated with their own opinions.

I’ve asked our church’s 15 year-olds to write something that answers three questions:

1. How has God been involved in your past?
2. How is God involved in your present?
3. How do you hope  God will be involved in your future?

I’ve given them lots of fodder questions for addressing each of those three. They have “about a page” to work with, and they know it will be shared with their fellow confirmands, with me, and with the church session (governing board).

Is this a better way?