Requirements for Confirmation:

It is understood that students will not be confirmed after completing the second year of confirmation classes, but will rather be confirmed after completing the requirements for confirmation. It is understood that with appropriate diligence all requirements for confirmation can be easily met within a two-year period. It is further understood that confirmation is of no sacramental importance in the Lutheran tradition, and failure to be confirmed will have no bearing on one's salvation.

It is understood that confirmation is a covenantal relationship between the congregation, the pastor, the confirmand, and the parents and sponsors of the confirmand, the goal of which is to give the students the skills and knowledge required to participate fully in the life and ministry of the congregation as well as in the larger church. It is expected that each member of this covenantal relationship will take this commitment seriously and diligently strive to achieve that goal. To that end the following requirements have been established for all members of the relationship.

Worship Notes: 200 points.

Points will be awarded for worship notes forms as indicated on the worship note form. Any number of points, from 0-6 may be awarded per worship note. 5 points will be awarded for a fully, and appropriately completed form, 6 points will be awarded for excellent work. Points will be awarded at the sole discretion of the pastor and may not be contested to any other party. It is possible, by properly completing sermon response forms, to complete this requirement after just 20 worship experiences per year, considering that there are over 60 opportunities to worship per year this requirement is considered to be very reasonable. In the case of a deficiency of points for worship notes, points for community service hours may be used to meet the deficiency at a rate of 1 point per hour of community service. The pastor, may assign additional worship points to a student, at any time, and at his discretion, for more details see the section on "discipline" below.

Community service: 20 points.

One point will be awarded for each hour of community service. In order to receive credit for service, the community service form must be filled out completely and signed by an appropriate adult supervisor or leader, generally not a parent. Community service is defined as any service to the community or appropriate member of the community provided free of charge, that one might ordinarily receive payment for, and where one is not receiving credit from another organization (scouting). Ordinarily service to family members will not qualify for community service hours. Some examples of acceptable community service include: Volunteering at a community food pantry, shoveling snow from an elderly neighbor's driveway, or participating in a community blood drive. Students are encouraged to find their own community service activities outside of the congregation. Help at various church activities may count for community service hours, provided that the student would not ordinarily be a part of that activity; service to the congregation will be worth 1 point per activity regardless of number of hours worked. If there is any question about whether or not a certain activity will count towards community service hours it is best to consult with the pastor before engaging in the activity if community service hours are to be sought. The determination of what constitutes a community service is at the sole discretion of the pastor and cannot be contested to any other party. In the case of a deficiency of points for community service, points for sermon notes may be used for community service at the rate of 1 point of community service for every 10 worship response points.

Regular Classroom Attendance: 40 Class sessions.

A large portion of the academic part of confirmation will be covered during the class periods, and so attendance at the class periods is essential. The confirmation class will meet for weekly class 24 times a year, 12 weeks each semester. This will allow any student to miss 2 weeks of class per semester and still be confirmed. In the case where a student misses more than 2 weeks of class in a semester the student will be given the option of repeating the semester, or writing a significant research paper on the topic of each class session missed in order to make up the deficiency. Extended absence due to illness or unavoidable circumstances should be discussed with the pastor, as soon as possible, and alternative arrangements may be made. In most circumstances absence due to sports will not be considered unavoidable. Among other things, confirmation is to a certain extent, a rite of passage into adulthood, and a big part of being an adult is making difficult decisions among a variety of options, as well as honoring one's commitments; for this reason it is understood that expecting students and parents to commit to, and chose confirmation over other activities is a reasonable expectation. There is grace, but there is also responsibility.

Passing Grades on all Exams:

Examinations will be given at least once a semester, and more often as deemed appropriate by the pastor. Exams may take a variety of forms, including oral, fill in the blank, multiple guess, and essay. The questions, and answers that will appear on the exam are often handed out to the students the week before the exam; in this case, a passing grade will be 90% or better. If a student does not pass an exam, that student will be given the opportunity to remain after class in successive weeks, until the exam is successfully passed. If a student, for some reason, is unable to pass an exam after 3 attempts, the student will be given the opportunity to complete a significant research paper on the topics covered in the exam.

Active Participation in the Ministry of the Church:

For 18 out of the 24 months preceding confirmation each student will be actively involved in a congregational ministry of the student's choosing, in addition to any involvement with the youth group. Examples of active participation would include: regularly serving as a lector and worship assistant, serving as a sacristan, membership on and service to any of the regularly meeting committees of the congregation, regularly teaching Sunday School, or the creation of other ministry opportunities. Time spent serving the congregation in this capacity does not count toward community service hours. The pastor will remain open to creative ways to fulfill this requirement. If a student fails to fulfill this requirement, that student will need to petition the church council for a significant alternative assignment that can be completed before the student is confirmed; the alternative assignment should be something of the student's choosing.

Regular participation in blog conversations:

A "confirmation Blog" can be found on the church website (http://stjohnmassbach.org/confiblog/). Weekly, the pastor will post a topic, or question for discussion, and the students are expected to comment on, or answer the question to the best of their ability. Students are also required to comment on, or reply to any student responses previous to their own. Once weekly participation is required, more frequent use of the blog and healthy interaction between students and healthy debate of the topics is encouraged.

Confirmation Camp:

Students are required to participate in one week of confirmation camp with their class, the week is usually scheduled for the summer between the 7th and 8th grade year. The camp will take place at a fully accredited camping ministry that is affiliated with the ELCA. Cost and dates for camp varies from year to year, but is very reasonably priced. Financial assistance may be available through the congregation for families that are unable to bear the cost of camp. Confirmation camp is considered an essential part of confirmation, and every effort to attend should be made. If a student is unable to attend camp, that student will need to petition the pastor and church council for an alternative method of fulfilling this requirement.

Mentorship:

If a student is assigned a confirmation mentor from the congregation, the endorsement of the mentor will be required for confirmation. If the student is not assigned a mentor, the student will be required to interview a (non-related) member of the congregation regarding their faith life, and to report the content of that interview in the form of a verbatim to the confirmation class.

Final examination by the congregation:

All students preparing for confirmation will submit themselves to a final examination by the congregation. This examination will ordinarily take place after all confirmation classes are concluded. The congregation will be free to ask any appropriate question of the confirmands, but will focus on the 101 questions. The endorsement of the congregation will be required for confirmation.

Final examination by the pastor:

All students preparing for confirmation will submit themselves to a final examination by the pastor. The examination will include an essay, the composition of a written personal statement of faith, and an interview with the pastor. The pastor will be available for help and consultation in the composition of the personal statement of faith. The endorsement of the pastor will be required for confirmation.

Acolytes:

Students will be required to serve as acolytes for regularly scheduled worship services as assigned. If a student is unable to serve on a Sunday for which he is assigned, it is the student's responsibility to secure an alternate. Students are required to attend acolyte training.

Discipline:

The pastor may assign additional Worship Response points to those students who are disruptive to the learning environment.

"Grandfather" Clause:

Those students who have completed a year of confirmation before this policy is approved, or students who have transferred from other congregations where they have successfully completed a full year of confirmation will be given full credit for one full year of confirmation under this plan, including 12 months of involvement with the ministries of the congregation. Students who have completed a year of confirmation under another program will also be given credit for attending camp, but are strongly encouraged to attend a second time if given the opportunity. Such students will be required to complete the second year of confirmation under this plan.

Modifications of these requirements:

Request for the modification of these requirements (other than as outlined above) will need to be made in person, in writing, by the confirmand to a regularly held meeting of the Church Council, and be approved by both the council, and by the pastor.

Required Resources:

Students will be required to bring to class with them each week:

If a student wishes to bring a snack, he should make sure that he brings enough for everyone.