The Purpose of Confirmation:

When we baptize a person, we are making that person a member of the church. Not only of the local congregation but, of the universal, worldwide, body of Christ that is continuous through time and all eternity. In the early church, baptism was always preceded by a period of instruction in the faith, known formally as the Catechumenate, so that those being baptized could know, and take seriously the faith they were confessing, and the promises they were making.

When infants are baptized, the parents, the sponsors, and the congregation all make those promises for the infant, and additionally promise that they will, continuously and when appropriate, perform the task of catechizing the child, of educating the child in the faith, as it grows into adulthood.

Confirmation, or more accurately the affirmation of baptism, then is the time when adults who were baptized as infants, take responsibility for, and affirm the promises and confessions made for them at the time of their baptism. Confirmation classes then should be understood as the conclusion of the period of catechesis, or education leading up to baptism, or full adult membership in the body of Christ.

Confirmation should then be seen rightly not as the end of the congregation's educational ministry, but the beginning of it.

Because confirmation is the end of the period of catechesis that would take place before the baptism of an adult member of the congregation, the goals of confirmation and catechesis are the same: 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. The goal is, in essence to teach what it is to be a Christian, and particularly a Lutheran Christian. Methods of Confirmation Ministry:

In order to achieve this goal, the confirmation program has four objectives, or areas of emphasis. The four areas of emphasis are:

Experiencing the Faith Community This area includes worship and sacramental life, but also fellowship in the Christian community, both locally and as a part of the larger Christian communion.
Living a life of Discipleship This area includes service, stewardship, and other involvement in the ministry of Christ.
Knowing and Understanding the Faith This area includes what many think of as the core of confirmation; Education in scripture, Christian as well as Reformation history, and the Lutheran Confessions.
Personal growth in Faith This area includes things like: developing a regular prayer life, developing and updating a personal statement of faith, thinking theologically about and responding appropriately to the world around us, as well as the continuing process of discerning personal gifts for ministry, and finding appropriate ways to put those gifts to use in the world for the Kingdom of God.

All of the activities and requirements of the confirmation program are designed to fulfill the needs of the confirmands in each of these four emphasis areas.