Reclaiming Confirmation: Stirring the Souls of Youth

Research shows that adolescents seek relevant learning, place less value in organizational membership, and often stop trying if understanding is not immediate. How might the confirmation process be reshaped to be experiential, relevant, relational, and inspire young people to claim their baptismal identity? What approach might lead teens who have experienced the trauma and disillusionment of a pandemic toward faith and understanding in the mystery of the divine? This presentation will explore these questions and propose a process and potential new structures through which faith communities may reclaim confirmation as a launchpad for a life of discipleship instead of an outcome-based program in the church.