Baylake UMC
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Step Out Into the Deep

- Confirmation

      • The Purpose of Confirmation
      • The Approach to Making Disciples
      • Confirmation Goals
      • What is my Commitment?
      • Confirmation Expectations
      • Faith Statements
      • Confirmation Action Steps

Confirmation is open to any youth who has completed 6th grade and who seeks to know more about what it means to be a “disciple of Jesus Christ.”

If you are interested in participating, please contact Trent Widener (589-0741) for registration information.

Confirmands - May 2010

 

THE PURPOSE OF CONFIRMATION

The purpose of confirmation is to provide an opportunity for our young people to explore the meaning of the Christian faith as understood in the Wesleyan Tradition. Central to this experience is the mentoring relationship, as well as study of the Bible, the basic tenets of the Christian faith, and United Methodist worship and polity. Additionally, students are asked to struggle with the question of what all of this means for them personally: "If I profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, what difference will it make in my life?"

Through thoughtful and caring leadership, we hope to create a safe place where our young people will feel free to ask their deepest questions, probing both their honest doubts as well as their growing faith. Our goal is to give these young people a comprehensive understanding of the Christian faith, along with a meaningful experience of the worship, study, mission, and fellowship life of the congregation.

It is our hope that these young people will be able to make an informed, committed decision regarding their relationship to Jesus Christ and the Church.

THE APPROACH TO MAKING DISCIPLES

1. Confirmation has as its goal discipleship- the production of people who resemble disciples of Jesus in their lifestyle, beliefs, and values.

2. We are uninterested in our youth knowing more "about" Christ; we want them to know and follow Christ. Therefore, confirmation must be more than the elementary mastery of a few facts about Jesus, about church history, about the Bible, and so on. Confirmation is nothing less than giving people the equipment they need now to be disciples.

3. Christianity is a way of life. The total person is engaged in the process. Education for this life must therefore be experiential, personal, and engaging, suggesting that confirmation doesn't end our growth as Christians. Confirmation continues and strengthens Christian growth that has already begun.

4. The manner in which most of us became Christians was by looking over someone else's shoulder, emulating some admired older Christian, taking up a way of life that was made real and accessible through the witness of someone else. So, while books, films, and lectures might play a part in Confirmation, they will all be subservient to the main task of putting young Christians in close proximity with older Christian "mentors" who invite these younger Christians to look over their shoulders as they both attempt to live as Christians.

CONFIRMATION GOALS

During the course of this study we will work toward:

    • A more mature understanding of what Scripture is and how it has come to the faith community
    • Clarifying beliefs about God
    • Knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior … #1
    • Exploring the worship experience as it calls the faith community together and expresses our most valued beliefs
    • Learning how the Holy Spirit works in the life of individuals, the life of the Church, and in the world
    • Understanding the Sacraments and the means of grace.
    • Discovering the importance of faith displayed in action.
    • Discovering what our spiritual gifts are and how to use them

In addition to this growth in knowledge, we will:

    • Discover the Christian community as a place of support, encouragement, and guidance
    • Experience a deepened sense of belonging to BUMC and to the Church universal
    • Come to understand faith as a journey and not as a goal
    • Experience an awareness of God's love at work in our lives and in the world
    • Understand the meaning and responsibility of a faith profession with in the United Methodist Church
    • Understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus…#1
    • Learn how that commitment is expressed through active membership in the church

WHAT IS MY COMMITMENT TO CONFIRMATION?

Participation in the mentoring group activities is expected. The more you are with your mentor, the more you will receive from the experience. Class members are also expected to attend worship weekly. Make-up work and extra-ordinary circumstances will be handled on an individual basis.

CONFIRMATION EXPECTATIONS

What is expected of Parents?

    • To ask their teenager regularly about confirmation and engage in discussions about the material being studied, sharing their understanding and perspective, while giving their teenager the freedom to decide what to believe and why he/she believes it
    • To support and encourage completion of assignments
    • To faithfully bring their teenager to worship, classes, and mission activities
    • To allow their teenager to make his/her own decision with regard to Jesus Christ and the Church

What is expected of Mentors?

    • To pray regularly for and with your students
    • To share your faith journey with your confirmand as a way of allowing them to understand who you are and how you have come to be an active member in the Church
    • To help your students write a Faith Statement
    • To offer support in your students' discernment process, to respect the decisions they make regarding membership, to celebrate with them on Confirmation Sunday whether or not they decide on membership in the church

What is expected of Confirmands?

    • To respect and accept one another as children of God
    • To attend classes and sessions faithfully
    • To listen and participate actively in class discussions
    • To bring your Bible to class
    • To attend worship regularly
    • To complete all assignments with integrity
    • To regularly meet with your mentor
    • To write a Faith Statement
    • To think and discuss openly and honestly about what you believe and how to live out your faith
    • To make a personal decision regarding your relationship to Jesus Christ and the Church

FAITH STATEMENTS

The confirmation journey culminates in each Confirmand writing a Faith Statement which is presented to the pastor in September.

The Faith Statement is a chance for each Confirmand to put into words what he/she personally believes about his/her faith. It is usually around one page long. The most important part about Faith Statements is not the length, but the honesty in expressing what it is the Confirmand actually believes.

We will spend a month in the formal writing process before presenting the final drafts to the pastor.
The mentors will play a crucial role in supporting and helping the Confirmands express themselves in the Faith Statement.

Each Confirmand will present his/her Faith Statement to members of the Administrative Board at a special called meeting in September. This meeting is to share the joy of welcoming new disciples to the life and fellowship at Baylake Church. There will be more information about Faith Statements given out as we get closer to writing them.

CONFIRMATION ACTION STEPS

In order to grow in understanding and experience of worship, Confirmands will be expected to:

    • Attend worship services regularly at BUMC.
    • Attend two other worship services with the Confirmation Class. Assist in worship leadership at least once during the summer as lay reader.

In order to discover the Christian community to be a source of support, encouragement, and guidance, and to have a lively awareness of God's love, Confirmands will be expected to:

    • Participate in at least six youth fellowship events
    • Participate in at least one BUMC service project
    • Meet with mentor groups regularly