By Matt Hein
There is no easy answer to the question ‘Is my child ready for confirmation?’ Each family will have their own unique set of considerations.
Some may choose to participate because their student is in 8th grade and this is the year they have been preparing for while others may wait until their 6th grade student has matured a bit more.
Some may participate so their 6th grade student receives discipleship tools that will help them navigate the challenges of middle school and high school more intentionally as a follower of Jesus. Other families may participate when they have two students journeying through the process at the same time.
Some families may wait until next year because they have current Wednesday commitments or because they know other families who are waiting until next year and waiting allows those families to journey through the process together.
If you are still discerning whether or not this is the year for your family to journey through Confirmation, know that you are being prayed for. As you ask the Holy Spirit to guide your family decision, evaluate your family schedule, consider the maturity of your student(s), and consider the potential blessings and challenges that this confirmation process will bring to your family, use the following questions as part of your discerning. We know that no one knows your family or your student(s) better than you and your answers to these questions could be very helpful to you.
Family Questions
- How would you describe your family’s current faith journey?
- Why is it important that your family participate in the St. Luke Confirmation process?
- Why do you think that 2014-15 is the year for your family to journey through the St. Luke Confirmation process?
Student Questions
- Why do you want to follow Jesus more purposefully in your daily life?
- What does confirmation (confirming your faith) mean to you?
Remember, we won’t ask for your family’s formal commitment to the Confirmation year process until October 1, 2014. You will experience two class sessions and the student retreat as a taste of what the rest of the year will be like. If you begin the process in September and find that waiting until next year is the right decision, we will support your family in that decision.
Please do not hesitate to contact Pastor Matt, our site leaders (Pastor Rossow and Pastor Flynn), Paul Easterday, or Andrew Osborne if you would like to talk through your decision. We want to help you make the best family decision you can make so that you are blessed by this Confirmation process no matter when you journey through it. To find out more about our confirmation process this year read the blog Confirmation as Discipleship.
