If you have served as a church youth leader or raised a teen yourself, you have probably heard a range of challenging questions: Why should I go to confirmation? Is the Bible true? Does God really exist? If so, why do bad things happen to good people?
These questions often come up during teen years when youth are asserting independence and forming identity on several fronts. John Westerhoff identified this as the searching phase of faith and further named that it is important for each of us to wrestle with questions in order to develop mature or ‘owned’ faith.
Though they sometimes feel like a rejection of faith, adult mentors are called to honor the queries, to respond with openness, to testify to the mystery and the truths of faith, and to model a commitment to growth. We must also be honest with youth and acknowledge that the journey has ebb-and-flow moments; sometimes we are sure about our beliefs and sometimes we have doubts.
Congregations offer a variety of confirmation experiences to complete the covenant they establish with families when a child is baptized. Confirmation is an invitation to follow the teachings of Jesus and embrace full membership in a community of faith. Hopefully, this step is not an endpoint, but instead a milestone that launches youth into a deeper relationship with God and a meaningful life of discipleship. The Southern New England Conference seeks to support followers of all ages that they may live the love and justice of Jesus.
The pandemic has put constraints on many of our faith formation programs, both in the local church and at the conference. Normally we would be preparing to welcome youth to overnight retreats at Silver Lake or Craigville Conference Center in the next month. As an adaptation, the Faith Formation team has developed a series of Nurturing Faith Confirmation Enrichment programs to bring youth and their leaders together via zoom. We invite you to register early as space is limited for these sessions!
Image by Gerd Altmann on Pixabay
These questions often come up during teen years when youth are asserting independence and forming identity on several fronts. John Westerhoff identified this as the searching phase of faith and further named that it is important for each of us to wrestle with questions in order to develop mature or ‘owned’ faith.
Though they sometimes feel like a rejection of faith, adult mentors are called to honor the queries, to respond with openness, to testify to the mystery and the truths of faith, and to model a commitment to growth. We must also be honest with youth and acknowledge that the journey has ebb-and-flow moments; sometimes we are sure about our beliefs and sometimes we have doubts.
Congregations offer a variety of confirmation experiences to complete the covenant they establish with families when a child is baptized. Confirmation is an invitation to follow the teachings of Jesus and embrace full membership in a community of faith. Hopefully, this step is not an endpoint, but instead a milestone that launches youth into a deeper relationship with God and a meaningful life of discipleship. The Southern New England Conference seeks to support followers of all ages that they may live the love and justice of Jesus.
The pandemic has put constraints on many of our faith formation programs, both in the local church and at the conference. Normally we would be preparing to welcome youth to overnight retreats at Silver Lake or Craigville Conference Center in the next month. As an adaptation, the Faith Formation team has developed a series of Nurturing Faith Confirmation Enrichment programs to bring youth and their leaders together via zoom. We invite you to register early as space is limited for these sessions!
- Interfaith Exploration on February 21 FULL!
- Many Faces of Discipleship (at Super Saturday) on March 20
- UCC Values and the 6 Ws on April 25
Image by Gerd Altmann on Pixabay
Author
Debby D. Kirk
Debby Kirk serves as leader of the staff team that provides resources for the work of nurturing disciples of all ages in the local church. Her area of focus is youth ministry. Contact her for: Faith Formation Communities of Practice Confirmation ...