Guidelines For Planning A Confirmation Service

The following article presents guidelines for planning a confirmation service, based on theological, pastoral, and liturgical rationale. The Occasion It is desirable that the service of confirmation be planned to coincide with one of the great, evangelically significant times of the year: Easter, Pentecost, or some other festival belonging to the church's proclamation of the gospel through the stewardship of liturgical time. As to its hour, it should clearly not be at a time outside the accustomed gathering for congregational worship. Confirmation is not merely an individual or a family event, but an ecclesial one. A congregation should be present to give its vocal support to its members. Since the substance of the act is the renewing of the promises of baptism, if confirmation can coincide with some actual baptisms, the two ritual actions-the initial making of promises by some persons and the later reaffirming of those same promises by others-will inform one another. (Perhaps …