CONFIRMATION – A RITE LOOKING FOR A HOME

When confirmation was no longer a prerequisite for first communion, the rite of confirmation lost its last meaningful role and function in the life of the Lutheran Church in North America.  Since then Confirmation has been a rite looking for a home.  The shift in the understanding of confirmation can be seen in the subtle, and perhaps not so subtle, changes in understanding as reflected in the last three Lutheran hymnals, the Service Book and Hymnal (SBH) published in 1958, The Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) published in 1979 and the latest hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) published in 2006.

In the SBH the rite is listed as an Order of Confirmation under the sub-heading Occasional Services.  The rite is understood as being the culmination of a process of education as shown in the minister’s statement:  The following persons, having been instructed in the Christian Faith and approved by the Church, are now presented for the Rite of Confirmation.   In SBH the rite is rather loosely tied to baptism. In the opening address to the confirmands the minister says: 

Dearly Beloved:  In Holy Baptism you were received by our Lord Jesus Christ and made members of his holy Church.  In accordance with our Lord’s command, you have been instructed in the Word of God and led to the knowledge of his will and of his gracious Gospel, and you now desire to make public profession of your faith, and to be confirmed.

Here the emphasis is on instruction and knowledge so that the confirmands are prepared to make a “public profession” of their faith.  Once the public profession of faith has been made, the minister then says:

Forasmuch as you have made confession of your faith and have received Holy Baptism, I do now, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the great King and Head of the Church, admit you to the fellowship of the Lord’s Table, and to participation in all the spiritual privileges of the Church. 

Since the confirmand is already stated to be a member of Christ’s holy Church by baptism,  now this rite bestows on them new privileges and responsibilities as well as a new status in the congregation.

But note that there is no mention in this rite that the confirmands are confirmed.  Nor is being confirmed and making a public profession the same act.   Furthermore, according to this rite the public profession of faith is a prerequisite for participating in communion and in the life of the congregation.  The use of the word “admitted” is interesting since it implies that there is a gate keeper role for the Church concerning who may or may not be “admitted” to the Lord’s Table.  But what are the spiritual privileges of the Church?  These spiritual privileges are not defined and do not apparently include participating in the Lord’s Supper which is stated as a separate issue. 

But what then is confirmation?  Who is the agent of confirmation?   The answer lies in the following prayer.

The minister prays:

Almighty and merciful God, heavenly Father, who only workest in us to will and to do the things that please thee: Confirm, we beseech thee, the work which thou hast begun in these thy servants; that, abiding in the communion of thy Church and in the faith of thy Gospel, no false doctrine, so lusts of the flesh, nor love of the world may lead them away from thee, nor from the truth which they have confessed; but that in joyful obedience to thy Word, they may ever know thee more perfectly, love thee more fervently, and serve thee in every good word and deed, to the blessing of their fellow men, the edification of thy people and the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

It is interesting that in this prayer God is referred to as the agent of confirmation.  The prayerful request is to God that God will do the confirming since confirmation is not the act of the minister, the congregation or the Church.  In the Rite of Confirmation God is requested to confirm God’s work that God had already begun in the life of the confirmand.  In the prayerful confirmation request, God is requested to assist the confirmand to “abide” in the communion of the Church, not just the Lutheran Church.   The focus of the confirmation prayer is on God assisting the confirmand to remain faithful, not be deluded by lusts of the flesh or false doctrines and live a life of service so that they may be a blessing to others. 

Central to this Rite of Confirmation is that the confirmand, and by implication the family and congregation, are in a process of transition.  Through the confirmation process the youth is transitioning from being a “child” to becoming a responsible Christian adult who is expected to participate fully in the life of the Christian community.    The emphasis on responsible living as a Christian adult reveals that the rite was at least partially understood as a rite of passage.  Rites of passage in many cultures have had an important function.  Puberty rites of passage focused on the transition childhood to adulthood and the possibility of pregnancy. Therefore, puberty rites focused not simply on the sexual changes in the boy and girl but on what it means to be a responsible adult.  In cultures it was one of the major rites of passage.

The Rite of Confirmation in SBH contains hints that in the past it was, at least partially understood as a Rite of Passage, a transition for the youth from childhood to adulthood.  This understanding was also reflected in many of the traditions and practices associated with confirmation.  For some ethnic Lutherans the transition involved being informed that they were now fully responsible for themselves and their decisions.  For others they were allowed to smoke, decide whether to go to church or not.

As confirmation started to lose it function as a rite of passage the emphasis shifted to the importance of content.  Instruction focused on theological knowledge.  The focus on the teaching of content de-emphasized the understanding that confirmation was a process associated with a family and congregational transition.  As a result confirmation became increasingly associated with the educational system which led to the unfortunate understanding of it as a graduation following a period of instruction. Confirmation became an end in and of itself instead of a transition to a new status and function in the community of believers. This has led to a significant loss of confirmed members.

With the publication of the LBW there is a further significant shift in the understanding of confirmation.   It is no longer referred to as the Rite of Confirmation but rather as the Affirmation of Baptism.  In the index there is no longer a sub-section in which the Affirmation of Baptism is listed as an Occasional Service but is part of a general index of all rites and services.  However, it is still listed in the general index with the other Occasional Services. 

In LBW the first rubric states that Three services, related to the Baptism of the candidates , are presented as one.  Unfortunately nowhere is one told what these three services are.  No longer are those being confirmed referred to confirmands, but now they are referred to as candidates.  The use of the term candidate makes a marked shift in the understanding of Confirmation.  According to Webster dictionary a candidate is “one who offers himself or is offered by others for an office, membership, or honor (p. 121).”  This idea of being offered is reinforced by the representative of the congregation when presenting the candidates to the minister says:

These persons have been instructed in the Christian faith and desire to make public affirmation of their Baptism.

LBW uses the word Confirmation in rubric 3 where it refers to it as an educational process.   Confirmation marks the completion of the congregation’s program of confirmation ministry, a period of instruction in the Christian faith as confessed in the teaching of the Lutheran Church. Since the Lutheran Church had voted to separate first communion from confirmation the Rite in LBW relates confirmation more directly to baptism.  The rubric states: Those who have completed this program were made members of the Church in Baptism.  Confirmation includes a public profession of the faith into which the candidates were baptized, thus underscoring Gods action in their Baptism. 

Where as in SBH there were two aspects to the Rite of Confirmation, namely the profession of faith and confirmation preceded by a period of instruction, now in LBW there is only the profession of faith.  By focusing on the profession of faith as a completion of a required educational program as determined by the congregation the focus is now entirely on the candidate. 

Dear friends, we rejoice that you now desire to make public profession of your faith and assume greater responsibility in the life of our Christian community and it mission in the world.

Since the central focus is no longer on a “confirmation” by God as in the rite in SBH, what role does God then have in this new rite? In the Prayers, God is requested to assist the candidates. Following this prayer the rite returns to the candidates with the following instruction:

You have made public profession of your faith.  Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism:

    to live among God’s faithful people,

    to hear his Word and share in his supper

    to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,

    to serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus

    and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

The service ends with an instruction that the following prayer is FOR CONFIRMATION ONLY.

Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, stir up in ____________ the gift of your Holy Spirit; confirm his/her faith, guide his/her life, empower him/her in his/her serving, give him/her patience in suffering, and bring him/her to everlasting life.

This prayer retains reference to God confirming the candidate's faith. This request to God retains a hint that confirmation is a rite of passage, a transition.  But the central concept in this service has now become an Affirmation of Baptism. 

ELW retains the title Affirmation of Baptism but index indicates a significant shift.  The services and rites are assigned specific categories.  Affirmation of Baptism which previously was assigned to the category of Occasional Services in SBH and listed with these Occasional Services in LBW is now listed under the sub-section Holy Baptism. If the editors of ELW had followed the earlier categorization of the services and rites it would have been listed under Life Passages together with Healing, Funeral and Marriage.  This shift to listing it with Baptism is significant and reflects a new and particular understanding.  With the elevation of the rite of Affirmation of Baptism to a new status by associating it closely with Baptism, confirmation is essentially relegated to the archives of church practices.

The introduction provided in ELW states that:

Affirmation of Baptism may be used at many times in the life of the baptized Christian.  It is especially appropriate as part of a process of formation in faith in youth or adulthood (confirmation), at the time of beginning one’s participation in a community of faith, as a sign of renewed participation in the life of the church, or at the time of a significant life passage.

In this rite confirmation gets a bracketed mention and those participating are no longer confirmands or candidates, they are sisters and brothers.   Central to this rite is the affirmation of baptism by the sisters or brothers.  No longer is the focus of the educational process and its culmination in confirmation.  The introduction makes it clear the this rite is not essentially about youth as indicated by the rubric that this service may be used “at many times.”  God is not asked to confirm the faith of the baptized but rather thanked for what God has done in their lives.  God is also requested to “uphold” the sisters and brothers ”in the gifts and promises of baptism”. 

Was anything lost in the shift in the rite from one of Confirmation to that of Affirmation of Baptism?  SBH clearly understood the Rite of Confirmation to be an education process that led to the youth making a profession of faith and the request that God confirm the work that God had already performed in the life of the confirmand. Furthermore, a close examination of the rite indicates that there is, as in the previous rites, a concern with the future life of the confirmand which retains the concept of confirmation as a rite of passage, a family transition.

The educational process in confirmation was meant to equip the confirmand with the knowledge and values to live a Christian life. In the Rite the confirmand makes a public confession that this is his or her intent. According to Webster dictionary the roots of confirm is “to make firm.” (p. 174)  It means “to attest to the truth or validity of something.  Confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.” (p. 174)  To affirm according to Webster is “to state positively.” (p. 16)  But what exactly is being asked of the sister or brothers in the Affirmation of Baptism Service who desire to affirm their faith?  What are they affirming? What role does God have in this process when the affirmation of faith is now the central aspect of the service?

Unfortunately this shift away from Confirmation to Affirmation of Baptism has led to the loss of focus on confirmation as assisting families as they dealt with the changing relationships in the family that in other cultures were addressed by rites of passage.  This has not stopped the church from speaking about the importance of the family while  relegating Confirmation, a resource for families, to the ash heap of religious relics.  Even if it was not the most effective resource at least the church was offering some assistance as the youth and their parents dealt with this important transition.

The North American church has become a captive of North American values and especially its commitment to the philosophy of individualism. This, I believe, has led to the rejection of rites of passage, especially those involving youth.  The outcome of this action has been a vain attempt to create artificial rites of passage associated with getting a driver's licence and going to the pub for the first time.  These so-called coming of age events focus solely on the youth without addressing the larger and more important issue of the changing relationship between the youth and his or her parents. These coming of age events fail to deal with the emotional attachments issues that are being dealt with by the parents and child. Those cultures in which rites of passage are celebrated use the opportunity to provide both the youth and parents with the resources of both the extended family and community.  North American families are left to their own resources as they deal with these emotional attachment issues.  Confirmation was once such a resource for families.  The Affirmation of Baptism has no particular focus since it can be used "many times"  and thus fails to offer what the Rite of Confirmation offered families.  It is a poor substitute for confirmation.

All family transitions are times of high anxiety for the whole family.  This is especially true for parents and their child as they deal with the child's need for greater autonomy which is hampered by emotional attachment issues.  In African societies this transition of the youth to adulthood is undertaken by the elders of the clan.  It is their responsibility to educate the youth in the necessary knowledge and values needed to live as a responsible adult life in the community.  After a period of instruction the youth return to their communities where they are expected to live and behave as adults.  The community welcomes and receives them as adults.  Parents are expected to relate to their child as an adult. There are traces of this process indicated in the Rite of confirmation in SBH. The child is expected to undergo a period of instruction in which the child is taught the meaning and values associated with living in the Christian community as a responsible adult. Upon completion of the period of instruction the  youth is welcomed by means of the Rite of Confirmation into community as an adult.  In the Rite of Confirmation in SBH it is stated: "... admit you to the fellowship of the Lord’s Table, and to participation in all the spiritual privileges of the Church. "  In the past this declaration that the confirmand had transitioned from being a child to an adult was undergirded by various practices and statements that affirmed confirmation as a rite of passage.

Giving confirmation a home in the church as a rite of passage means that the church acknowledges that it desires to be resource to parents in facilitating the family transition.  The period of instruction focuses on the meaning of being baptized into the Kingdom of God and living as a child of God.  It further assists the child in formulating his or her core solid principles and values that would inform their decisions.  This is in essence of Luther does in the explanations of the Ten Commandments.  Luther's Small Catechism is an important resource for the educating of the youth.  Luther offers a solid core principle for life in the explanation of the first commandment that the Christian is to "fear, love and trust God above everything else."  It is this solid core principle that then informs how one is to understand the other nine commandments.  It is this principle that examines the meaning of relationships both in terms of the commandments negative implications as well as what it means to positively fear and trust God above everything else in all relationship.    

The Lutheran church in North America needs to rediscover the importance of having not just the Rite of Confirmation but the educational process that leads up to the rite. Its teaching needs to focus on assisting parents and their children to pass through this transition in a gracious manner. The Gospel does address the changing relationships between parents and their children.  It offers a way of dealing with issues of unresolved emotional attachment.  By rediscovering the importance of the whole confirmation process, the Lutheran Church will then become once again a significant and important resource for families.    

Confirmation teaching has been the responsibility of the pastor.  However, when it is understood as a rite of passage that concerns the whole community then it can no longer be the sole responsibility of the pastor.  When confirmation instruction focuses on educating the youth in the values of Christian adulthood then it needs to be taught, not only by the pastor, but by the elders of the church, people who are seeking to live in the world as children of God.  In this way confirmation becomes a mentoring process in which the elders mentor the youth of the congregation. Having elders as mentors and teachers offers the anxious family an emotionally neutral presence which will facilitate an effective transition for both youth and parents.  In this way the church will become a resource once again. 

Perhaps the goal of confirmation can be summed up in the words of Martin Luther:

A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject of all, subject to all.