An Interpretation of Our Church’s Confirmation Liturgy

The Moravian - May 2005

It has been said that “what the Moravian church believes and practices can be determined by reading the liturgies of the Moravian Book of Worship.” This is especially true with the liturgy for “Confirmation and Affirmation of Baptism” on page 170.

The Connection Between Confirmation and Baptism The liturgy affirms the belief that confirmation and baptism are inextricably bound together. It is by design that prior to the Rite of Confirmation all worshippers affirm the covenant relationship with Christ in which baptism has placed them. If in fact a child or youth has gone through the confirmation program of the local congregation but has not been previously baptized, the baptism takes place and with their peers, they then enter into the Rite of Confirmation.

All Profess Faith

It is significant that after hearing the church’s statements of belief regarding baptism, the entire worshipping community, including the confirmands, stands to profess faith through the Apostles’ Creed, an indication that no worshipper is in an observer status. All enter into a communal experience of professing faith. Then, hearing the confirmands’ statement of intent to turn away from a life that is less than what Jesus would expect, their intent to “participate actively in Christ’s church, serving God all the days of your life,” a question of awesome responsibility is placed before the witnessing congregation. “Do you affirm these children of God as members of this congregation, and accept your obligation to love and nurture them in Christ?” When each worshipper promises to exercise a faith-nurturing role in the life of the confirmand, the liturgy becomes more than mere ritual. It demands a relationship between participants in congregational life, the confirmand, and our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Rite of Confirmation

In the Rite of Confirmation the candidate is specifically asked, “Do you confirm the covenant into which you were baptized, relying on the Holy Spirit to strengthen and guide you into ever increasing maturity in your relationship with Christ and the church?” This is quite different from what many experienced years ago in their own confirmation service. There they stood before the congregation and either responded to a host of questions or were grilled by the pastor on their knowledge of church doctrine and teachings. We believe the one question that is asked appropriately focuses on relationship with Christ and the church, rather than repeating expected answers.

Following a petitional prayer, the confirmand kneels before the pastor. Unlike some traditions, a Moravian clergy-person does not in fact confirm the candidate. Quite the contrary, it is the candidate who confirms his or her own faith in accepting responsibility for the vows in which baptism placed them. In a sense, the Rite of Confirmation is an opportunity to hear and affirm the confirmand’s promises and to offer the church’s blessing. The pastor lays hands on, names the candidate, reads a carefully selected text of Scripture intended to serve as a guiding watchword through life, and offers the words, “The Lord bless you and keep you…”

What Does This Mean for Confirmands?
Which one of us can definitively state what an experience means for someone else? But, we can say this. If the youth has previously felt welcomed and included in worship and congregational life, this moment will represent the loving affirmation of the entire church and the youth will feel blessed. However, if a congregation has inadvertently sent a message of dismissal or non-inclusion, it is highly probable that the Rite of Confirmation will be one more empty ritual and begin the drift away from the church.

How many times have you heard it said, “Why so often are our youth confirmed and we never see them in church again?” This is anguishing for so many of us in the church.

Among many, four significant factors contribute to inevitable dropout. First is the sense of “graduation” implied by using white gowns. While there is Biblical justification for the wearing of a white robe, it can also denote the exit of the newly confirmed. For that reason, a number of our congregations have eliminated the use of white robes, and justifiably so.

A second determining factor is the lack of incorporation of children and youth into the fabric and fiber of congregational life from earliest moments. A couple attempted to keep their very young child in the worship service, much to the consternation of some worshippers around them. When an elder talked with them about their restless child, the parents stated that their goal was to have their child know from an early age on that she was a significant part of the church family. We observed with awe as she eventually came forward for the children’s moment, participated in the program of the Sunday School, Children’s and Youth Choir, early communion, the confirmation program, and now the youth groups of the church. Not surprisingly, confirmation day came and went and she still remains involved in the life of her church.

A related factor may be the huge disservice we do to our children in “dismissing” them after a children’s message to go to a “little church” experience, or attend a “junior church” setting during “senior church” worship. Those designs can inadvertently convey a message that says, “You aren’t worthy of being in church with the rest of us.” Jesus did say, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” (Luke 18:16 NRSV)

Finally, the early communion experience can make children feel included and welcomed. The evidence is clear. When congregations provide an effective educational program for a child at an early age in preparation for Holy Communion, then invites the child to profess his or her faith and welcomes them to the table of our Lord, that child usually continues active in the life of the congregation.

Beyond Confirmation

Prior to singing the official Moravian hymn of welcome into church membership, the pastor turns to the confirmand(s) to identify for them and the congregation what has just taken place, “affirmation of one’s baptismal covenant, and another step in the journey with God.” A key element of all worship is the “reminder” of what we do and why we do it. What is also basic in the faith journey comes in the next lines where the confirmands are given these words of encouragement: “We charge (or encourage) you to always remain faithful to Christ and the church, and to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.” Here is further evidence that confirmation is but one more step in the walk of faith. Again we hear the reminder that the Holy Spirit will be leading that precious life of each confirmand to the next stages of spiritual growth, maturity of faith, but most importantly, discovering what God wants them to be and become.

The Liturgy of Confirmation and Affirmation of Baptism is but an instrument of the church in worship that affirms the profession of faith of the individual, grants them the church’s blessing, and encourages them for all the possibilities ahead that God may have in mind.

The Rt. Rev. Paul A. Graf is a bishop of the Moravian Unity living in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.