Promises were made when you were baptized, “…to live with them among God’s faithful people, bring them to the word of God and the holy supper, teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed and the Ten commandments, place in their hands the Holy Scriptures and nurture them in faith and prayer so that they may learn to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace…” (Order for Holy Baptism in Evangelical Lutheran Worship).
To help fulfill the promises made, Christ the King Lutheran Church provides a Confirmation ministry—which includes teaching, service, worship, proclamation, and community building—to assist 6th-8th grade youth and their families in their walk as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Call of the Ministry Team: We strive to provide an inviting and inspiring atmosphere for learning and helping our youth come to Know Christ, Show Christ, and Grow in Christ. We do this by treating peers respectfully and fairly, allowing opinions and feelings to be safely expressed, and listening intentionally to one another.
Team Commitments: Love God, like kids, and be willing to be involved in the Christian growth of our youth every other Wednesday night.
Other Details: To succeed in this ministry, we need:
- Learners: energetic, sometimes sleepy or bored, curious, dedicated, selfless, self-centered, gifted, unsure, trusting, rebellious, emotional, normally abnormal youth!
- Parents: loving adults who promised at their son/daughter’s baptism to help their child grow in faith; who will actively participate in this journey, encourage their child, and strengthen their own discipleship through CTK’s activities.
- Guides: adult Christian volunteers who love God, like kids, and are willing to be involved in the Christian growth of six to nine youth.
- Presenter/Pastor: a teacher willing to think outside the traditional box, use multiple teaching methods, and encourage learner participation.
Take away any of these elements and the ministry collapses.
Teaching: 6th-8th Grade Confirmation group meets 6:45-8pm every other Wednesday night - Sept-May. Three units each program year, each in a different area of faith.
- Know the Bible.
- Know Lutheran theology.
- Know practices of a Christian Life.
Service: Learners are expected to volunteer 20 hours per program year in the community or around church. Examples are helping with the Consignment Sale, setup & serving for the Wednesday Community meal, helping an elderly neighbor, or doing a project with your scout troop. Service hour forms are available in the narthex. It is your responsibility to submit the form to receive credit.
Worship: Learners are expected to regularly attend weekend worship.
- Holy Week & Easter: We encourage families to attend all 3 worship services (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter) since each tell part of the salvation story.
- Worship Notes: Learners must complete 5 worship notes before Christmas and 5 from January through May. (There are over 70 worship opportunities during the year.) Blank forms are available in the narthex, as well as a box for completed forms.
- Worship notes will be reviewed and returned to the learner. Worship notes are meant to help the learner gain a better understanding of worship and the message for the day. If not completed to satisfaction they will not count.
- If you attend Bible Camp after your 7th grade year, you are exempt from taking worship notes in the 8th grade.
- Worship Assistance: Learners are expected to assist with CTK’s worship 10 times from September through May.
- Lenten Worship is a special time when our confirmation group takes the lead with ushering. Learners assist with ushering for each of the 6 Lenten worship services
- The other 4 experiences may be chosen from the following: Usher, Greeter, Reader, Altar Guild, Nursery, Special Music, Crucifer, Communion Server
Community: Learners are expected to participate in the community life of CTK, attending community-based Wednesday activities (i.e. Trunk’N’Treat, Christmas programming, Talent Show) just as they would attend learning nights.
Proclamation: Learners are expected to share their faith and what they learn in Confirmation with others. Two opportunities to do this are the Capstone Project and the Faith Statement.
