Confirmation (catechesis) is a custom of the Church linking the catechumen (a Greek word referring to one who is receiving Christian instruction in preparation for Baptism and/or Communion to become a member in the Church) to their Baptism, celebrates the reception of the Lord's Word among them, and welcomes them to the Lord's Supper.
Our Youth Confirmation Class consists of religious instruction for youth in 5th grade and up and begins each Fall. Confirmation at Zion Lutheran Church lasts for two years. One year entails instruction in the Christian faith as expressed in the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, Baptism, Confession, and Communion as expressed in Luther's Small Catechism. The other year is focused on the Bible as the Word of God and the sole source and norm of our faith, ensuring that the catechumens have a solid foundation of the Bible and its contents. We will also look at how and why Lutherans worship the way we do and how this affects our everyday life.
Upon completion of the course, the catechumen makes a profession of faith, usually through an examination and summarized in formal questions in the Confirmation Rite. The Rite emphasizes God's work in Baptism, the gift of faith, and the benefits of the Lord's Supper for all who believe in Christ and His Word. It declares of a catechumen that he or she is a Christian who has been baptized, confesses the faith, and is in communion with Christ and His Church. The catechumen is then received into full membership of Zion Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
The Rite of Confirmation is only one step (albeit an important step) in the lifelong pilgrimage of sanctification as the Christian grows in faith in Jesus Christ and the knowledge of His Word.