Cultivating Teen Faith: Insights from the Confirmation Project

by Richard R. Osmer (Editor), Katherine M. Douglass (Editor)

Overview

What are churches doing to form the faith of their young people? Many church denominations that practice infant baptism offer confirmation or an equivalent ministry when children reach adolescence and enter a new phase of spiritual growth—but all churches, regardless of tradition, wrestle with how to get young adults to actively join the church. What really works? 

In this book twelve authors draw on a three-year study of more than three thousand US congregations across five denominations—United Methodist Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Presbyterian Church (USA)—to answer this pressing question. They tell stories of excellent and innovative confirmation programs that work and that show, above all, what good discipleship with young people looks like. Youth pastors, church leaders, and parents alike will benefit from the practices and new ways of teaching presented here that have proven helpful in forming and enhancing the faith of youth. 

Contributors: Joy L. Arroyo, Reginald Blount, Kenda Creasy Dean, Katherine M. Douglass, Terri Martinson Elton, Lisa Kimball, Gordon S. Mikoski, Kermit Moss, Richard R. Osmer, Kate Harmon Siberine, Jacob Sorenson, Kate O. Unruh.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467452199
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	10/25/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Richard R. Osmer is Princeton Theological Seminary's Ralph B. and Helen S. Ashenfelter Professor of Mission and Evangelism Emeritus. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he chairs the Committee to Write New Catechisms for the Presbyterian Church (USA). His other books include Practical Theology: An Introduction, The Teaching Ministry of Congregations, and Religious Education between Modernization and Globalization.

Table of Contents

Foreword Kenda Creasy Dean ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction Kenda Creasy Dean Katherine M. Douglass 1

1 Learning in the Image of God 20

Encountering God in Body, Mind, Spirit, and Relationship Katherine M. Douglass Gordon S. Mikoski

2 Mentoring 45

Building Deep Relationships That Matter in Confirmation Lisa Kimball Kate Harmon Siberine 45

3 Deep Rhythms of Faith Formation 67

Separation and Reintegration in Summer Camp and Retreats Kermit Moss Jacob Sorenson 67

4 Parents and Confirmation 89

The Role of Families in Faith Formation Joy L. Arroyo Kate O. Unruh Katherine M. Douglass 89

5 A Spirit-Led People 114

Traditioned Innovation for Confirmation in Congregations and Denominations Reginald Blount Gordon S. Mikoski

6 A Summary of Our Findings 126

Theology and Empirical Research in Conversation Terri Martinson Elton Richard R. Osmer

7 The Confirmation Project as Practical Theology 145

Embodying Faith in Contemporary Christian Life Katherine M. Douglass Richard R. Osmer

Appendix: The Confirmation Project Opinion Questionnaire 179

Bibliography 200

Contributors 208

Notes 211

Index 222

Editorial Reviews

Todd Buegler
— senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Owatonna, Minnesota
executive director of ELCA Youth Ministry Network
“Confirmation ministry has long been taken for granted and has remained largely unchanged for decades. This volume presents the first significant cross-denominational study of confirmation, revealing the diversity of current methods and connecting the research to congregational best practices for effective faith formation.

From the Publisher