During my time in full-time church ministry, both as a director of Christian education and now as a pastor, I’ve thought a lot about confirmation—and I’d guess most church workers have too. How can we best teach confirmation? Do we need to update the curriculum again this year? Which age range works best? How should parents or other supportive adults be involved? Is there some way we can get out of teaching confirmation altogether?
These are good questions, but I’ve found that discussions often focus more on what the church needs rather than what students are able to learn. When I train pastors and church workers on how to teach, one recurring emphasis that keeps popping up is the need for student-centered teaching in congregations—whether in Sunday School, adult Bible class, or confirmation.
We should be focused on teaching students, not teaching lessons. Teaching students means paying attention to what they are actually learning, while teaching lessons focuses only on whether the instructor covered the material.
In this post, I’ll share a few ways to move toward a student-focused confirmation program. This is a much larger topic than one blog post can cover, but I hope these ideas spark meaningful ministry conversations in your context.
This may seem obvious, but knowing your students should be the first step in teaching a new class of confirmands. I lead with this because, in my experience, it’s often neglected. The catechism begins with the Ten Commandments, so we tend to jump right into the First Commandment on day one.
Even if you have your curriculum ready—perhaps refined over many years—you may not yet be ready to teach it. Knowledge about the students in front of you is still missing. What brings them to confirmation? What are their interests? What are they involved in at school? At home? How connected are they to one another and to congregational life?
Answering these questions helps build relationships, which leads to better learning. Students are more engaged when they know their instructor cares about them and when they feel connected to the group.
You don’t have to ask everything at once, but front-loading relational time in your curriculum is wise. A longer “get to know you” activity early on helps establish trust before diving into content. And this shouldn’t stop after the first week.
Consider using open-ended questions regularly—perhaps as a lesson “hook” or a brief mid-class brain break. For example, a lesson on “daily bread” could begin with, “Describe a memorable meal you’ve had. What made it memorable?” Or, midway through class, you might ask something unrelated to the lesson to recharge attention and build rapport.
Another consistent practice is starting class with highs and lows, life updates, or prayer requests. These help students see themselves as part of a caring faith community—and you may be surprised by how often Scripture and catechism teachings connect naturally to what students share.
One rule of thumb: Answer the question yourself too. Leading by example helps students get to know you better and sets the tone.
Along with knowing your students personally, it’s important to understand what they already know. What is their faith knowledge coming into confirmation? Are the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed familiar or new? Are they engaged in congregational life or on the fringes?
I recommend two assessments. First, assess students before the program begins. A simple pre-test or questionnaire can reveal what knowledge you can reasonably assume, what needs reinforcing, and whether remedial work is needed. Without this, you risk teaching at a level that’s inaccessible for many students.
Second, do an assessment prior to teaching a new unit. Asking a few questions before you begin a topic can help you tailor instruction to the group of students in front of you. A class where most students rarely pray will need a different approach than one where nearly all already have an active prayer life.
These assessments also function as ready-made post-tests. Simply revisiting the same questions after instruction can help gauge learning.
Knowing what students understand beforehand is important—but so is knowing what they’re learning during class. Too often, discussion centers on getting someone to say the right answer so the lesson can move on. That approach doesn’t tell us whether everyone else understands the material.
Instead, look for ways to engage the whole group. Strategies like “read, write, discuss” or “pair and share” help every student interact with the content. Randomized participation—such as name sticks or digital selectors—can also encourage broader involvement, though care should be taken to reduce anxiety by providing thinking time before answering.
If the only goal of confirmation is “get students confirmed,” we’re missing an opportunity. Seeing confirmation as part of broader faith formation invites deeper, more personal goals.
Consider building in times for confirmands, parents or sponsors, and congregational leaders to set goals together. These might include a strength to build on, a growth area, and a way to become more integrated into church life. Goals can be revisited during the program and reevaluated after confirmation.
This approach requires time, but the benefit—walking intentionally with students and families—is significant.
It’s tempting in parish education to focus primarily on covering content. Without compromising doctrinal faithfulness, let’s also take steps to ensure our teaching is shaped by the students we’re teaching—forming each individual as faithfully and effectively as we can.
Support meaningful confirmation learning. With Enduring Faith® Confirmation Curriculum, students can dig into the Bible, the catechism, apologetics, and more.