Traditional Confirmation vs. Head to the Heart Confirmation
One way to think about Christian education and faith formation has to do with lectures, workbooks, tidy chairs all in a row and cramming information in.
There’s another way to think about Christian education. It has to do with small groups, parent involvement every night in every home, pastoral care, bonding Cross+Gen faith communities and drawing faith out.
| Confirmation Components | Traditional Confirmation | Head to the Heart Confirmation |
|---|---|---|
| Basics | Head to the Head | Head to the Heart |
| Prime Concern | Information | Faith Formation |
| Content vs. Context | Content heavy, context incidental | Content basic, context essential |
| Prime Directive | Fill blanks in workbooks | Fill blanks in lives |
| Educational Theory | Cram in | Draw out (educatio) |
| Educational Practice | Cover a lesson once | Preview, view, review and connect the lesson to your highs and lows every night |
| Educational Delivery System | Class/lecture | Large group/small peer group/nightly home huddles/community |
| Responsibility Bearers | Pastor/Teacher | Team including parents as partners |
| Church Role | Replacement of parent's duties | Partner with parents, equippers, trainers, motivators and supporters |
| Pastor/Director's Role | Preacher, occasional teacher | One voice of many, coach, encourager, equipper |
| Teacher's Role | Information vehicle, sometimes disciplinarian | Guide, role model, coach |
| Parent's Role | Drop off the kid | Partner in FAITH5 Home Huddles |
| Teaching Goal | Open the book | Open the kid |
| Parent's Goal | Get it over with | Get it started |
| Service | Hours noted on a chart | Community servanthood done in a peer group with followup reflection |
| Fellowship | Youth group and youth education separate | Youth group and youth education blur |
| Care Components | Incidental | Essential |
| Confirmation Outcome | Massive attrition | Jr. High groups grow into Sr. High groups |
| Family Devotions | Nearly extinct | FAITH5 Home Huddles |
| Nightly Family Time | Nearly extinct | Every night in every home |
| What keeps kids coming back to confirmation? | Parent demands, guilt | Belonging to a community |