What Is Lutheran Confirmation?

For many families, confirmation feels like something reserved for a specific grade — a rite of passage at age 13 or 14. But at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Joplin, confirmation is something different: a serious, year-long commitment between a student, their family, and God. It’s not tied to a particular age. It’s tied to readiness.

What Is Lutheran Confirmation?

In the Lutheran tradition, confirmation is the public affirmation of faith by a baptized Christian. It is not a sacrament — it does not save. Rather, it is a rite in which a young person who was baptized as an infant stands before the congregation and publicly affirms the faith into which they were baptized. It is the moment they say, in their own voice: I believe this. I own this faith as my own.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) grounds confirmation in Luther’s Small Catechism, which walks through the Six Chief Parts of Christian doctrine: the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession, and the Lord’s Supper. These are not just items to memorize — they are the architecture of a Christian life.

Confirmation Is Not a Graduation

One of the most important things to understand about Lutheran confirmation is what it is not. It is not a graduation from church. It is not the finish line of faith. Martin Luther himself was concerned that Christians never stop learning. Confirmation marks a beginning — the beginning of a young person’s life as a confessing, communing, publicly accountable member of the Christian church.

As the Heidelberg Disputation reminds us, true Christian knowledge is always rooted in Christ crucified and risen. Confirmation is the formal start of a lifetime of that kind of knowing.

Confirmation at Immanuel: A One-Year Intensive

At Immanuel Lutheran Church in Joplin, confirmation is a one-year intensive program led by Pastor Chris Ramstad. It is open to any student in 6th grade and above — not locked to a specific grade. What matters is not age, but readiness: whether the student and their parents have genuinely decided together that this is the right time.

Classes meet every Wednesday evening at 5:00 PM, running throughout the entire year. This year’s class includes eight students from 6th through 9th grade — a reminder that the call to grow in faith doesn’t follow a rigid school-year schedule. Confirmation Day is May 3.

The Covenant Commitment

Before joining confirmation, every student and their parent signs a Confirmation Covenant. This is not a formality — it is a genuine commitment. Students commit to growing in faith, completing memory work and assignments, attending worship and youth activities, participating fully in class, and praying for their fellow confirmands. Parents commit to supporting and helping their child with memory work.

The covenant is drawn from Galatians 5:16 — the call to “walk in the Spirit” — and it sets the tone for the entire year. If a student answers “no” to any of the covenant questions, Pastor Chris invites a conversation before the class begins. This is not a program you drift into; it is one you choose.

What Students Learn

Pastor Chris guides students through Luther’s Small Catechism and the Bible, covering the Six Chief Parts of Christian doctrine:

• The Ten Commandments
• The Apostles’ Creed
• The Lord’s Prayer
• The Sacrament of Holy Baptism
• Confession and Absolution
• The Sacrament of the Altar

Memory work is expected. Students come each week having prepared. This is intentional — Scripture memorized in youth often becomes the anchor of faith in adulthood. As Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) says: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

What to Bring Each Week

Students should bring the following every Wednesday:

• A three-ring binder with pockets to store confirmation work and announcements
• An English Standard Version (ESV) Bible — Pastor Chris recommends The Lutheran Study Bible with Commentary (ESV), available at cph.org or Amazon
• Luther’s Small Catechism — provided on the first day of class for those who don’t yet have one
• A pen or pencil

Is Your Family Ready?

If you have a student in 6th grade or older who is eager to grow in their faith, we encourage you to reach out to Pastor Chris. The conversation begins with a simple question: Is this the right time? When the answer is yes — from both student and parent — the door is open.

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV) reminds us what confirmation is ultimately about: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Learn more about Confirmation Classes at Immanuel, explore our Youth Ministry, or read about what to expect at a Lutheran worship service.