Confirmation Parent Meeting — Grades 6 and Up

Has your child reached the age where the faith questions get harder? Immanuel Lutheran Church in Joplin holds a Confirmation Parent Meeting on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 5:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Pastor Chris Ramstad will explain what the confirmation year involves and answer whatever you want to ask. Come, listen, and decide later.

What Is Confirmation?

Confirmation is a year of study for students who want to understand the Christian faith for themselves. Over the year, students work through the Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism — a short, plain summary of Christian teaching written in 1529 and still used today. They cover the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession, and the Lord’s Supper.

At the end of the year, on Confirmation Day, students stand before the congregation and confess that faith in their own words. It is not a graduation from church. It is a beginning.

What the Meeting Covers

• What students study, week by week, across the year
• What memory work looks like at home, and how much time it takes
• The Confirmation Covenant — the agreement students and parents sign, and what it asks of a family
• What each student needs to bring, and what the church provides
• How the schedule fits with Wednesday youth night and the school year
• Your questions

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Time: 5:00 to 6:00 PM
Location: Fellowship Hall, Immanuel Lutheran Church — 2616 S Connecticut Ave, Joplin, MO 64804
Who it’s for: Parents of students in 6th grade and above
Led by: Pastor Chris Ramstad
Cost: Free — all are welcome
Questions? Call the church office at (417) 624-0333

Common Questions

Do we need to be members of Immanuel? No. Families from the Joplin community are welcome, whether you belong to another church or to none at all. Come and ask your questions.

Does my student have to commit that night? No. Nothing is required of you at this meeting. Plenty of families come to listen and decide afterward.

What grade does my student need to be in? Sixth grade or above. There is no upper limit and no fixed grade. What matters is whether your student is ready, and that is a decision you make together.

Should my student come along? Students are welcome. The meeting is written for parents, but this is their year, and many families come together.

What if we can’t make it? Call the church office at (417) 624-0333 or reach Pastor Chris Ramstad. He is glad to go over the same ground one on one.

The Year Ahead

Confirmation classes meet every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. The first class is Wednesday, September 9, 2026. The year runs through Confirmation Day on Sunday, May 2, 2027.

Class lets out right as the Wednesday youth meal is served at 6:00. Students can stay on for youth night without a second trip across town. Eight students were confirmed at Immanuel this past May.

Learn More Before You Come

• Confirmation Classes at Immanuel — the full FAQ, supply list, and schedule
• What Is Lutheran Confirmation? — a plain explanation for families new to it
• Youth Night — Wednesday evenings for students in grades 5 through 12
• What We Believe — what Lutherans teach, and why
• What to Expect — if you have never visited Immanuel before

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)