St. Mark's Lutheran Church
628 E. Chester Pike, Ridley Park, PA  19078

Confirmation of Faith (Preparation for Communion)

Our Lord Jesus Christ said “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven” (Matt 10:32). Paul also wrote “if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). The writer of Hebrews also warned that if one confesses the Christian faith and then abandons it,

...no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:26b-30, NIV).

Dr. C.F.W. Walther wrote, “the action of confirmation should serve mainly to bring the glory of Baptism received already in childhood to the living memory of the confirmand and of the whole congregation” (Walther, p.190). He also wrote, “all [children and adults] first receive confirmation instruction before they are admitted to Holy Communion” (Walther, p.188). Most importantly, he urged pastors to see that the congregation’s youth “regularly attend worship, that they diligently use confession and the holy Supper…” (Walther, p.191).

Guided by Holy Scripture, the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and sound Lutheran teaching, we believe the following with regards to the Rite of Confirmation, which prepares us for reception of the Lord’s Supper:

ADULTS
I. Adults who wish to participate in Holy Communion:
a) Will be baptized (see Sacrament of Baptism)
b) And will have expressed a willingness to the pastor to receive the Sacrament.
 

II. They will arrange for instruction in the faith confessed by this congregation as taught in the Holy Scriptures and the Book of Concord and as they have learned it from the Small Catechism, then
III. They will confirm their faith publicly before the congregation.

CHILDREN
I. Children may begin preparing to for reception of Holy Communion if:
a) They have been baptized,
b) They have reached at least 10 years of age, and
c) They have expressed a willingness to the pastor to begin instruction.
 

II. He or she will attend all special instruction sessions. If they are absent from more than 5 sessions in a year, they may need to retake the year.
III. He or she will be present for at least one worship service every week. If they are absent for more than 8 services in a year without excuse, this will be interpreted as a desire to restart instruction again some other time.
IV. He or she will attend all Sunday School sessions for their age. If they are absent more than 8 times during the year without excuse, this will be interpreted as a desire to restart instruction again some other time.
V. He or she will be able to recite from memory the 10 Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer.
VI. The elders and the pastor will discuss their faith and commitment to Christ and His Church prior to public confirmation.

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