Title Page

Writers

Tim Gossett Mark RayKevin Alton Chris HughesDee Dee Azhikakath Taylor Burton-EdwardsKaren Kluever Lanecia RouseKara Lassen Oliver

EDITORIAL and DESIGN TEAM

Josh Tinley Development EditorAndrea Roth Murdock Development EditorSheila K. Hewitt Production Editing SupervisorKeely Moore Design Manager

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Neil M. Alexander PublisherMarjorie M. Pon Editor, Church School Publications

CREDO CONFIRMATION DIRECTOR’S TOOLS: An official resource for The United Methodist Church,approved by the General Board of Discipleship and published by Cokesbury, The UnitedMethodist Publishing House, 201 Eighth Avenue, South, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202-0801. Copyright © 2010 by Cokesbury.

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Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from the NewRevised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education ofthe National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used bypermission. All rights reserved.

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 — 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ContentsIntroduction

Introduction and Core Principles 3 pagesCREDO Goals 1 pageCREDO Components 2 pagesCovenant and Expectations 2 pagesConfirmation Class Sessions and Scope and Sequence 3 pagesConfirmation Class Scheduling Options 1 page

Christian Education

Christian Education and Confirmation 6 pages

MentoringMentoring and Confirmation 4 pages

WorshipWorship and Confirmation 8 pages

ServiceConfirmation and Mission and Service 6 pages

Retreats

CREDO Retreats—Introduction 4 pagesCREDO Retreat 1—The We of Me: Be You, Be God’s, Be Us 14 pagesCREDO Retreat 2—Teach Us How to Pray 8 pagesCREDO Retreat 3—My Calling to Fulfill 18 pages

Unit 1 Sessions: Know Your Story

Creation 10 pagesSin 10 pagesRedemption 10 pagesHoly Spirit 10 pagesChurch 10 pagesNew Creation 8 pagesHandouts for the “Know Your Story” Unit 14 pages

Unit 2 Sessions: Confirm Your Faith

Way of Discipleship 12 pagesWay of Salvation 12 pagesWesleyan Quadrilateral 14 pagesWorship 12 pagesSacraments 12 pagesLiving a Holy Life 10 pagesHandouts for the “Confirm Your Faith” Unit 14 pages

Unit 3 Sessions: Live Your Commitment

Renounce, Reject, Repent 12 pagesAccept 10 pagesConfess 12 pagesI Believe (The Creeds) 10 pagesPrayers, Presence, Gifts, Service, and Witness 12 pagesGoing Forth 10 pagesHandouts for the “Live Your Commitment” Unit 10 pages

CREDO WritersTim Gossett is a long-time youth ministry and Christian education veteran,having worked as a youth director, a campus ministry assistant, a Christianeducation director, an educational consultant, a freelance writer, an editor, anda member of a camp staff. A graduate of United Theological Seminary, withdegrees in Religious Education and Religious Communications, he is theauthor of several youth ministry books and many articles. He regularly blogsabout Christian education and youth ministry, from his home in Ames, Iowa.

❥ Christian Education and Confirmation❥ Way of Discipleship❥ Way of Salvation❥ Wesleyan Quadrilateral

Kevin Alton is a United Methodist youth worker, worship leader, writer,husband, father, and friend. In his free time, Kevin enjoys songwriting andrecording with his band, Purrington. Kevin has a particular passion for theconfirmation process, considering it a gift to be present as youth are ledthrough a significant doorway in their spiritual journey. Kevin lives in theChattanooga area with his wife, Britta, and their two boys, Grey and Penner.

❥ Confess❥ I Believe (The Creeds)❥ Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service, and Worship (PPGSW)❥ Going Forth

Rev. Dee Dee Azhikakath is an ordained elder in the Desert SouthwestAnnual Conference and has experience working in churches in Texas, NewJersey, Arizona, and England. She has served on the General Commission onReligion and Race and the General Board of Church and Society and hastaught confirmation in rural, multi-church settings; in large, suburbanchurches; and in campus ministry.

❥ Worship❥ Sacraments❥ Living a Holy Life

Rev. Karen Trogdon Kluever is a deacon in the South CarolinaConference, serves as a minister to youth and college students, and has morethan 20 years of experience in youth ministry. She developed and wroteSynago, for student-led, small-group Bible study, and has designed models forconfirmation and youth Bible study in her local church. She enjoys planningand leading youth retreats, mission trips, and worship. Karen hasundergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism, with a master’s in Christianeducation from Pfeiffer University. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

❥ Renounce, Reject, Repent❥ Accept

Kara Lassen Oliver, while at Vanderbilt Divinity School, took a job atthe United Methodist National Youth Ministry Organization (now the Divisionon Ministries with Young People); and youth ministry has been forever woveninto her life and journey. Inspired by the creativity, honesty, and importantquestions of youth, she moved into youth ministry in a local church inNashville, Tennessee, and along the way became a writer and editor. Since July2009, she has been serving with her family as Volunteers in Mission inMalawi.

❥ Creation❥ Sin❥ Redemption

Mark Ray, in more than 15 years as a volunteer at Christ Church UnitedMethodist in Louisville, Kentucky, has taught middle-school and high-schoolSunday school, led confirmation, served briefly as an interim youth minister,and slept on more hard floors and smelly mattresses than he cares toremember. He has authored or contributed to several curriculum andprogramming resources.

❥ Church❥ Holy Spirit❥ New Creation

Rev. Chris Hughes is a writer, musician, retreat leader, and UnitedMethodist pastor in Salisbury, North Carolina. For several years, Chris and hiswife, Gloria, have led confirmation retreats for the Southeastern Jurisdiction ofThe United Methodist Church. Chris has written and recorded music forseveral worship resources and is the author of The Porpoise-Given Life.

❥ Retreats

Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards is an elder, serving as Director ofWorship Resources, with the General Board of Discipleship. Previously, Taylorworked with the United Way and served in pastoral roles in four congregationsin Indiana, including three small churches. He received his Master of Divinityfrom The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and his M.A. from AssociatedMennonite Biblical Seminary. Taylor and his wife, Grace, an Episcopal priest,have two sons, Jacob and Will.

❥ Worship for Confirmands

Lanecia Rouse is a beloved, recovering sinner, who delights in music,photography, listening, writing, traveling, friendship, coffee chats with hersister, and kingdom living and loving. She serves in ministry at Belmont UMCin Nashville, Tennessee, where, for 5 years, she has been sharing the journeyof faith with some amazing youth, after serving a year in the British MethodistChurch, following her Master of Divinity studies at Duke Divinity School.

❥ Service and Confirmation

Sarah ArthurYouth Ministry Author and SpeakerLansing, Michigan

Rev. Stephen CadyUnited Methodist PastorKansas East Annual Conference

Bishop Minerva CarcañoUnited Methodist BishopDesert Southwest Annual Conference

Rev. Terry CartyExecutive Director, Youth Worker

MovementUnited Methodist PastorTennessee Annual Conference

Kim GeorgeUnited Methodist Children’s DirectorArlington, Texas

Rev. Jenny HallenbeckUnited Methodist PastorDakotas Annual Conference

Rev. Susan HayDirector, Youth MinistriesGeneral Board of Discipleship

Bishop Robert HoshibataUnited Methodist BishopOregon Idaho Annual Conference

Dr. Sondra MatthaeiUnited Methodist Professor

of Christian Religious EducationSt. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri

Dr. M. Douglas Professor and Chair in Wesleyan

Studies and TheologyVanderbilt Divinity School, Nashville, Tennessee

Blair Gilmer MeeksUnited Methodist Author and Liturgy

SpecialistNashville, Tennessee

Erica MunozChildren, Youth, and Young Adult

CoordinatorGreater New Jersey Annual Conference

Rev. Mike RatliffAssociate General Secretary, Division

on Ministries With Young PeopleGeneral Board of Discipleship

Rev. Bryan TenerUnited Methodist PastorOklahoma Annual Conference

Dr. Ed TrimmerChair, Department of ReligionProfessor of Youth MinistryHuntingdon College, Montgomery, Alabama

Development Team and Consultants

Development TeamNeal BowesStephanie HandChris HughesKaren KlueverCamille MattickJ.C. MitchellShelly Petz

ConsultantsSarah ArthurAnn CoverTimothy EberhartJacob FasigSusan HayMaryJane Pierce Norton

Review Team

Credo Confirmation: Introduction and Core Principles 9

Introduction andCore Principles

Before you do anything else, grab a copy of The United Methodist Hymnal andturn to page 33. Read the “Baptismal Covenant I,” a service that many UnitedMethodist congregations use to confirm young people who have completedthe church’s confirmation program. The service begins by describingconfirmation as a “reaffirmation of our faith,” a renewal of “the covenantdeclared at our baptism,” an acknowledgment of “what God is doing for us,”and an affirmation of “our commitment to Christ’s holy church.”

This statement gives a good overview of the goals of any confirmationprogram. Confirmation is an opportunity for young people to affirm the faithinto which they were baptized and, for those who were baptized as infants orsmall children, to renew the baptismal vows taken for them by their parentsor guardians. Confirmation also makes young people aware of how God is andhas been at work in their lives, even before they were old enough to realize it.And confirmation affirms a new commitment—a new covenant relationship—between a young person and Christ’s body, the church.

Core Principles

The CREDO (CREE-doh) confirmation program is grounded in these three coreprinciples:

❥ Confirmation is the continuation of one’s faith journey (a journey begunat baptism) and the beginning of one’s covenant relationship with thechurch—not an end unto itself.

❥ Confirmation is more than just a series of classes. Confirmands must befully engaged in the life of the church through worship, service, smallgroups, and involvement in other ministries.

❥ Confirmands should emerge from their confirmation experienceprepared for a life of Christian discipleship.

CREDO reinforces the connection between baptism and confirmation both inthe session plans (particularly the lesson on Sacraments) and in the retreats.Confirmands will remember their baptism (or, if they have not yet beenbaptized, anticipate their baptism) and learn about the baptismal vows thatthey took, that they will take, or that were taken on their behalf. Confirmandswill understand confirmation as a way to claim and affirm the work done bythe Holy Spirit in their baptism.

Emphases

Instruction is an important and essential part of any confirmation program.Through confirmation, young people claim the faith of the church. They musthave a familiarity with what Christians (and specifically United MethodistChristians) believe, value, and do. Thus CREDO provides session plans forconfirmation classes. But instruction is only one aspect of the confirmationprogram. The confirmation vows not only hold confirmands accountable tocertain beliefs but are also a way of life and a commitment to Christ’s body,the church. In addition to learning about their faith, confirmands must alsoexperience their faith and have a sense of how to live as a disciple of Christ ina covenant relationship with the church. They do this by attending andparticipating in weekly Sunday worship, by working alongside other Christiansin service of God and neighbor, by participating in Christian education, byhaving relationships with other Christians that are grounded in mutual supportand accountability, and by being engaged in the ministries of the church. TheCREDO CONFIRMATION DIRECTOR’S TOOLS provides information and resources tohelp you incorporate the following into your confirmation program:

Christian Education

Your confirmation program is an important Christian education ministry, butit is not likely the only education opportunity for young people. And it isimpossible (yes, impossible) for a confirmand to learn everything he or sheneeds to know about the Bible, Christian faith, and Christian living beforeconfirmation Sunday. Christian education is a lifelong endeavor, and youngpeople should make Christian education a habit by participating ineducational opportunities such as Sunday school classes, mid-week Bible studygroups, and/or youth fellowship gatherings. If it is possible, your confirmandsshould be involved in at least one other Christian education setting while theyare going through the confirmation program.

Mentoring Relationships

Mentors should be adults with a mature faith who can set for youngconfirmands an example of how to grow in faith. Confirmands and theirmentors should meet regularly for the duration of the confirmation program.Mentors are not teachers and need not be Bible experts or trained theologians.But they should be available to offer support and encouragement, to talk withconfirmands about tough faith questions, and to discuss with confirmands thekey teachings of the confirmation program. More comprehensive informationon mentoring is available in the “Mentoring and Confirmation” section of thisresource and in the book CREDO: CONFIRMATION GUIDE FOR PARENTS, MENTORS, AND

ADULT LEADERS.

Worship

Often when people talk about “going to church,” they are talking aboutattending worship. While worship and church are not synonymous, worship iscrucial to the life of the church and of each individual congregation. Worshipis a way that we tell our story and pass down our beliefs and practices tosubsequent generations; it is a way that Christians of all “ages, nations, and

10 Credo Confirmation: Introduction and Core Principles

Credo Confirmation: Introduction and Core Principles 11

races” come together to express their common faith; and it is a way that we sayyes to the God who said yes to us through our baptism. Being present each weekin worship is an important way in which young people honor the commitmentto the church, a commitment they make when they take their confirmationvows. It is important that young people get into the habit of attending worshipwhile they are going through the confirmation program so that they willunderstand what is expected of them if they take the confirmation vows.

Service

Although he was the Son of God and the Messiah, Jesus became a servant (seePhilippians 2:7). He served others by healing, feeding, and teaching and bywashing his disciples’ feet. Following Jesus’ example of service always has beenan important part of Christian discipleship, and those who take theconfirmation vows in The United Methodist Church vow to “faithfullyparticipate in [the church’s] ministries” by (among other things) their service.While the word service may bring to mind images of raking leaves or restoringhomes (and while these activities are important), service is about more thanjust work projects. Young people in the church may serve as acolytes, ushers,or greeters during worship; they may serve God and neighbor by raisingmoney for missions and ministries that meet needs in the community andaround the world; they may serve members of the congregation by prayingand worshiping with persons who are physically unable to attend Sundayworship; they may serve by helping to lead a vacation Bible school programfor younger children; and they may get their hands dirty by participating inthe aforementioned work projects. Confirmands must understand that serviceis an important part of Christian living, that those who are confirmed in TheUnited Methodist Church take a vow of service, and that the service must beperformed in a spirit of love for God and neighbor. To get in the habit ofserving, confirmands should be expected to complete a certain number ofservice hours as part of the confirmation program.

Retreats

The word retreat means to get away or to withdraw. And while retreats give usopportunities to withdraw from our normal routine, they also give us anopportunity to draw closer to God and to our fellow Christians. On retreats,young Christians can experience God and Christian community without thedistractions of television, mobile phones, the Internet, schoolwork, andhousehold obligations. CREDO recommends that every confirmand participatein at least one retreat.

Sessions

Although CREDO emphasizes that confirmation is more than just a series ofclasses, confirmation class sessions are nonetheless a critical part of theconfirmation experience. The 18 sessions in the CREDO program tellconfirmands the story of our faith, teach them about core Christian beliefsand practices, explain to them distinct United Methodist emphases, and helpthem develop a faith vocabulary. These sessions fall into three units: “KnowYour Story,” “Confirm Your Faith,” and “Live Your Commitment.”

12 Credo Confirmation: Credo Goals

CREDO GoalsThe underlying goals of CREDO are to prepare confirmands (if they choose) totake the confirmation vows and to live lives of Christian discipleship. Morespecifically, CREDO aims to:

❥ Teach confirmands the story of their faith, as contained in the Old andNew Testaments and in the history and traditions of Christianity andThe United Methodist Church.

❥ Give confirmands a basic understanding of Christian theology, includingthe doctrine of the Trinity, creation, sin, and grace.

❥ Teach confirmands the traditions and doctrinal emphases that makeUnited Methodism unique.

❥ Foster relationships between confirmands and Christian adults in thecongregation who can set an example of how to live as a matureChristian.

❥ Give confirmands an understanding of the importance of Christianeducation as a lifelong endeavor, and help confirmands develop a habitof participating in Christian education.

❥ Give confirmands an understanding of Christian worship as practiced inThe United Methodist Church and why worship is an essential part ofChristian discipleship.

❥ Challenge confirmands to serve God and others through the life andministry of the congregation.

❥ Give confirmands an opportunity to go on retreats, withdrawing fromtheir normal routine and drawing closer to God and their fellowChristians.

❥ Teach confirmands about the vows they will have an opportunity to takeand the commitments that one makes when one says yes to those vows.

Credo Confirmation: Credo Components 13

CREDO ComponentsIn addition to these Director’s Tools, CREDO offers the following print andelectronic resources to help you achieve the goals listed on page 12:

Credo: Confirmation Student Journal

The CREDO CONFIRMATION STUDENT JOURNAL is not a traditional classroom studentbook. Instead of providing confirmands pen-and-paper activities to completein the classroom, it encourages them to develop habits of prayer and devotion.The Student Journal includes a devotional reading and journaling questionsrelated to each confirmation class session. In the days following each classsession, confirmands should read that session’s devotion and spend timereflecting on and/or writing in response to the journaling questions.Confirmands also should discuss their reflections and writings with theirconfirmation mentor.

The CREDO CONFIRMATION STUDENT JOURNAL also challenges confirmands to writea credo, or statement of belief, as they go through the confirmation program.After each session, they will complete a sentence that summarizes their beliefabout what they learned in that session. Taken together, these sentences willbe a written affirmation of the confirmands’ faith.

Credo: Confirmation Guide for

Parents, Mentors, and Adult Leaders

Confirmation is not just a personal rite. It involves the families of theconfirmands and the entire congregation. For many Christians faith formationbegins at home. And while the congregation strives to nurture youngChristians in the faith, parents and/or guardians provide many of thesefledgling disciples day-to-day support. But parents are by no means alone inthis effort. Each confirmand should have a confirmation mentor, an adult inthe congregation with whom he or she will meet regularly throughout theconfirmation process (and possibly beyond). Other adults in the congregationwho work with confirmands, such as youth and children’s ministers, Sundayschool teachers, and music ministers, also play important roles in theconfirmands’ faith development. And, of course, as those being confirmedstand before the congregation on Confirmation Sunday, the entirecongregation vows to “Do all in [its] power to increase their faith, confirm theirhope, and perfect them in love” (The United Methodist Hymnal, page 43)

The CREDO CONFIRMATION GUIDE FOR PARENTS, MENTORS, AND ADULT LEADERS givesthese adults information about what confirmands are learning andexperiencing in their confirmation classes so that they can have meaningfulconversations about topics such as grace and redemption and the Wesleyanquadrilateral. The book also provides valuable information about adolescentdevelopment as it relates to faith formation.

14 Credo Confirmation: Credo Components

Credo: Confirmation Session Plans

The CREDO: CONFIRMATION SESSION PLANS book includes only the 18 sessionplans. If you have multiple confirmation class leaders who each need sessionplans but do not need the material on retreats, worship, Christian education,service, and mentoring, you can buy this book instead of buying additionalcopies of the CREDO CONFIRMATION DIRECTOR’S TOOLS.

Credo Adult Leader Website

www.credoconfirmation.com

The CREDO CONFIRMATION website at www.credoconfirmation.com has reproduciblehandouts and additional information and activities related to the sessions andretreats. The site provides resources for parents and mentors and trainingresources for confirmation directors. Check the site for updates and forinformation about additional CREDO confirmation resources.

Credo Confirmand Website

www.credoconfirmation.com

The CREDO CONFIRMATION website at www.credoconfirmation.com also includes asection for the confirmands. The confirmand site features games and activitiesthat reinforce what the youth have learned in the sessions.

Credo Confirmation: Covenant and Expectations 15

Covenant andExpectations

Before your confirmation program begins, establish a confirmation covenantwith your confirmands and their parents. A sample covenant is available atwww.credoconfirmation.com. Be clear about the expectations that confirmandsmust meet and how these expectations relate to the confirmation vows.

Suggested expectations for

confirmation

attend all confirmation classes

While circumstances inevitably will arise that cause some confirmands to missan occasional class (such as family emergencies), all participants and theirparents need to understand that anyone wishing to be confirmed must makeconfirmation a priority. Be clear to families of confirmands that attendance isnot optional. If a confirmand cannot attend a class because of an emergency,work with the confirmand, along with his or her parents and mentor, to makesure he or she gets any information that was missed.

attend worship each Sunday

Weekly worship is the most comprehensive way in which a congregationrehearses its faith and is recharged by God. Those wishing to take theconfirmation vows and enter into a covenant with the body of Christ andwith your congregation need to attend worship for most, if not all, of theSundays for the duration of the confirmation program. While it is best for theconfirmands to worship with the congregation in which they are beingconfirmed, it is more important that they develop weekly worship habits. If aconfirmand splits time between two parents who attend two differentchurches, it is OK if he or she worships with one congregation one week andwith another congregation the next. It also is OK for confirmands who arespending a weekend at the home of a friend or out-of-town family member toattend worship with their hosts. Consider requiring confirmands to attendworship at least three Sundays per month (allowing for exceptions in the caseof family emergencies).

meet regularly with a mentor

You can find information on recruiting and training mentors in the“Mentoring and Confirmation” section of this resource. Be sure to adhere toyour congregation or annual conference’s Safe Sanctuaries standards wherementoring relationships are concerned. Also consider having confirmands andtheir mentors sit together in worship at least once per month.

16 Credo Confirmation: Covenant and Expectations

participate in a Christian education settingother than confirmation

This may not be possible if your confirmation classes meet during the Sundayschool hour and your congregation has no other education opportunities forconfirmation-age youth. (If this is the case, you might consider launching amid-week small group ministry.) If your confirmation classes meet on Sundayafternoon or evening or during the week (and if your congregation offersSunday school classes for confirmation-age youth), confirmands should get inthe habit of attending Sunday school each week. Consider requiringconfirmands to attend Sunday school at least three Sundays per month,possibly with the option of substituting a mid-week Bible study.

fulfill a service requirement

Service should be completed through the ministries of the congregation andcan include participating in traditional service projects, helping withministries to homeless and/or hungry persons, assisting with vacation Bibleschool, or serving as an acolyte or other worship leader. The number of servicehours you require will vary depending on the length of your program. But 20hours over the course of a school year is a good requirement.

attend at least one retreat

Getting away from routines and familiar settings provides valuableopportunities for deep spiritual reflection and an intimate connection withGod and others. This resource provides 3 confirmation retreat plans. ManyUnited Methodist annual conferences and districts also host confirmationretreats that your group may be able to participate in.

Credo Confirmation: Class Sessions and Scope and Sequence 17

Confirmation Class Sessions and Scope and Sequence

Teaching Objectives

CREDO includes lesson plans for 18 confirmation class sessions. These sessionsare designed around 3 primary teaching objectives:

❥ Give confirmands a basic knowledge and understanding of the Christianstory, beginning with Creation then the introduction of sin and evil intothe world, reaching its climax with redemption through Christ’s deathand resurrection, and continuing—through the Holy Spirit and thechurch—into the present day and beyond. The “Know Your Story” unitdeals mainly with this objective.

❥ Teach confirmands about the core beliefs, practices, and emphases ofUnited Methodist Christians. The “Confirm Your Faith” unit dealsmainly with this objective.

❥ Explore with confirmands the vows that they will take if they choose tobe confirmed so that they understand the commitment they will bemaking and the expectations that come with being confirmed as aprofessing member of The United Methodist Church. The “Live YourCommitment” unit deals mainly with this objective.

Session structure

Opening Ritual

Each session begins with an opening ritual based on John 15:1-11. Beforeclasses begin, work with the confirmands to create a vine or tree trunk. Youmay do this by drawing or painting the vine or trunk on a wall or a large sheetof paper; or you might create a three-dimensional vine or trunk using wood orother building materials. As much as possible, allow the confirmands to guidethe process; encourage them to be creative.

During the sessions in the “Know Your Story” unit, confirmands will add branchesto the vine or trunk; during the “Confirm Your Faith” unit, they will add leaves;during the “Live Your Commitment” unit, they will add fruit. They will write onthe branches, leaves, and fruit something they have gained from the confirmationexperience. Branches may be drawn or painted or may be fashioned from sticks ordowels; leaves and fruit may be drawn or painted, cut from colored paper, orpurchased from craft stores. Leaf and fruit patterns abound on the Internet.

Activities

Each of the 18 confirmation class session plans includes about 2 hours worthof teaching-and-learning activities. The activities are divided into 3 sections:“What?” “So What?” and “Now What?” The “What?” activities introduce thetopic of the session. The “So What?” activities explore why the topic isrelevant for United Methodist Christians. The “Now What?” activities look athow confirmands may apply and respond to what they have learned.Additional activities and options are available at www.credoconfirmation.com.

Closing Ritual

Each session concludes with a closing prayer in which each participant has theopportunity to say a prayer of thanks for something that he or she has learnedor experienced during that session or some other aspect of the confirmationprogram. The closing ritual ends by using John Wesley’s Rule as a benediction:

Do all the good you can,By all the means you can,In all the ways you can,In all the places you can,At all the times you can,To all the people you can,As long as ever you can.

While there is no evidence that this rule originated with John Wesley, it hasbeen a popular saying among United Methodists for many years and is a greatsummary of how to live our lives in response to Wesley’s second General Rule,“Do good.”

Scope and Sequence

Know Your Story

❥ Creation looks at God the Father and Creator, the implications of ourbeing created in God’s image, and the implications of all things being God’shandiwork.

❥ Sin explores how God’s good Creation was tainted by sin and brokennessand how sin is present in the world today.

❥ Redemption looks at God the Son and Redeemer and how God is alwaysdoing the work of redeeming a broken world.

❥ Holy Spirit looks at God the Holy Spirit and Sustainer and the movementof the Holy Spirit through Scripture and the history of the church and intoour lives today.

❥ Church tells the story of Christ’s body, the church, and discusses what itmeans to be part of the universal church, The United Methodist Church,and a local congregation

❥ New Creation looks at how individuals and all of creation are and will bemade new in Christ.

18 Credo Confirmation: Class Sessions and Scope and Sequence

Credo Confirmation: Class Sessions and Scope and Sequence 19

Confirm Your Faith

❥ Way of Discipleship looks to devotion, worship, compassion, and justiceas a road map for Christian living.

❥ Way of Salvation explores the way of salvation in the United Methodisttradition—prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace.

❥ Wesleyan Quadrilateral introduces the four Wesleyan tools ofdiscernment, as identified by Albert Outler—Scripture, tradition, experience,and reason.

❥ Worship: discusses the who, why, how, where, and with whom of worship

❥ Sacraments: takes a close look at baptism and Holy Communion.

❥ Living a Holy Life: explores holiness, sanctification, and Christianperfection.

Live Your Commitment

❥ Renounce, Reject, Repent: Do you renounce the spiritual forces ofwickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?

❥ Accept: Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil,injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?

❥ Confess: Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust inhis grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the churchwhich Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?

❥ I Believe (The Creeds) focuses on the Apostles’ Creed (part of theconfirmation vows), the creed the confirmands will have written in theirstudent journals, and assorted other statements of faith.

❥ PPGSW: As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate inits ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, andyour witness?

❥ Going Forth: May the God of all grace, who has called us to eternal gloryin Christ, establish you and strengthen you by the power of the Holy Spirit,that you may live in grace and peace.

Confirmation ClassScheduling Options

Because the length and structure of confirmation programs vary from churchto church, the CREDO session plans can fit into many different schedulingstructures. Here are some possibilities:

6 sessions per year for 3 years

On its face, a 3-year program may seem overwhelming; but with this model,classes would meet for only 6 weeks out of the year. During the other 46weeks, confirmands would be focused on worship, Christian education, andservice; and they would continue meeting with their mentor(s). This modelallows young people to start the confirmation process when they are makingthe transition from childhood to adolescence (around sixth grade) and tomake their decision about whether or not to be confirmed when they aremature enough to better understand the meaning of that decision. It alsocreates the expectation that, for 3 years, confirmands will regularly attendworship and Sunday school, meet with a mentor, and fulfill a yearly servicerequirement. Confirmands will emerge from this 3-year period with a clearsense of what is expected of those who choose to take the confirmation vows.In this format, each confirmation class would last about 2 hours.

18 sessions in 36 weeks (a school year)

Each of the 18 sessions includes about 2 hours worth of teaching activities,You may divide each session into two 1-hour classes. A note at the midwaypoint of each session plan tells you where to break if you choose to split thesession into 2 classes. Dividing each session gives you the option of doing 1class per week for 36 weeks. This option works well for groups that doconfirmation classes during Sunday school over the course of a school year(which is approximately 36 weeks).

18 sessions in 18 weeks

If you prefer to do confirmation during a single season (such as in the fall orin the spring), your classes may meet each week for 18 weeks and forapproximately 2 hours per week.

6 sessions per season for 1 year

This option is similar to the first option (6 sessions per year for 3 years), exceptthat it is condensed into a single year. With this model, classes would meet for6 weeks in the fall, 6 weeks in the winter, and 6 weeks in the spring.

6 sessions per retreat

If you choose to take your confirmands out of a traditional classroom setting,you may turn each 6-session unit into a weekend retreat. Resources for puttingthese retreats together are available on the website.

20 Credo Confirmation: Class Scheduling Options