We are pleased to announce the release of an exciting supplement to Changing the World: Confirmation for the Missional Church: “A Handbook for Parents and Mentors.”
When the Presbyterian Outlook published my first confirmation curriculum – Confirmation for the Matthew 25 Church – in 2022, I was astounded at the positive response from users. I also heard from several congregations who wanted to use it, but they hadn’t signed on to the Matthew 25 initiative or they weren’t a part of the PC(USA). So, I revised and updated the curriculum to address the concerns of confirmation leaders and youth from a broader, missional perspective. Thus Changing the World: Confirmation for the Missional Church was released in early 2023.
During my “Confirmation in the post-Christendom Church” webinar to promote the new curriculum, Outlook editor Teri McDowell Ott and I heard from a handful of users that it would be helpful to have an additional supplement that prepares parents and adult volunteers to engage confirmation in a missional way. And so we made “A Handbook for Parents and Mentors.”
The handbook features important theological, pedagogical, and relational perspectives on the transformative potential of missional confirmation for your congregation and its youth. Its contents include essays on:
- A New-Old Approach to Confirmation.
- Do the Opposite.
- Twelve-Year-Old Jesus.
- Kids Who Change the World.
- The Missional Confirmation Worship Service.
- Create a Space.
- Moratorium.
- A Space to Practice Obedience to the Truth.
- Train Children in the Way They Should Go.
- Check-Ins.
- Why?
The handbook will be available exclusively online – either bundled with the curriculum ($50 for the two resources) or sold separately ($10) – on July 21, 2023. Those who have purchased the Changing the World: Confirmation for the Missional Church curriculum will receive a digital copy of the handbook sent to your email inbox.
We hope you find the handbook useful as you prepare your congregation for missional confirmation — study the handbook at committee meetings, read it as a session or governing body, distribute it to your parents, and use it to train your mentors. If you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at mdhedd94@gmail.com.
