Confirmation 101
We are thrilled to finally invite our people into the rite of Confirmation this year. From now on, it will be an integral part off the membership process at Christ Church Madison. Confirmation is something that all apostolic traditions practice, and yet it is new or confusing for many of us. To that end, I'd like to help us answer four major questions: 1) where does Confirmation come from, 2) what actually happens in the service, 3) what is its purpose, and 4) what role does it play in joining Christ Church?
I. THE BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL BASIS FOR CONFIRMATION
The roots of confirmation are found in Holy Scripture, particularly in the tradition of the laying on of hands. In the Old Testament, the laying on of hands was a special act that set apart leaders and ministers for special service unto the Lord, and symbolized the bestowing of unique blessing or spiritual gifting. For example, priests received the laying on of hands when they were ordained for ministry, as well as any sacrificial animals that were to be offered up in worship (Numbers 8:10-13). Moses did the same thing for Joshua when he was set apart to be his successor, that he might be filled with the Spirit of wisdom and authority to accomplish his task (Numbers 27:18-23).
When we get to the New Testament, we find that this special practice continued on in the Church that Jesus commissioned, except that it wasn’t just leaders who received the laying on hands, but all Christians—to the shock of the disciples, Jesus even laid hands on children (Mark 10:16)! In the book of Acts, everyone who repented and believed in the Gospel was invited to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, and they all received the laying on hands (Acts 8:14-17; 19:6). While Acts records multiple stories of how this happened in different ways, what is clear is that the laying on of hands was intimately connected to Baptism and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, for setting apart and gifting someone for life in Christ.
The Apostle Paul gives us a deeper look into how this functioned in one of his letters to the young pastor, Timothy. As Paul is encouraging him to grow into who God has called him to be, he says in 2 Tim. 1:6-7: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” In this passage all these themes come together: Timothy had received a special spiritual gift in the laying on of hands, and Paul is praying that he would fan that gift into flame.
The historic Christian rite of Confirmation grew out of this rich biblical soil. Though it has been developed in different traditions in different ways, in all of them it involves a baptized Christian receiving the laying on of hands from an elder in the Church, that the gifts of the Spirit might be inflamed within them for the work of ministry.
II. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN CONFIRMATION
The actual service of Confirmation is quite simple and involves two special components. First, the confirmands come before the bishop, and publicly confess their faith in Christ and their commitment to follow him as Lord. This is done by renewing the vows made at baptism, which are all about turning from the world, the flesh, and the devil (repentance) and turning towards Jesus and his ways (faith). If you want to read the liturgy and these vows, you can find them here, and on p. 177 in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer.
The second part of the Confirmation service is what we have examined in Scripture. The confirmand comes before a bishop to receive the laying on of hands, and the bishop prays that the Holy Spirit would be strengthened and fanned into flame in the Christian, to empower them for life and mission in Christ. It has to be a bishop who lays on hands in Confirmation, because the bishop stands in that apostolic office of the Church that goes all the way back to the first apostles. Because of this, the bishop’s hands are like the Church’s hands, across time and space, being laid on the Christian.
III. THE PURPOSE OF CONFIRMATION
Now that we’ve seen where confirmation comes from and what it is, what is it for? I like professor Alex Fogleman’s summary, that it’s all about maturity and mission.
First, confirmation is a rite of Christian maturity. In its preface to the Confirmation liturgy, the Book of Common Prayer states, “The Anglican Church requires a public and personal profession of faith from every adult believer in Jesus Christ. Confirmation by a bishop is its liturgical expression.” Put simply, Confirmation is a special opportunity for us to confirm our faith in Jesus. For youth, it serves as a special opportunity for them to own the faith for themselves, whether they were baptized as infants, children, or whether they are just coming to faith. For adults, it’s an opportunity for people to say yes to Jesus who are coming back to faith, or who are simply journeying deeper into their faith. For both youth and adults, Confirmation is meant to follow a period of formation in the essentials of the faith, which at Christ Church is our Christian Foundations course.
Second, Confirmation is a rite of Christian mission. One of the cool things about the Confirmation service is how similar it is to the ordination service for those entering Holy Orders. When I was ordained as a priest, I took priestly vows, and then a bishop laid hands on me and prayed that, like Joshua, the Spirit would equip me to serve in the office of priest faithfully. In a way, Confirmation is like lay ordination, in that it is an opportunity for every Christian to be set apart through the laying on of hands, to be strengthened for the work of ministry in the royal priesthood of God’s people.
IV. CONFIRMATION AND MEMBERSHIP
One of the questions we often get is, “is confirmation about becoming Anglican?” To that I would I would say no, and yes. First off, the rite of confirmation is all about being confirmed in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The baptismal vows are not Anglican vows…they are ancient, Christian vows. So this is not just some parochial Anglican tradition, but an apostolic one. Proof of this is that we recognize those who have been confirmed in other apostolic traditions, and receive them into the Anglican Communion.
Yet, at the same time, at Christ Church you are being confirmed and received into the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church through the Anglican Communion. As we often try to remember, the local church is the access point to the universal church, and our local church is a part of the Anglican tradition. So, to use an analogy from our Canon Theologian, Fr. Stephen Gauthier, just as you register to vote as a citizen in America, in your state, so Christians from around the world are baptized and confirmed in the apostolic faith, in their tradition.
Finally, Confirmation is a part of our membership process. This is not unique to Christ Church, but has been integral to how full participatory membership has worked in parishes around the world for centuries. Simply put, we want all our leaders and members to have walked through the beautiful process of being baptized into Christ and publicly confirmed in their faith. So whether you are new to Jesus or to Christ Church or just going deeper, we invite you to participate in our Christian Foundations course, and join us on this journey of saying yes to Jesus, and having the Spirit within you fanned into flame.
Fr. Scott
Lent 2025
I. THE BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL BASIS FOR CONFIRMATION
The roots of confirmation are found in Holy Scripture, particularly in the tradition of the laying on of hands. In the Old Testament, the laying on of hands was a special act that set apart leaders and ministers for special service unto the Lord, and symbolized the bestowing of unique blessing or spiritual gifting. For example, priests received the laying on of hands when they were ordained for ministry, as well as any sacrificial animals that were to be offered up in worship (Numbers 8:10-13). Moses did the same thing for Joshua when he was set apart to be his successor, that he might be filled with the Spirit of wisdom and authority to accomplish his task (Numbers 27:18-23).
When we get to the New Testament, we find that this special practice continued on in the Church that Jesus commissioned, except that it wasn’t just leaders who received the laying on hands, but all Christians—to the shock of the disciples, Jesus even laid hands on children (Mark 10:16)! In the book of Acts, everyone who repented and believed in the Gospel was invited to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, and they all received the laying on hands (Acts 8:14-17; 19:6). While Acts records multiple stories of how this happened in different ways, what is clear is that the laying on of hands was intimately connected to Baptism and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, for setting apart and gifting someone for life in Christ.
The Apostle Paul gives us a deeper look into how this functioned in one of his letters to the young pastor, Timothy. As Paul is encouraging him to grow into who God has called him to be, he says in 2 Tim. 1:6-7: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” In this passage all these themes come together: Timothy had received a special spiritual gift in the laying on of hands, and Paul is praying that he would fan that gift into flame.
The historic Christian rite of Confirmation grew out of this rich biblical soil. Though it has been developed in different traditions in different ways, in all of them it involves a baptized Christian receiving the laying on of hands from an elder in the Church, that the gifts of the Spirit might be inflamed within them for the work of ministry.
II. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN CONFIRMATION
The actual service of Confirmation is quite simple and involves two special components. First, the confirmands come before the bishop, and publicly confess their faith in Christ and their commitment to follow him as Lord. This is done by renewing the vows made at baptism, which are all about turning from the world, the flesh, and the devil (repentance) and turning towards Jesus and his ways (faith). If you want to read the liturgy and these vows, you can find them here, and on p. 177 in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer.
The second part of the Confirmation service is what we have examined in Scripture. The confirmand comes before a bishop to receive the laying on of hands, and the bishop prays that the Holy Spirit would be strengthened and fanned into flame in the Christian, to empower them for life and mission in Christ. It has to be a bishop who lays on hands in Confirmation, because the bishop stands in that apostolic office of the Church that goes all the way back to the first apostles. Because of this, the bishop’s hands are like the Church’s hands, across time and space, being laid on the Christian.
III. THE PURPOSE OF CONFIRMATION
Now that we’ve seen where confirmation comes from and what it is, what is it for? I like professor Alex Fogleman’s summary, that it’s all about maturity and mission.
First, confirmation is a rite of Christian maturity. In its preface to the Confirmation liturgy, the Book of Common Prayer states, “The Anglican Church requires a public and personal profession of faith from every adult believer in Jesus Christ. Confirmation by a bishop is its liturgical expression.” Put simply, Confirmation is a special opportunity for us to confirm our faith in Jesus. For youth, it serves as a special opportunity for them to own the faith for themselves, whether they were baptized as infants, children, or whether they are just coming to faith. For adults, it’s an opportunity for people to say yes to Jesus who are coming back to faith, or who are simply journeying deeper into their faith. For both youth and adults, Confirmation is meant to follow a period of formation in the essentials of the faith, which at Christ Church is our Christian Foundations course.
Second, Confirmation is a rite of Christian mission. One of the cool things about the Confirmation service is how similar it is to the ordination service for those entering Holy Orders. When I was ordained as a priest, I took priestly vows, and then a bishop laid hands on me and prayed that, like Joshua, the Spirit would equip me to serve in the office of priest faithfully. In a way, Confirmation is like lay ordination, in that it is an opportunity for every Christian to be set apart through the laying on of hands, to be strengthened for the work of ministry in the royal priesthood of God’s people.
IV. CONFIRMATION AND MEMBERSHIP
One of the questions we often get is, “is confirmation about becoming Anglican?” To that I would I would say no, and yes. First off, the rite of confirmation is all about being confirmed in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The baptismal vows are not Anglican vows…they are ancient, Christian vows. So this is not just some parochial Anglican tradition, but an apostolic one. Proof of this is that we recognize those who have been confirmed in other apostolic traditions, and receive them into the Anglican Communion.
Yet, at the same time, at Christ Church you are being confirmed and received into the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church through the Anglican Communion. As we often try to remember, the local church is the access point to the universal church, and our local church is a part of the Anglican tradition. So, to use an analogy from our Canon Theologian, Fr. Stephen Gauthier, just as you register to vote as a citizen in America, in your state, so Christians from around the world are baptized and confirmed in the apostolic faith, in their tradition.
Finally, Confirmation is a part of our membership process. This is not unique to Christ Church, but has been integral to how full participatory membership has worked in parishes around the world for centuries. Simply put, we want all our leaders and members to have walked through the beautiful process of being baptized into Christ and publicly confirmed in their faith. So whether you are new to Jesus or to Christ Church or just going deeper, we invite you to participate in our Christian Foundations course, and join us on this journey of saying yes to Jesus, and having the Spirit within you fanned into flame.
Fr. Scott
Lent 2025
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