What happens in confirmation?
Confirmation means "saying yes". In confirmation God's promise to the individual made at baptism is confirmed: God confirms his promise to be with the baptised always and he or she receives the blessing and a special greeting from the church in the form of a Bible verse that is thought of as a kind of life companion. Confirmation is not a sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church but a rite that also marks the passage from childhood to youth.
Preparing for confirmation
Confirmation presupposes baptism and a time of preparation. Together with his or her classmates or other teenagers from the parish the candidate for confirmation meets with a pastor once a week for most of a school year to learn about Christianity and to talk about life's big questions and about what it means to believe in God. Confirmation is something you choose and not something you need to celebrate if you have been baptised as a child. It is possible to take part in the preparation classes even though you do not envisage confirmation.
Part of the church service
Confirmation usually takes place during the church service on special Sundays during spring. After the ceremony in the church, most families gather to celebrate.
If you want to know more about confirmation or want to register (your child) for prepartion classes, please contact the church office or the pastor of your local parish church. To find your church, see the page Find a church.
