Why a new confirmation program?
We developed the program because we found that most confirmation programs were designed to have the youth sit quietly for however many sessions and then nod politely and say the right things when presented to the bishop for confirmation. These programs assumed every youth would be confirmed – would go along with the program – and didn’t seem to allow any room for youth to claim their faith for themselves. They were being asked to conform rather than truly wrestle with and articulate their beliefs and confirm them. In developing Confirm not Conform, we created a program we felt would allow youth to be honest in their expression of faith, to gain skills in leadership and in articulating their beliefs, and to make a genuine decision and true affirmation of faith if and when they chose to be confirmed.
