By Brant Mills

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston recently confirmed 74 students, marking a significant milestone in their faith journey.

Rob Dulaney, St. Luke’s Director of Student Ministry said at its heart, their confirmation program is about developing a broader understanding of life-long faith development.

 Rather than adhering to a one-size-fits-all model, the church has embraced a three-year confirmation journey, allowing ample time for students to delve deeper into their faith and establish meaningful connections within their church community.

“We take what we used to do over one year and we spread it out so that their experience of confirmation extends from fall semester in sixth grade… through spring semester as an eighth grader. What that allows us to do is spend more time with the students, but more importantly, have more time with families to really cast a vision toward what fostering life-long faith looks like.” Dulaney added that they offer a robust program, and “if students go all in, they’re going to get connected and discipled.”

Dulaney noted that they focus on three pillars. “We always talk about three things over the whole experience: belonging, becoming, and believing.” He says it’s like equipping families to consider on their own: “How does my student feel like they belong in the Christ centered community,” which takes time and intentionality.

“It takes 200 hours to develop a friendship,” Dulaney noted. “And so, it’s going to take more than just the programming we offer… We call it kind of like an ecology of ministry that happens outside of confirmation.” This can be during mission trips, other events with youth, and their biggest connection point: a Bible study in Saint John that one of their volunteers runs. “But, you know, that’s THEIR Christ centered community. It’s that belonging, that becoming, that faith is caught as much as it is taught. And so that they need to be rubbing shoulders with other Christians and being discipled through faith, in with other believers.”

Dulaney added that: “We always talk about a 5 to 1 ratio that every student needs to have five adults that are investing in them to know them, that are encouraging them… and in the last part is belief. And I think sometimes people can think of confirmation is just that last part.”

Confirmation is only one part of a broader focus on faith development at St. Luke’s UMC. They start with a program called fusion that partners with children’s ministry. And after confirmation, they offer Servant Leadership Academy, which is a high school leadership team.

“A big part of our DNA is high schoolers that are leading in different ways. The first big Fall retreat that the sixth graders take part in – the games that are going on and the theme – those are all developed by our high school team.” And then they offer a VBS program specifically for sixth graders that he describes as “between the teen helpers and VBS campers.” They include parent meetings at the beginning and end of the year so they understand the relational work involved. “Building that connection with students and not just with staff, but with student leaders, as well, is key,” Dulaney said.

“We also have interesting tradition for our confirmands. We do a cross dedication ceremony at the end of their sixth-grade year to end the first part of confirmation, and the crosses hang on the wall in our confirmation space. Then, when they go to high school, they hang in the high school room. And when they’re freshman in college, they get a care package and a little note from us with that cross… It’s a way to communicate they’re part of the community and to reinforce that this is a lifelong faith.”

Learn more about confirmation in the United Methodist Church