Profession of Faith — the Next Generation

I’m really old. So when I made profession of faith, I decided it was time, alerted somebody at church, and then stood before the consistory while they quizzed me mostly on my faith but with just a bit of Bible trivia as well. Once I was approved, I stood before the church, said “I do” after the pastor read a long liturgy, and then I was a member of the church.

Thank goodness times have changed. I am just fine with the process I went through, but I don’t think back on it fondly. It was rather emotionless from a public perspective. My youngest son went through the process of professing his faith a few years ago. I had the honor of walking through the process with him and it was a humbling and emotional experience for both of us.

We call the process of making profession of faith, “Young Seekers.” It involves pairing up each student with a mentor. It can be a parent, youth leader, or any professing member of the church. Mentors and students meet a couple times a week and use a variety of resources to explore faith and church membership. We also include service projects in the process. On the Sunday when the youths and mentors stand before the congregation, we have a church-wide celebration. I wish I had gone through a similar process when I made my profession of faith. I’m thrilled that youth leaders, church educators, and pastors are willing to try new options in the Profession of Faith process.

How do you help students walk through their profession of faith at your church? Can you share examples of what has worked well and what hasn’t worked well? For such an important and memorable moment in the lives of our children, how are you making it a blessing for the student and for the congregation?