Confirmation class of 2012

Making disciples

Created by William H. Willimon 

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Making Disciples is a mentor-based confirmation program that pairs confirmands with adult mentors and guides them through a variety of learning experiences that will strengthen the student's understanding of the faith while connecting him or her with the community of believers in a personal way. It can be used as a stand-alone program, or in conjunction with your current curriculum as a special experiential unit.

William Willimon is one of the foremost preachers in the English-speaking world. He and his Christian education committee decided to change the way they would provide confirmation. Willimon and co-writer, the Rev. Mark Flynn, designed a confirmation program that would be more like a process and less like a reading assignment, more engaging and congruent with the nature of the Christian faith than existing programs.

Willimon used an “apprenticeship” approach to confirmation, pairing adult mentors from the congregation with confirmation students. He produced a series of learning experiences where adult mentors and confirmands are both teachers and learners at the same time, and Making Disciples: A New Approach to Confirmation was the result.

Elements of the Program
So what exactly is Making Disciples? It is a 13-session confirmation mentoring program that consists of four interrelated resources: Confirmand’s Journal, Mentor’s Guide, Coordinator’s Guide, and Mentor Support DVD.

Topics explore the basics of Christian faith: