wfn.org | LWF handbook for confirmation ministry now available

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Manual includes practical illustrations for trainers in the member churches

GENEVA, 2 May 1999 (lwi)   The Education Program of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Department for Mission and Development (DMD) has developed
a handbook for use in congregations to assist those who plan to teach
confirmation ministry in the member churches of the LWF.

Introducing the Handbook for Confirmation Ministry, of which the first
edition in English appeared in June 1998, the LWF-DMD director, Dr. Peri
Rasolondraibe writes in the preface that the publication has been developed
to share some of the many practical ideas which have come from over 30
national, regional and international confirmation ministry studies
conducted by national church organizations and the LWF between 1990 and
1996.

The DMD director points out that the LWF Ninth Assembly in Hong Kong in
July1997 stated: "We commend the commitment of the LWF and its member
churches to contextual Christian education and the existence and current
implementation of Christian education programs which serve our living
communities at every age level."

The 116-page handbook, the result of extensive work by a team of educators
from different LWF regions, is based on confirmation ministry studies
conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Asia. The
national findings reflected include those of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
(ELCIC), which were published in a global summary of studies on
confirmation ministry released in 1996.

The method used in developing the handbook involved the use of the Bible
and Luther's Small Catechism in discussion and activity "to deepen
reflection on God, ourselves and the world." For example, the four-fold
understanding of the nature and purpose of confirmation ministry, was
illustrated with a set of hand motions or hand dance, which has proven to
be helpful in imparting what is often intended in that particular ministry.

Divided into three parts under the respective headings, Confirmation
Ministry in the Congregation, Ten Themes for Sessions in the Congregation,
and Reflections on Experiences and Approaches, the handbook presents scores
of discussions and activities for classroom or session use.

Illustrations accompany such sub-titles as "Who am I?" "Celebrating my life
in community", and "Living for life   The threats to life and the call of
the fifth commandment".

Parallel editions are available in French   Manuel pour preparer … la
Confirmation and Spanish   Manual para la Pastoral de Confirmacion. The
German edition   Handreichung fur Konfirmandenarbeit, is being prepared.

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/