This book is a wonderful exploration of confirmation as a rite of passage in the Christian church. I have wrestled for some time about the purpose and goal of confirmation, especially since increasingly it has become something of an exit ritual within many churches. Becoming & Belonging has helped me think through and develop a more contemporary and relevant understanding of confirmation.
The book is divided into two main sections. The first section deals with developing a working theory of confirmation. I found this section extremely helpful. The authors spend time exploring the history of confirmation, look at models of confirmation and engage in a fairly indepth exploration into the connect/disconnect between youth and the church. There is also a transcript of conversations between the 4 authors of the book – probably one of the most fascinating and interesting elements in the book.
The second section sets out a program for confirmation based on four elements discussed in the first section: tradition, covenant, ministry and pilgrimage. The most useful part of this section was the selection of ideas for activities for each of the elements.
Overall, a helpful book and useful in helping those involved in working with teens to think through the whole confirmation process and to engage in some theological reflection on the process.