As you peruse our website you might find yourself asking, “Why are these five denominations being studied and not others?” This is an excellent question, and one that we asked ourselves at the beginning of the planning of this research project. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are five mainline denominations that practice infant baptism and currently, or in their history, have linked this practice with confirmation.
Over time, confirmation has bent, stretched, shrunk, and sometimes become extinct in these denominations. One of the focuses of this study is to look at the present practices of confirmation (or the equivalent practices that confirmation has morphed into) to understand more about how confirmation and equivalent practices are functioning to intensify faith among youth and integrate youth into the body of Christ, the church.
One challenge of every research project is scope. These five are obviously not the only five denominations that practice infant baptism and have a history of confirmation. Our hope is to expand this project in the future to include additional denominations. If you are interested in having your denomination participate, let us know through our “Contact Us” page.
Katie Douglass – Research Co-Director
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