Guiding Students through Confirmation | CPH Podcast with Rev. Lee Hopf

In this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast, Pastor Lee Hopf joins Elizabeth Pittman to discuss the importance of confirmation and how we can help our students to be confident in their identities as children of God. He also gives a preview of his upcoming confirmation journal, Guided by Truth, that he has written and explains why he was inspired to create this resource that encourages students to not only learn what they believe but also know why they believe it. Guided by Truth: Enduring Faith® Confirmation Journal will be available to order in May. You can download a sample by visiting books.cph.org/guided-by-truth-enduring-faith-confirmation-journal. Show Notes: It can often be complex to know if students are really understanding the Six Chief Parts of the Christian Doctrine when they go through confirmation. Some students know what all the “right” answers are, but, digging deeper, they aren’t sure how to apply those answers to their lives. Other students may be quietly confused. Pastor Lee Hopf wrote his new confirmation journal with those students in mind. In this episode, Pastor Hopf talks about how Guided by Truth helps students better understand how Lutheran theology answers their questions about the Bible, Jesus, the Sacraments, and more. He also discusses how culture has impacted how teens see their identities, and why confirmation is important to understanding our purpose. Questions Covered • Why do we make confirmation a priority? • What are the important questions students will consider in Guided by Truth? • Culture is challenging how teens view their identity. Talk about our purpose and identity as children of God. Why is holding onto this identity essential and how can confirmation help? • When we know who we are and who God is, how does that impact how we live our daily lives? • Tell us about how the confirmation journal came to be? How have your students and families responded to it? • How do you see this being used in classes with a high number of students vs. those with only a handful of students? • How do you respond to someone who thinks that this is giving the pastor a shortcut to teaching confirmation? • What advice do you have for parents if their kids resist going to confirmation class? • How can parents explain why confirmation is so important to non-Lutherans? • What tips do you have for adults who are well past their confirmation classes to stay engaged/reminded of what they learned in confirmation? About the Guest Born and raised in Georgia, Pastor Lee Hopf earned his Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary St. Louis in 2016. Knowing he wanted to be a pastor since the age of 14, Pastor Hopf has spent most of the last seven years working in youth ministry. He currently serves as Next Gen Pastor at Trinity Klein Lutheran Church in Texas.