Confirmation

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term ipgyo (入敎) means "formally entering the church." It refers to the rite by which a person who received infant baptism as a child later makes a personal profession of faith and is received as a baptized member (communicant member). Adult converts ordinarily pass through the catechumenate and then receive baptism. Those already baptized as infants are not baptized again; instead, they complete this process through confirmation. The alternative name gyeonsillye (堅信禮) means "the rite of strengthening faith."

Biblical and Historical Background

No passage of Scripture directly commands confirmation. However, the accounts of the apostles laying hands on and praying for those who had been baptized (Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:5-6) are frequently cited as background. In the early church, baptism and the laying on of hands are believed to have been administered together. In the Western church, the bishop's laying on of hands gradually became a separate rite and developed into confirmation, which the Roman Catholic Church regards as one of the seven sacraments.

The Reformers did not recognize confirmation as a sacrament. Instead, they transformed it into a rite in which people profess their faith after completing instruction in the faith. Catechisms such as the Heidelberg Catechism are known to have served as textbooks for this instruction.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Presbyterian: When members baptized as infants reach the age set by the denomination's constitution, they are examined before the session and confirmed. Confirmed members are generally admitted to the Lord's Supper and become members of the congregational meeting.
• Methodist: The Korean Methodist Church and other Methodist bodies also use the terms ipgyo (confirmation) and ipgyoin (confirmed member); members baptized as infants become confirmed members through a profession of faith.
• Lutheran: In the Lutheran Church in Korea, the more familiar term is gyeonsillye. The rite is administered after a set period of catechetical instruction.
• Anglican: The Anglican Church of Korea calls it gyeonjin (confirmation). It is conferred by the bishop through the laying on of hands; that it is administered by a bishop rather than a priest distinguishes it from the practice of other denominations.
• Baptist and others: Denominations that do not practice infant baptism, such as the Baptists, have no separate confirmation rite. A person who professes faith and receives baptism by immersion thereby becomes a full member. Some churches hold a child dedication service, presenting the infant to God, in place of infant baptism.

Because the need for confirmation depends on whether a church practices infant baptism, this topic is also closely connected to the infant baptism debate.