After the Altar Call curriculum guides Sand Hill UMC confirmation class
By Rev. Joe Webb
After many years in youth ministry before entering the pulpit in 2016, I had developed a fairly healthy cynicism around the various confirmation curricula on the market. So when I began preparations for my first confirmation class as pastor at Sand Hill (Little Kanawha District) this fall, my first instinct was to dust off and adapt some of the resources I had developed on my own over the past decade.

Luckily, in a meeting with Conference Congregational Development Director Amy Shanholtzer, I became aware of After the Altar Call, a free confirmation curriculum written by and for West Virginia United Methodists and available under Youth Resources on the wvumc.org conference website. I downloaded the PDF from the conference website, and as soon as I read it, I was sold.

Based on a student-mentor model, After the Altar Call is an 11-week curriculum based on a progressive walk through Creation, Crisis, Covenant, Christ, Church, Calling, and Completion. It takes participants through the entire gospel of Mark and includes weekly introductions to various spiritual practices. It is highly adaptable to local contexts, allowing leaders to adjust content to their specific needs.

Proof of the curriculum’s success came Dec. 3 when we confirmed four new students into membership at Sand Hill.

Our review of After the Altar Call: 4 stars out of 4. ★★★★