Examination Variability: One size Does Not Fit All

Abstract

Examination before confirmation has been practiced since the early centuries of Christian Church history. Even with a practice this longstanding, the Lutheran Church does not have a uniform methodology or purpose for examination. Pastors and churches are diverse, and this requires practices that meet the needs of congregation. Pastors must also recognize the variability of students and determine best practices to examine each student and assess readiness for confirmation. This paper explores the overall history of examination and dives into the current practices and perspectives of examination in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). The paper lays out the diversity of methodology and objectives among WELS pastors while making recommendations for how such a variety of practices might be implemented considering Universal Design of Learning (UDL). This study seeks to help pastors consider giving learners different options for expressing what they have gained through catechism instruction while still meeting the goals of examination.