There are a variety of opportunities for youth in 6th grade through high school:

Middle School (6th-8th grades)
Kids in 6th- to 8th-grade may participate in confirmation and other middle school programs. Other programs may include mission trips, retreats, service opportunities, and other fun events. Our kids are involved in worship leadership by serving as an acolyte, reading the lesson, ushering, and assisting with kids’ time.

Confirmation (6-8th Grades)
Confirmation meets Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30pm in the Ranum Hall which is found upstairs in SOTH. Our confirmation program is centered around the belief that, as people of faith, we always belong and are always in the process of becoming the people God created us to be. It is a journey and we are not alone; we have been given companions and this community of faith to help us grow, know God, and serve others.

Adolescence is a time of discovery, of asking new questions, of branching out and trying new things, all the while trying to figure out who we are. As children go through our confirmation program, we want to help them ask significant questions of faith and life, but we also want them to rest in the assurance that they always belong to God, and they belong here in this community of faith.

Shepherd’s confirmation program lasts for three years and is for students in 6th-8th grade. Each year, we study parts of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Small Catechism. Confirmation is NOT a requirement for membership at Shepherd of the Hills.

It is each family’s choice whether their child participates in the confirmation program. At the end of the program, students will be invited to affirm their baptism. What this means is students make a commitment to following God and to continuing to learn and grow as God’s children.

Our confirmation program is set up to be a collective experience comprised of worship, learning, serving, and caring. All elements are important in shaping a person in life and faith. We hope that families will make a full commitment to our programming. However, we are a congregation steeped in grace, recognizing that we all come to God with empty hands and it is God’s promises that save us. Students and families will get out of our programming as much as they put into it. We believe it is the student and family’s choice whether to affirm their baptism promises at the end of 9th grade.

Youth will also be encouraged to attend two retreats.

Senior High (9th-12th grade)
Senior High is currently meeting on Wednesdays from 7:30-8:30pm. We encourage youth to continue their faith once they have been confirmed and offer a time where they can be together, whether it be at a coffee shop, bowling alley, community service event, or hanging out in the Youth Room.