The History of Head to the Heart Confirmation

by Monty Lysne

Monty Lysne

It is strange and wonderful that I find myself back with Faith Inkubators for a third time. I originally began with the company in 1997, left in 2001, returned in 2003, then left again in 2012. This past June, I returned with my friends Tom Collins and Pete Erickson to take control of the organization and chart a course for the future. My history with Faith Inkubators is a long one. However, my history with Head to the Heart is even longer!

I was hired in 1991 for my first job out of college by a young and energetic Rev. Rich Melheim at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, MN. Rich had recently arrived at the church and had also just taken control of the confirmation program there. I was coming off four years working summers at Camp Metigoshe near Bottineau, ND and thought it would be great to get into youth ministry. Plus, the chance to work for and with my mentor Rich was something I could not pass up. And I had student loans to pay.

It was the early 1990’s and the Confirmation program there was massive: about 70 kids in each grade 7, 8, and 9. Well over 200 kids in total each week. It didn’t take long for Rich and me to realize that the “get them all in a room and lecture to them” model was not going to work. So, we went back to the system we were both familiar with, camp ministry, and asked the question, “why does camping ministry work and Confirmation ministry usually stink?”

The decision was made to divide and conquer (we had no other real choice), and the system and set up of Head to the Heart was born. A fun fact: we originally called our program “Wednesday Night Workshop” or “WNW”, leaving out the “C” word (Confirmation) as we wanted to portray that we were about much more than Confirmation instruction. We wanted to build a program that was about holistic youth ministry.

We unpacked and implemented the elements of camping ministry: music, skits, active learning, art, service, and small groups. We settled on a schedule of welcoming, a large group presentation, small group time, and a closing blessing when we gathered at church, and made time on other Wednesdays for groups to gather on their own for a service event or a social meeting (pizza, movie, games, etc.) We divided kids into friend groups of 4-6 and looked to put a caring parent in the middle of the group to guide them. Early on, I don’t think the parents trusted in what we were doing so we had some roles to fill. Many of my fellow twenty-something campmates had settled in the Minneapolis area at that time, and I put out calls to many of these ex-camp counselors to come in and help lead groups.

Over time, we got better at all these elements and by the end of year two, felt like we were hitting our stride. In 1993, Rich Melheim published an article titled “Conformation (sic!) is Dead” that brought more attention. We hadn’t invented anything new but were at the forefront of thinking about Confirmation ministry in a new way and setting the vision for other churches to do the same.

Soon we had other area churches stopping by on Wednesdays to observe what we were doing. Word continued to spread, and eventually Rich left Trinity to take on teaching and training of this large group/small group ministry structure on a national scale. The materials Rich developed were called “So What Does this Mean” and these lessons and teaching aids later became Head to the Heart when Rich officially launched Faith Inkubators in 1996. I remained at Trinity after Rich left for a few years, then joined the fledgling Faith Ink in early 1997. At this point, the national launch of Head to the Heart as we know it today began.

There are a landfill of curriculum options for middle school faith formation. At Faith Inkubators, we are proud that Head to the Heart is backed by 30+ years of experimentation, research, and input from churches across many denominations who have used it, reported back, and have put their own stamp on the system. H2H has been and will remain much more than a set of materials for Confirmation instruction. It is a complete ministry system that helps churches equip a congregation of leaders, engage young people creatively, builds a community of care long after Confirmation Day, and support parents for ministry at home.