“Where is Jesus?” An Empirical Study Among Confirmed Youth in the Church of Sweden

Abstract This article aims to discuss how young people in the Church of Sweden describe what they have learned and experienced during confirmation, using Gert Biesta’s educational framework: socialization, subjectification, and qualification. Interviews with 28 confirmands reveal that while confirmation fosters self-exploration and ethical discussions, integration into the broader church community is weak, and qualifying content is notably absent. Many confirmands struggle to articulate what they have learned about Christianity, raising concerns about long-term faith engagement. The study questions whether one can truly choose something without having a language to talk about it.