History of the Westminster Confession of Faith

“By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” 2 Timothy 1:14

The Westminster Assembly met in England in the mid-17th century. With a desire to reform the church according to biblical doctrine, they produced The Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

As Christians, we are required to look to God’s written word, the Bible, for all matters of faith and practice. A confession of faith helps us to clearly present our thinking, as it is guided by God’s word, on important matters such as the nature of Scripture, what the Scriptures teach concerning the Triune God, how one can be assured of eternal salvation, and the purpose of the sacraments. It is a way of humbly uniting with the church through the centuries as part of the larger body of Christ.

The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has adopted the Westminster Confession and the Catechisms as the doctrinal standards and confession of our denomination. We invite you to examine these valuable documents online: Westminster Confession of Faith

The PCA’s vision statement is also very useful in understanding how we seek to be faithful to God’s word, to the body of Christ, and to apply God’s timeless message to contemporary culture:

Presbyterian Church in America

True to the Scriptures, the reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ

As one communion in the worldwide church, the Presbyterian Church in America exists to glorify God by extending the kingdom of Jesus Christ over all individual lives through all areas of society and in all nations and cultures. To accomplish this end the PCA aims to fill the world with churches that are continually growing in vital worship, in theological depth, in true fellowship, in assertive evangelism and in deeds of compassion.

The distinctiveness of the PCA lies in our stress on both reformation and revival. Without an emphasis on revival, "reformation" may become either a mimicking of political ideologies or sterile doctrinalism. Without an emphasis on reformation, "revival" may become a shallow pietism or mysticism. Only reformation and revival together can accomplish the Great Commission of our Lord.

We are committed to the Scriptures and the historic Westminster Standards based firmly on a biblical theology that answers the questions and issues of each culture and people to which we minister.

We are committed to worship that practices the presence and power of God within the church to the transformation of the surrounding culture through biblical application in population centers around the world.

We are committed to the winning of new converts and their incorporation into the church through the ministry of the Word and to significant ministry to the needy through deeds of mercy and service.

We are committed to the freedom of every member to minister through spiritual gifts and also to the responsibility to do so under spiritual authority and loving discipline.

We are committed to dynamic, prophetic confrontation on non-Christian thought forms and behavior and also to the demonstration of the truth through the practice of holiness and love in Christian fellowship.

We are committed to guarding and strengthening the biblical family and also to a ministry to the broken family forms such as the divorced, the widowed and the unwed parent.

We are committed to teaching and discipling men and women in the whole counsel of God and also to ministering to the needs of the whole person.