Doctrine

The sum of your word is truth. Psalm 119:160

Doctrine matters!  The Bible is the inerrant and infallable Word of God and is our all-sufficient source of Truth in all matters of faith and practice.  Doctrine is an understanding of what the Bible teaches about a particular subject or concept, and of course our understanding of what God says in His Word matters. Doctrine does not have to be dry, boring and lifeless; in fact, doctrine should be as rich and warm and practical as Scripture itself, and it definitely should be applied and have an effect on how we think and live our lives.  Creeds and confessions and doctrinal statements are useful for our own personal understanding what the Bible teaches, for teaching others (including children and new believers), and for defining our position on theological matters.  As useful and helpful as they are, however, they do not have the authority of Scripture itself, which is God's Living Word.

The Westminster Standards
Written in 1647 in England, these documents became the standard statements for the Reformed understanding of Scripture in the English speaking world.  They have had a profound and lasting impact not only on the church but on society, culture and government in Great Britain and the United States.  These are the doctrinal standards of our church and our denomination.
Confession of Faith
Shorter Catechism
Larger Catechism

Statement of Faith
We have adopted the PCA Statement of Faith as that of our church as well.

Creeds
The Apostles' Creed
The Nicene Creed

Other Confessions and Catechisms
The Belgic Confession
The Heidelberg Catechism

Modern Statements

The Cambridge Declaration
The Cambridge Declaration, written in 1996, is a call to evangelical churches to return and to hold fast to the biblical, doctrinal standards of the Protestant Reformation.

The Danvers Statement
The Danvers Statement is an exposition of what the Bible teaches about God's unique design for men and women, written by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

The PCA Report on Federal Vision and New Perspective on Paul
In 2006, our denomination released a report on these modern theological issues, which are reinterpretations of biblical, Reformed understanding of justification and related doctrines.  The report delineates views which are and are not in accord with our understanding of Scripture as detailed in the Westminster Standards.