What a curious identity statement it is! It runs to 400 pages. The current 12 documents that make up it up were set forth across hundreds of years, in varied times and contexts, in varying forms, in multiple languages. They sometimes disagree with one another. They are sometimes dense and complicated.
The complexity and length of the Book of Confessions can stand in the way of our engagement with it. That complexity takes a variety of forms. One is the complexity of the theological content of the documents. The documents think deeply about God, the created order, and the relationship between the two. Thinking deeply about these matters is challenging.
Another complexity is the long history of many of its documents. To interpret them well, we need to have some understanding of the time when each document was put together. They challenge us to see both how they spoke to their historical moment and how they speak to us, in this moment.
Fortunately, our denomination’s constitution provides some threads running through the confessional documents for thinking with and effectively living what we affirm in the Book of Confessions. Two of them are found in chapter two of the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity section of the Book of Order. A third thread is presented in the Book of Confessions itself.
The first thread offered in the Foundations section is relationship — relationship to other Christian denominations and churches. This section offers us increasingly specific relationships that identify us among the varied ways Christians have organized their lives together. Most broadly, we identify ourselves as Christian, and therefore in relationship with all other Christians. “In its confessions, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) witnesses to the faith of the Church catholic. The confessions express the faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church ... ” (F-2.03) More specifically, we affirm the central theological claims of the Protestant Reformation. “In its confessions, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) upholds the affirmations of the Protestant Reformation.” (F-2.04) More specifically still, among Protestants we identify as part of the Reformed tradition. “In its confessions, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) expresses the faith of the Reformed tradition.” (F-2.05) One thing we look for in the complexity of our identity statement is affirmations that speak to the relationships we have with other Christians. We know who we are by knowing who we’re related to, and how.
A second thread dovetails with relationships. Chapter two of the Foundations section lists specific theological affirmations that we hold along with other Christians. It names the shared theological affirmations that ground the relationship. For our relationship to all Christians, it specifies recognition of the canon of Scripture, the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds as they affirm that God is triune, and that the second person of the Trinity is incarnate in Jesus Christ (F-2.03). Similar lists of shared theological beliefs are found with the other two circles of relationship. One way to engage the Book of Confessions is to look at how a specific topic is handled by the documents that make up the book. A great source for doing this is the Index of the Book of Confessions, which itself is over 100 pages long.
Another thread in the complexity of the Book of Confessions is how it presents history. The Book of Confessions is built chronologically. The documents are listed from oldest to newest, based on when they took a final, settled form. We’ve already noted that this creates challenges for us: how to read the documents as both historical and speaking today. So why accept the challenge? Because theological content is illuminated in historical contexts; there is no other place for theological content to be illuminated.
The Book of Confessions is complex. As a denomination we have known this and have developed tools for finding shared identity and relationship in that book. Among those tools are chapter two of the Foundations section of the Book of Order and the structure of the Book of Confessions itself.
For Reflection
- What do you find challenging in understanding the documents in the Book of Confessions? What helps you overcome those challenges?
- Consider the specific beliefs that are named within F-2.03-2.05. Identify one that is important to the identity of your congregation. How does it impact your life together?
Barry Ensign-George is a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He has served as a pastor in Iowa and at the denominational level in the Office of Theology & Worship.
Throughout 2025, monthly Regarding Ruling Elders articles will focus on the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity as included in our Book of Order. Ruling elders can benefit from these reflections as they consider their own ministries and call to serve as leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
© 2025 Barry Ensign-George
Work licensed for publication in “Regarding Ruling Elders: A Monthly Series for Serving Faithfully.” Congregations and mid councils may print copies for educational use. Permission is needed for any other use, including copying and reprinting.
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