For centuries, ministers and elders have subscribed at their ordination to the Westminster Confession of Faith. This document was approved by the Church of Scotland in 1647, and contains doctrinal statements that seek to express the common faith of the Church, and that are intended to guide the beliefs of office-holders.
These doctrinal statements emphasise among other teachings the centrality of scripture, the sovereignty of God, and salvation by God's grace alone. However, since 1921, liberty of opinion in points not entering into the substance of the faith has meant that office-holders have not had to agree to every statement in the Westminster Confession of Faith.
At the 2018 General Assembly it was decided that the matter should be revisited.
Nathalie Mares McCallum, who is the Secretary of the Theological Forum, explained that while the Westminster Confession of Faith remains an important part of the Church of Scotland's historical and present identity, its relevance has changed.
"It was adopted by the General Assembly of the Church in Scotland in 1647, and in time it became the touchstone for orthodoxy for ministers and elders within the church," she said.
"However, there are a number of reasons it's no longer seen as representative of the variety of Reformed beliefs present within the Church of Scotland today."
"In particular, there's been long-standing disagreement about certain doctrines in the Confession, such as predestination, which some see as limiting the scope of salvation in ways that Scripture does not support."
She also highlighted the "polemic against Roman Catholicism" it contains, from which the Church of Scotland officially distanced itself in 1986.
The process leading towards this new Book of Confessions has involved people from across the Church, with the original overture to move in this direction brought to the General Assembly by the then Presbytery of Melrose and Peebles in 2018.
The Theological Forum has worked on the project over the intervening years with presbyteries, advisers on church law, the Principal Clerk and others, with a conference at Edinburgh University's New College exploring the issue in 2019.
After further discussion at recent General Assemblies, the Church's Theological Forum, which is made up of ministers, elders and academics with a range of views, has produced the new Book of Confessions, which has now been approved by presbyteries and provides a more holistic account of the Church's faith.
As well as the original Westminster Confession it will include the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Scots Confession, and the 1992 Statement of Christian Faith.
The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed relate to what it is to be part of the wider Christian faith, and the three confessions to what it is to be from the Reformed tradition. The Scots Confession, which was overseen by John Knox and dates from 1560, helped to establish the Church of Scotland, while the Statement of Faith from 1992 offers an accessible and more contemporary summary of the teaching of the Church.
"We are part of the one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, but we're also a member of the family of Reformed churches, historically rooted in the Protestant Reformation," Ms Mares McCallum explains.
Ms Mares McCallum added that the new published book includes "an introduction and prefaces, which explain how the statements of faith came to be written, what's distinctive about them and what role they've played in the life of the church".
There are also footnotes clarifying some of the more challenging historical contents and contexts.
From 1 January 2026 all office-holders when they are ordained will now promise to be guided by the Book of Confessions in their life and doctrine.
A new Church of Scotland Learning module is being created on the Book of Confessions which will be available in the new year and will show how what's contained within it is relevant to everyday Christian life.
Rev Dr Liam Fraser who has been part of the process from the start said:
"I am delighted by the publication of the Book of Confessions of the Church of Scotland. After a process lasting more than seven years, the Church has clarified its beliefs for the 21st century, making it easier for office holders and for the people of Scotland to know what it stands for.
"Importantly for our relations with other denominations, in its 1700th anniversary, the Church has formally adopted the Nicene Creed, a summary of belief shared by the majority of Christians. This, along with the re-adoption the Scots Confession – the first Protestant confession in Scotland – makes it clear that we share the same basic faith as other Christians, while preserving our unique Scottish Reformed identity."
Rev Dr John McPake, acting Principal Clerk, said:
"The publication of The Book of Confessions of the Church of Scotland now gives fuller expression to the significance of the decisions made by the General Assembly, regarding the subordinate standards of the Church. These decisions may rightfully be regarded as the most significant made since 1647.
"In expanding the subordinate standards to include the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed alongside the Scots Confession and the more contemporary Statement of Christian Faith, and setting these alongside the Westminster Confession, the Book of Confessions affirms that the life of the Church is rooted in 'the fundamental doctrines of the Catholic faith' founded upon the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. At the same time, it affirms that it is a Church rooted in the Scottish Reformation and one called to the ever-renewed task of being reformed.
"As we take up that task, the Book of Confessions reminds us of our fundamental identity as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and resources us for the challenge of living out that identity in the nation in which we are called to bear witness to the Gospel."