The Westminster Confession of Faith, drawn up in the 1640s by an assembly of 151 theologians (mostly Presbyterians and Puritans) at Westminster Abbey, is the standard of doctrine for the Church of Scotland and many Presbyterian churches throughout the world. Several other denominations, including Baptists and Congregationalists, have used adaptations of the Westminster Confession of Faith as a basis for their own doctrinal statements. In each case, the Westminster Confession is considered subordinate to the Bible.


The Westminster Confession of Faith is a systematic exposition of Calvinism, written from a Puritan viewpoint. It was originally drafted to reform the Church of England and to unify the various Christian sects in England at that time. The document addresses doctrines such as the Trinity, the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus, sola scriptura, and sola fide. The full Westminster Confession of Faith can be found here.


The Shorter Catechism contains 107 questions and answers concerning God as Creator, original sin and man’s fallen nature, Christ the Redeemer, the Ten Commandments, baptism, Holy Communion, and the Lord’s Prayer. The structure of the Westminster Catechism follows the earlier Heidelberg Catechism (1562) of the continental Reformed churches. The first and most famous of the questions in the Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” The Westminster Larger Catechism can be found here, and the Shorter Catechism here.

Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/Westminster-Confession-of-Faith.html