About the Westminster Standards

The Westminster Assembly (1643–1653)

In June 1643, during the English Civil War, Parliament called an assembly of divines—along with Scottish commissioners—to advise on the reformation of the Church of England. Meeting primarily at Westminster Abbey, the Assembly labored for nearly a decade to bring the church into closer conformity with Scripture and the Reformed faith.

The Assembly's principal deliverables include:

• Directory for Public Worship (1645) — Replacing the Book of Common Prayer with biblical directions for preaching, prayer, sacraments, and the Lord's Day
• Westminster Confession of Faith (1646–1647) — A systematic exposition of Christian doctrine in 33 chapters
• Larger Catechism (1647–1648) — 196 questions and answers for thorough instruction
• Shorter Catechism (1647–1648) — 107 questions and answers for simpler, memorizable teaching

The Confession and Catechisms were adopted by the Church of Scotland in 1647–1648 and have since served as confessional standards for Presbyterian churches worldwide, including the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church in America, and many others.

Scripture Proofs

Each chapter and paragraph of the Confession, and each question of the Catechisms, is supported by citations to Holy Scripture. These proofs demonstrate that the Standards ground their teaching in the Word of God—the supreme authority for faith and practice (WCF 1.1, 1.10).

On this site, Scripture proofs appear beneath each section where they are provided in standard public-domain editions. References use the common abbreviated form (e.g., Rom. 3:24; John 3:16). For fuller study, consult a Reformed translation such as the English Standard Version or King James Version.

Text Editions

This site presents the original Westminster texts (1645–1648) from public-domain sources. Minor spelling has been modernized for readability where noted in source transcriptions. The 1788 American revisions adopted by some Presbyterian bodies in the United States are not used here; those interested in the American text should consult their denomination's published standards.

Documents on This Site

• Westminster Confession of Faith — 33 chapters
• Westminster Larger Catechism — 196 questions
• Westminster Shorter Catechism — 107 questions
• Directory for Public Worship — Worship guidelines

For scans of original printings and further reading, see the Resources page.