Written as a tool to be used by churches, families, and individuals, the Westminster Standards were intended to unify and teach Christians on matters of theology and practice.

For those interested in learning about Reformed teaching, the Westminster Shorter Catechism is an excellent place to start. The Shorter Catechism is very approachable, even to those new to the Christian faith. R. Scott Clark said of it: “A student who memorized the Heidelberg or Westminster Shorter Catechism would be ahead of the most advanced student of modern theology.”

The Shorter Catechism aims to give a basic overview of the Christian faith, including theology, the gospel, practical application of God’s commands for daily life, and instruction on how to pray and worship God. The Larger Catechism aims to expand on this for students who may already be familiar with the Shorter Catechism. Additionally, the Westminster Confession is a tool for clearly teaching Christian doctrine in a way that is precise enough to make false teachings easier to distinguish.

Anyone wanting to understand confessional Reformed teaching about doctrine, prayer, worship, and obedience will find these resources a very good place to start.

Note: This contains the original Westminster Confession of 1646, not the American revisions.

If you’re looking to dive in deeper, you may find our Reformed Shorter Collection or Reformed Larger Collection helpful as well.