Why is it important for elders
and deacons to be familiar
with the creeds and confessions
of our church?

Elders and deacons in the Presbyterian Church are ordained officers, meaning that God has set them apart for special service and leadership within God's church. At the time of ordination, which is a very serious matter in the Presbyterian tradition, elders and deacons must answer the following question in the affirmative:

Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God? (G-14.0207c)

Answering this question in the affirmative obligates officers in the Presbyterian Church to take our creeds and confessions more seriously. This does not mean that officers cannot disagree with some of the teachings found in these confessions. However, as officers, they do take an oath in which they promise to be guided and instructed by these confessions; therefore, officers of the Presbyterian Church are unable to dismiss the teachings of the confessions lightly. Officers in the Presbyterian Church willingly place themselves under the discipline of our Church's Constitution. As such, they should be familiar with the oaths that they take, including the oath found in the above question.