The Church of Scotland

Theological Forum

The Theological Forum was established by the General Assembly to resource, express, and challenge the theology that informs the life and work of the Church. Its remit is:

a) To articulate and develop the doctrinal understanding of the Church in accordance with Holy Scripture and with reference to the confessional standards of the Church of Scotland

b) To express the theological vision of the Church in its worship, fellowship, witness, and mission in and beyond contemporary Scotland

c) To respond to particular theological requests as and when these arise from the General Assembly, the Council of Assembly, and the ecumenical partners of the Church

d) To draw to the attention of the General Assembly theological matters which the Theological Forum considers to be of pressing contemporary relevance

e) To stimulate wider theological reflection throughout the Church on key doctrinal, ethical, and apologetic matters through the provision of appropriate materials and other activities

Following an instruction received from the 2018 General Assembly to review the status of the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Theological Forum organised a conference titled Westminster, Confessions and the Church, which was held at New College on Wednesday 8th May 2019. The conference papers have since been published in the journal Theology in Scotland and are available in digital format at the University of St Andrews's Journal Website.

Theological Forum membership, 2021-22

  • Rev Dr Liam Jerrold Fraser, Convener
  • Rev Dr John Carswell
  • Rev Prof Susan Hardman Moore, Vice-Convener
  • Rev Dr Lynn McChlery
  • Rev Prof Paul Middleton
  • Rev Hector Morrison
  • Rev Dr Ruth Morrison
  • Professor Paul T Nimmo
  • Professor Glen Pettigrove
  • Dr Joshua Ralston
  • Ms Jennifer Stark
  • Rev Lance Stone
  • Dr Andrew Torrance

Contact for more information: Nathalie Mares MacCallum, Secretary to the Theological Forum, at nmaresmaccallum@churchofscotland.org.uk.

Confessions of Faith

The statements of the Church's faith can be found at our Statements of the Church's Faith page.

The confessions included below are referenced specifically in the Theological Forum's 2021 General Assembly report on the Westminster Confession of Faith. The PC USA's Book of Confessions is included for ease of reference only, and does not reflect the current confessional status of the Church of Scotland.

Five Marks of Mission

Communion

Interpretation of Scripture

Reports on Sexuality