Since the beginning of the Reformation, Reformed churches have used confessions and catechisms to summarize and promulgate their doctrinal and practical understanding of the Christian faith. Among the many practical uses of the confessions in the Church, I want to focus on how the Westminster Standards — the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms — help a pastor to exercise a healthy ministry.

The use of the Standards promotes a healthy ministry in five ways. First, a good grasp of the Standards aids in the work of exegesis. Because the Standards give an accurate summary of the major truths of the Bible, they are a valuable tool in the interpretation of Scripture. Since Scripture interprets Scripture and the Bible does not contradict itself, the Standards give the minister a grid by which to interpret the Bible.

For example, God says in 1 Samuel 15:11 that he regretted making Saul king. The immediate impression is that God had changed his mind. However, since the Standards teach and substantiate that God’s decree is immutable (Westminster Confession of Faith 3.1; Westminster Larger Catechism 12), one knows that such an interpretation is contrary to Scriptures.

Second, the Standards enable a pastor to ascertain that he is preaching the whole counsel of God. The Lord Christ commands the Church to teach all that he commands (Matt. 28:20). Paul sets the example for us in Acts 20:27: “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” By comparing his sermons over a period of time with the Standards, the minister has a gauge to monitor the scope and balance of his preaching — that he is preaching the whole counsel of God.

Third, the Standards promote ecumenicity. This benefit might sound strange. However, adherence to the Standards gives the pastor liberty to say to one man, “We belong together in this denomination,” while to another, “Although we may not be together in a denomination, I respect you as one who holds to the essential doctrines of evangelical Christianity as defined in the Westminster Standards. I recognize you as a brother and can worship with you and cooperate with you according to our doctrinal unity.”

Fourth, the Standards are a useful tool in counseling. They give concise answers to doctrinal and moral issues. Often, I have been able to answer a person’s question by taking him to the Standards for a succinct answer, and the scripture proofs to support that answer.

Fifth, and perhaps most wonderfully, the Standards instruct the minister in the beauty and glory of the triune God. The purpose of doctrine is that we might know and serve God. Because the Standards give a full-orbed, scriptural view of what the minister is to believe and how he is to live, they teach the truths on which he meditates and by which he forms his prayers as he seeks to shepherd his flock.