Overview of the PCA Membership Vows

January 15, 2026 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments

Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement

Members of a local congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America assent to five declarations and promises. The Book of Church Order (BCO), the constitutional government guide for the PCA, says that upon assenting to these five declarations and promises one enters “into a solemn covenant with God and His church.” Today I want to give a brief overview of these five statements, seeking to explain what is expected of our members. 

First, here are the five declarations and promises, from BCO 57-5:

  1. Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy?
  2. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?
  3. Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ?
  4. Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?
  5. Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline of the Church, and promise to study its purity and peace? 

Let me make some observations:

  1. The first two statements are declarations and relate to the Gospel. No one promises to be a sinner. It is just who we are. The Bible is very clear, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). The first statement then is one’s declaration that he or she agrees with the biblical teaching about sin and the just penalty for sin. The second statement is one’s declaration of trusting Jesus as one’s Savior from sin. The language of “receive and rest upon Him alone” is taken from the Westminster’s definition of faith. These two statements summarize the biblical response to the Gospel: repent and believe. I acknowledge and grieve my sin. I hope in Christ alone for salvation. 
  1. The last three are promises and summarize the life of a Christian. Being a Christian does not only involve rescue from the wrath of God but also includes new life in the Spirit. Paul hits this point throughout his letters. One example is 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” As transformed people, Christians are called to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ (Eph. 4:1). The third, fourth, and fifth statements are promises to do just what the Bible calls Christians to do. We are called to grow in grace (2 Pet. 3:18) and in the community of the church (Eph. 4:12-16). 
  1. The first three highlight the Trinity. As foundational declarations and promises for every Christian, these affirm the nature of God as Trinity. We are sinners in the sight of God the Father. God the Son is our only hope of salvation. And God the Spirit enables us to live worthy of our calling. The Trinity is a distinctively Christian doctrine. These statements are distinctively Christian. 
  1. Nothing is required beyond what the Bible expects of faithful followers of Christ. In asking members to assent to these declarations and promises, we do not ask anyone to commit to anything beyond what the Bible requires. In a nutshell, we ask our members to declare 1. “I am a Christian” and 2. “I will live as a Christian as the Bible directs.” 
  1. Members do not need to consent to the full doctrine of the denomination. The PCA is a Reformed, Presbyterian denomination. We hold to doctrines like predestination and infant baptism. While our leaders receive and adopt the Westminster Standards as containing the system of doctrine taught in Scripture, our members do not need to make that affirmation. The intention is to allow anyone who professes faith in Christ as Savior to become a member of the church. 
  1. The “solemn covenant” is designed to hold us accountable. As I mentioned at the start, our Book of Church Order says that a member enters into a “solemn covenant” with God and his church. We might ask why a covenant is necessary. In other words, we might ask why even have a process for membership? I addressed this question in the sermon this past Sunday. We enter into covenant with God and his church because we value God’s intention for his people. God wants us to be committed to his church. We are united to Christ and so with one another (Rom. 12:5). And we enter a covenant because we know we need the accountability. Related to our first declaration (“I am a sinner”), we acknowledge our propensity to drift. We need the church to watch over our souls. 

Whether you are a member of Oak Hills or not, I hope this review of the membership vows encourages you to take your relationship with God and his church seriously. We ought not dismiss membership as trivial or unnecessary.  

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