Why have a book of church order?

Church order provides a way for us to live and work together as the body of Christ, following the admonition that “all things be done decently and in order”; (1 Corinthians 14:40). Order is a way to express our unity and achieve cooperation and harmony in the body of Christ as we seek to fulfill our mission. It is our theology lived out in the ways we live and work together.

The Book of Church Order (BCO) contains the form of government, rules of discipline, and the directory for worship as adopted by the Presbyterian Church in America.

The Book of Church Order

Sixth Edition
(Includes all amendments approved up to and including
the 39th General Assembly, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, June 2011)

Published By:
The Office of the Stated Clerk
of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America

Distributed By:
The Committee for Christian Education and Publications
1700 North Brown Rd, Suite 102
Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043-8143
(800) 283-1357