The church has formulated much of the teaching of Scripture in certain documents which form part of the basic law of the church, and which are commonly called Subordinate Standards. The most important of these is the Westminster Confession of Faith as explained by the Acts of the Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1647, and the Synod of Eastern Australia in 1952.
A document on church government, agreed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1578.