What is a creed?

What is a creed?

• A. An official profession of faith used in the Church's liturgy.
• B. A list of prayers.
• C. A type of hymn.
• D. A rule of church governance.

Answer: (A)

A creed is a formal statement of what believers declare to believe—a profession of faith. It is spoken aloud in worship to unite the church around shared beliefs, often recited during the liturgy. This makes creeds different from a list of prayers (which are requests to God), a hymn (which is a song), or a rule of church governance (which guides leadership and structure). Creeds summarize what Christians affirm about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and life in faith, and many churches recite them in services to publicly profess their beliefs. A familiar example is the creed that begins with “I believe,” used in baptisms and other worship moments.

A creed is a formal statement of what believers declare to believe—a profession of faith. It is spoken aloud in worship to unite the church around shared beliefs, often recited during the liturgy. This makes creeds different from a list of prayers (which are requests to God), a hymn (which is a song), or a rule of church governance (which guides leadership and structure). Creeds summarize what Christians affirm about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and life in faith, and many churches recite them in services to publicly profess their beliefs. A familiar example is the creed that begins with “I believe,” used in baptisms and other worship moments.