Through the centuries, Presbyterian candidates for ordination are asked if they “receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed tradition.” Yet, through most of the church’s history, these “essentials” have not been explicitly stated. The Essential Tenets were written and made part of the ECO Presbyterian Constitution to provide the church with: unity, details of the church’s shared covenant of faith, and direction for ministry candidates and church leaders. This course will look in detail at the Essential Tenets and the Reformed theology from which they were drawn. The course will be taught by Laura Smit, the principal writer of the Essential Tenets.