The PCA wholeheartedly maintains that the Bible, consisting of both the Old and the New Testaments, is the inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. As such, it is our primary and ultimate authority in all matters of faith, and the doctrinal statements of the Church are always viewed as subordinate to it.
The secondary doctrinal standards of the PCA are the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), along with the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647). These classic Protestant doctrinal statements were painstakingly written by the Westminster Assembly, which was commissioned by the English Parliament in 1643, and met for the next 5 years. The goal of these godly ministers was to faithfully summarize the teaching of Scripture, especially as it relates to God, man, sin, Christ, salvation and the Christian life.
In 1647, the Westminster Confession of Faith was adopted by the Church of Scotland. The following year, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms were also approved. Even beyond the Presbyterian churches, the Westminster Confession of Faith greatly influenced the Anglican Church, English Baptists and Congregationalists. In 1788, with minor revisions, the Westminster standards were adopted by the first national Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Since that time, many new movements, divisions and mergers have taken place within American Presbyterianism, but virtually all of the resulting church bodies have recognized the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms as their official doctrinal standards.
By the 1960’s, however, both the northern and the southern “mainline” Presbyterian denominations began to have less regard for the authority of Scripture, and to de-emphasize the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms as well. A new confession of faith was approved in 1967, and included in a “Book of Confessions” by which pastors and elders would agree merely “to be guided.” As a result, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) was formed in 1973 to maintain the historic beliefs and mission of the church. One of its first actions was to adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, subject to the Bible, as its official doctrinal standards.
You can read our doctrinal standards here: https://www.pcaac.org/resources/wcf/