IMYM Faith & Practice, 2009, pp 35-39
Friends, keep your meetings in the power of God, and in his wisdom (by which all things were made) and in the love of God, that by that ye may order all to his glory. And when Friends have finished their business, sit down and continue awhile quietly and wait upon the Lord to feel him. And go not beyond the Power, but keep in the Power by which God Almighty may be felt among you.
GEORGE FOX, 1658 14
Discussions of Friends’ processes often get twisted up in “nots,” and the meeting for business is no exception: we do not vote, we do not debate, we do not follow parliamentary procedures, and so on. How much harder is it to speak positively! The meeting for business is a meeting for discernment. At the meeting for business, the community gathers under the guidance of the Spirit, attempting to make decisions in unity.15
All of the curiosities of Friends’ practice stem from this: the community is led by the Spirit, and the Spirit works through the whole community. Imagine a knotty issue as a complicated work of three-dimensional art. What is obvious at first glance to one person is not at all evident to someone else. So gradually we walk around it, different ones of us bringing aspects of the work to the attention of the community, and as we do, we come to a fuller understanding. We undertake the walk together, we consider each aspect together, and as our understanding grows, so does our ability to work together for a solution. The Light shines from all directions. Our knowledgeable Guide whispers in our ear, pointing out new vantages. We become closer, more of a community, more able to put our guidance into action together.
The community gathers . . .
In Intermountain Yearly Meeting, while members and attenders are equally welcome to participate in business meetings, the weight of major decisions traditionally rests upon those who are members. Business is conducted by and entrusted to those who are present at the business meeting. Although it would not be wise to schedule discussion of an issue when a person known to be especially interested in the problem is out of town, objecting to a discussion based on what one thinks someone who is not present might say is problematic.
under the guidance of the Spirit . . .
Listening for the Light in each person’s words and waiting for guidance makes the business meeting an act of worship. Only when Friends are aware that they are functioning in the Divine Presence does the Quaker method achieve its goals. Thus, it is important that each business meeting begin in the stillness of worship so that its character will pervade the transaction of business. As a reminder, many Friends prefer to call this meeting the “meeting for worship with a concern for business.”
An agenda does not preclude guidance: what is openness in worship can be lack of focus in business. The agenda is prepared by the clerk beforehand in consultation with the various meeting committees where they exist, but issues and concerns may be raised in other ways. A committee may bring a report, with or without a recommendation for action. If there is a recommendation, it eases way if in the form of a proposed minute. Individuals may bring concerns as well. Although it is helpful to approach the clerk ahead of time and ask for an item to be included on the agenda, an issue may be brought directly to the meeting. It is always useful to be able to explain to the meeting the kind of action that is being requested and the background for it, including options that were considered and discarded. After a concern is presented, the meeting holds the concern in the Light.
Some people don’t believe it’s the truth until they hear it coming out of their own mouths.
PAT SHELDON, OVERHEARD AFTER AN ESPECIALLY LONG BUSINESS MEETING, CIRCA 1995
Speaking in the meeting for business is ministry just as much as it is in meeting for worship. Among Friends, speaking begins with listening. Before speaking, we ask ourselves if the point has already been addressed. Does our point carry the meeting forward? Are we aware of any undercurrents? (One may joke about God’s lack of concern for the color of the meetinghouse door, but if color is a source of dissension, then God surely is interested.) Have we been listening? When one is heard the first time one speaks, one does not feel the need to go over the same ground.
As a matter of etiquette, speakers wait to be recognized and address their remarks to the clerk or presenter. Sometimes the pauses between speakers become so short that a reminder from the clerk or a request from the floor for silence may be necessary. When silence is broken again, Friends take care as they proceed that the concerns voiced before the silence have been heard. Periods of silence throughout the meeting help assure a sense of the presence of the Spirit and aid the clerk in gathering the sense of the meeting.
making decisions in unity.
Unity is possible because the Light of Truth shines in some measure in every human heart. Friends come to a meeting for business expecting that the Spirit will lead the assembled body to unity. The commitment to search for unity depends upon mutual trust, implies a willingness to labor and to submit to the leadings of the Spirit, and grows as members become better acquainted with one another.
When Friends make a decision . . . they are seeking the will of God in a particular matter. They have found the most reliable guide to that will to be the sense of the meeting.
PATRICIA LORING, 199316
The most important duty of the clerk is to judge the sense of the meeting. This may be in the form of a minute, or it may be to wait and consider the concern at another time. The clerk must remain neutral, listening to all, aware of those who are hesitant, sometimes checking the long-winded, and ready to remind Friends to speak out of the silence.
The most important duty of Friends attending meeting for business is to seek Divine guidance while exercising self-discipline and self-control. Friends are urged to be mutually forbearing and concerned for the good of the meeting as a whole, rather than to press a personal preference. Time is allowed for deliberate and prayerful consideration of the matter at hand. Everyone must want to reach a decision and be open to new understanding. When the Light finds its voice, it can be helpful to the clerk that Friends say quietly, “That Friend speaks my mind.” (On the other hand, when spoken early in a discussion, the sentence may bear the character of voting.)
The sense of the meeting . . . can only arise out of a membership which has given itself over to seeking the will of God and has prepared itself spiritually for the search. It may be that some present have not yet come to that condition of seeking. It may be that some have come seeking that their own will be done—sometimes for excellent reasons. It may be that they come with a leading from God which is quite true for themselves but not a leading for the meeting as a whole.
PATRICIA LORING, 199317
The sense of the meeting is not always unanimous. It is possible for an individual to recognize that the meeting is ready to go forward with a decision even though he or she is not. At this point, Friends have a number of ways of proceeding. First, if one feels deeply that the decision is not in the Light, one has the responsibility to speak one’s truth frankly and with sensitivity. The meeting may decide not to go forward in order to understand this truth more fully and to season the issue further; or it may suspend decision to prevent taking action too rapidly. On very rare occasions, meetings have proceeded even when a friend “stands in the way.” In all circumstances, it is a decision of the meeting whether or not to proceed. Second, one may accept the meeting’s conclusion in the place of one’s own—often the meeting leads us beyond ourselves. In some cases, one may “stand aside” from a decision, allowing the meeting to go forward while reserving judgment. Meetings should be slow to accept this action on the part of an individual, preferring to achieve unity rather than to go forward without the whole community. This is especially true if several people choose to stand aside—then perhaps the sense of the meeting has been misread.
It is not the individual who has the power [of standing in the way], it is the Holy Spirit. It is the spiritual truth which comes through an individual which the Meeting may recognize. The important observation is that it is the truth that is recognized and not the individual. It is the truth which may keep the Meeting from going forward. Not the individual standing in the way.
ARTHUR LARRABEE, PENDLE HILL WORKSHOP ON CLERKING, 2001
There is power in unity. Decisions made through a process leading to unity carry the conviction and commitment of the whole community. We risk losing this power if we aim simply for efficiency. When we avoid conflict, when we get along by going along, we lose the ability to work whole-heartedly together. When a meeting tries to force an issue and permits itself to get away with it, the meeting runs beyond its Guide. Friends do not make decisions according to the will of the majority, nor are Friends’ decisions blocked by the will of the minority. A common practice among Friends is to seek a “third way,” a way led by Spirit away from polarization. The Religious Society of Friends is led by the Spirit.
