IMYM Faith & Practice, 2009, pp 225-234
Advices—Statements of faith and practice that arise from the collective wisdom of Friends and are meant for guidance, but not dutiful conformance, of those in the Society.
Affirmation—A legal declaration made by Friends or others who conscientiously decline to take an oath.
Annual Gathering—A term used by Intermountain Yearly Meeting, some regional meetings, and Friends General Conference for a large assembly of Friends which meets once a year.
As Way Opens—To proceed as way opens: to act after waiting for guidance from God, avoiding hasty judgment or action, and moving ahead as circumstances allow.
Attender—One who attends and participates in meeting activities fairly regularly but has not become a member.
Birthright member—A Friend born of or adopted by Quaker parents. Individuals born or adopted into the Society of Friends are sometimes entered into the monthly meeting membership rolls automatically. Intermountain Yearly Meeting does not recognize a formal membership status based on an accident of birth.
Breaking Meeting—The signal that meeting for worship has ended is generally the shaking of hands, initiated by a designated Friend.
Calling—A powerful sense of being destined and required to act on a specific concern.
Center down—A process by which we direct or still our conscious thought and open ourselves that we may hear God speak directly to us.
Child member, junior member, associate member—Terms used in some meetings with reference to the children in the meeting community who have not yet formally requested membership and been admitted.
Clearness (clarity)—A spiritually affirmed perception. A condition in which there are no perceived obstacles to a proposed course of action by an individual Friend or a meeting.
Clearness committee—A group of Friends appointed to assist a person or the meeting to clarify a decision or concern.
Clerk—An individual who prepares the agenda and presides at meetings of Friends, including business meetings and committee meetings.
Concern—An interest deeply rooted in the Holy Spirit; one that can move both an individual and a meeting to action; it may be used in the context of something one ‘thinks ought to be done’ in the human sense of social duty.
Consensus—A secular term used to describe an agreement that is reached by a group without a vote and based on considering an issue together.
Conservative—An historic term applied to those yearly meetings which strive to maintain or preserve the earliest practice of Friends.
Continuing Committee—A yearly meeting committee entrusted with general care of matters affecting Intermountain Yearly Meeting between its annual sessions. It plans the annual gathering.
Continuing revelation—The conviction that God still speaks to humankind directly, allowing Truth to be ever more clearly and completely revealed.
Convener—A member of a committee who calls together the first meeting of that committee.
Convinced Friend—One who becomes a Quaker as a result of being led to this decision by the Inner Light after seeking, thought, and study.
Convincement—A result of becoming persuaded, of being opened to God. Convincement is a gift of God’s, an understanding. Historically, early Friends believed convincement was a result of “being convicted,” which meant the acceptance of a need for God’s love.
From this acceptance of “being convicted,” or of “conviction,” Friends were led to a life “in the Light.”
Corporate—Refers to the body of a Friends’ meeting.
Covered meeting—A meeting for worship which becomes “covered” by the presence of God; a meeting in which the participants, waiting faithfully upon the Spirit, feel the power and inspiration of God so strongly that they are united. Similar to a “gathered meeting.”
Discernment—The spiritual process of determining whether a given leading is divinely inspired and represents knowledge of the Truth. The process of discernment, which may be brief or extensive, may lead to clearness with respect to the leading. It is a gradually acquired skill that does not spring fully fledged.
Discipline—a) A term with roots in discipleship and learning. b) A book of faith and practice of the Religious Society of Friends, so called to reflect the spirit of discipleship felt by Friends. Each yearly meeting may draw together its own book of discipline. c) Choosing to follow an orderly path or action.
Disownment—Termination of membership by action of the monthly meeting; an extreme step taken when a member’s conduct is believed to be seriously incompatible with the beliefs and testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends and efforts to resolve the situation have been unsuccessful.
Elder (noun)—Historically, a Friend appointed to foster the vocal ministry of the meeting for worship and the spiritual condition of the members. Today, a term used to describe a Friend of any age seen as having a deep sense of the spirit; one who ministers to the meeting.
Elder (verb)—Gently admonish in love the ways, habits, or thoughts of a Friend or attender after prayerful consideration and often after consultation with respected members of the meeting. Encourage timid Friends to share their gifts with the meeting, or discourage and/or question an individual’s inappropriate behavior or speaking.
Epistle—A letter of serious import sent either by an individual or a group. An epistle is sent annually from each yearly meeting to “Friends everywhere” and states the condition and experience of the yearly meeting.
Facing Benches—In older meetinghouses, ministers and elders sat on elevated benches facing the body of Friends in the meeting. In unprogrammed meetings today, this practice has largely been discontinued, a circular or square arrangement being generally preferred.
Faith and Practice—Faith refers to what we accept as our right relationship to God. Our practice is what we do, how we act, who we are. A book that sets forth these beliefs and expressions is called Faith and Practice, sometimes referred to as a book of discipline.
First Day—Sunday. See also “Plain Speech”.
Friend — A member of, or an active participant in the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker. From Jesus’ statement, “I call you servants no longer . . . I have called you friends” (John 15:15).
Gathered meeting—A meeting that attains more than the usual sense of Divine Presence, uniting the worshipers in a common experience of holy fellowship. Similar to a “covered meeting.”
Good Order (of Friends)—The procedures, found through Friends’ experience, that facilitate our business and committee meetings as we seek to understand and carry out God’s will.
Guide to Procedures of Intermountain Yearly Meeting—A document detailing the procedures and operations of Intermountain Yearly Meeting.
Hold in the Light—To ask or pray, either in concern or thanksgiving, that a person, situation, or problem be illuminated by divine grace.
Inner Light—The immediate, personal presence of God in our hearts that inspires and guides us, helps us discern Truth, and gives us strength to act on that guidance. The “Inner Light” is also called the “Inward Light,” the “Light Within,” the “Christ Within,” the “Light of Christ,” the “Holy Spirit,” and the “Seed.”
Labor With—An effort by one or more Friends to help another struggle with a concern or a difficulty and come through to a resolution.
Lay down—To discontinue an activity, a committee, or a meeting when its work is completed or no longer felt necessary. A monthly meeting or worship group may be laid down when it no longer functions as such.
Leading—An inner conviction that impels one to follow a certain course under a sense of divine guidance. The soundness of a leading must be tested (the process of discernment) in order to reach clearness before putting it into action.
Meeting—a) A gathering to worship and seek Truth after the manner of Friends. A Meeting for Worship. b) A group of people who regularly gather to worship and seek Truth after the manner of Friends. (See also worship meeting, monthly meeting, regional meeting, and yearly meeting.)
Meeting for Business (Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business)—A meeting for business, usually held monthly, conducted in the manner of worship.
Meeting for Sufferings—A committee to support and care for members and their families who suffer because of their commitment to Friends’ principles.
Member—An individual who has been formally admitted into a monthly meeting after undergoing a process to determine clearness in his or her own mind and within the meeting community. Membership in a monthly meeting confers membership in the Religious Society of Friends.
Ministry—A gift of the Spirit, referring both to vocal ministry in the sense of speaking in meeting for worship and to pastoral care and service.
Minute (noun)—A statement of a decision or a testimony, adopted by a meeting for business or a committee, expressing the unity of the meeting or committee for the action taken or the testimony given.
Minute (verb)—To record, with approval, the sense of a meeting with regard to a particular question or issue.
Monthly meeting—A group of Friends that meets regularly (usually weekly or more often) for worship and generally meets once each month to consider business. The monthly meeting is the basic local unit of the Religious Society of Friends.
Notion—A derisive term for the empty knowledge of religion that is of human origin, that is, lacking in spiritual depth. The term is more generally applied to any approach to religious matters that is not primarily based on first-hand spiritual experience.
Opening—a) A spiritually affirmed recognition of an opportunity to move forward toward a goal or out of a difficulty. b) As used by George Fox, revelation into the meaning of life and the scriptures.
Plain Speech—Friends’ use of “thee,” “thou,” “thy,” and “thine,” and both names with no titles as an expression of equality. 17th century English distinguished between classes of people: one’s social superiors were addressed with the plural “you,” and equals and inferiors with the singular “thou” and “thee.” Friends testified to the equality of all before God by addressing all individuals in the singular, regardless of social status. Because the months and days were named for heathen gods, goddesses, and emperors, many Friends preferred to use “First Day,” “Second Day,” and “First Month,” “Second Month,” etc.
Preparative meeting—In Intermountain Yearly Meeting, the term refers to an organized group of Friends that is under the care and guidance of an established monthly meeting and is preparing to become a monthly meeting.
Proceed as way opens—To wait for future circumstances to help solve a problem; to wait for guidance from God.
Programmed meeting—A meeting for worship, usually conducted by a pastor, with a prearranged program, including a sermon, music, an offering, etc. In some programmed meetings, short periods of silence and meditation are provided, during which Friends feel free to speak from the body of the meeting.
Quaker—A member of the Religious Society of Friends. Originally a description of a person experiencing the trembling sometimes resulting from spiritual experience (as when one is moved to speak during a meeting for worship). The term was applied in derision by a justice before whom George Fox appeared and was later adopted by the movement.
Queries—Questions, in conjunction with “Advices,” intended to challenge and guide one’s faith and practice. These enable individuals and meetings to examine themselves in relation to the standard of conduct the Religious Society of Friends has established for itself.
Read Out of the Meeting—See “Disownment.”
Regional meeting—A group of monthly meetings within a geographic region. Regional Meetings meet together at various intervals as led. Names such as “quarterly meeting” or “half yearly meeting” refer to the established intervals for specific regional meetings.
Released Friend—A concerned and qualified Friend set free of meeting obligations and expectations for other Quaker service. The meeting sometimes provides financial assistance and other support.
Right Order—1) According to the established processes and procedures of Quakers, therefore “right”; 2) that order that comes from the harmony of the Spirit within meeting.
Rise of Meeting—The end of the Meeting for Worship or for Business.
Season—To consider a matter for a period of time in order to seek the Light rather than to move hastily.
Seasoned Friend—One who is consciously treading on a path of conviction and has made sufficient progress to be helpful to others along the way.
Sense of the meeting—A true unity of a meeting within the Spirit, a sense in the rightness of the point reached and a commitment of all to carry the decision forward. “Sense of the meeting” includes a spiritual recognition of Truth in the agreement of the meeting that a right course of action has been found. By contrast, “consensus” is a state of agreement that is the product of an intellectual process, often confused with “sense of the meeting.”
Sojourning member—A Friend who is temporarily residing in the area of another monthly meeting, accepted by that meeting as a participating member, but not included in their statistics for financial purposes.
Speak to one’s condition—A term referring to the fact that a statement, comment, or spiritual message is particularly apt or timely to an individual and helpful to her or him at that particular moment; from George Fox’s insight that “there is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.”
Stand aside—To decide not to declare unity with a decision but nevertheless not to block it from proceeding. A Friend who stands aside has a responsibility to support and carry forward the decision of the meeting, but he or she may ask to have the lack of agreement minuted.
Stand in the Way—The declaration of a member unable to unite with a proposed minute. This action causes the meeting to examine the issue more fully. If the meeting goes forward, the individual may not carry forward or support the decision of the meeting. This would be so minuted.
State of the Meeting (or State of the Society)—a) Annual report on the condition of a monthly meeting, written by the meeting and submitted to the regional and yearly meetings. b) Annual report on the condition of the yearly meeting based on reports from constituent monthly meetings.
Tender—Gentle, considerate, loving, sympathetic, caring. In Fox’s writing, the word “tender” was used with the connotation of softened and receptive to the Light and Power of God.
Testimonies—An outward expression or demonstration of our inner faith. They are not mere verbal statements. They are meant to be actions.
That of God in everyone—An expression derived from George Fox,
“answering to that of God in everyone.” (See Inner Light)
Third Way—An alternative way led by Spirit when conflicting positions are locked.
Threshing meeting—A meeting held to discuss an issue, at which all points of view are heard but no decision is made.
Traveling minute—The endorsement a meeting gives to one of its members who is traveling, usually among Friends, under the weight of a concern. This is distinct from a letter of introduction that a monthly meeting may prepare for a Friend who plans to visit Friends in the course of traveling.
Truth—Friends’ understanding of the will of God as made clear by direct revelation.
Unity—A common understanding of the will of the Spirit dependent on the willingness of all to seek the truth in each others’ utterances, to be open to persuasion, and to recognize and accept the sense of the meeting.
Unprogrammed (silent) meeting—A meeting for worship with no pastor or formal program, in which no individual is in charge. Gathered Friends sit in silence, waiting upon the Divine and “leadings of the Spirit,” which may give rise to vocal messages that are shared with the meeting. This is the form of worship practiced by early Friends.
Visitation—Visiting with intention among Friends for various purposes.
Wait upon the Lord—Actively seek and attend to God’s will in expectant, quiet worship.
Watching Committee—While actively participating in the yearly meeting, the committee watches and listens for the growth of a message expressing the spirit and concerns of the gathering, prepares an epistle for consideration by the yearly meeting, assists the youth in preparing their own epistles, and helps the yearly meeting derive benefit from epistles received from other yearly meetings.
Weighty Friend—A member informally recognized by Friends as having special experience and wisdom.
Worship group—A group convened to worship together regularly after the manner of Friends. A worship group is generally under the care of a monthly meeting.
Worship sharing—A group worship experience during which
Friends share their experiences on a particular topic, hearing from all who wish to speak and focusing on listening deeply to one another without discussion.
Yearly meeting—An association of monthly meetings, often encompassing several regional meetings, that convenes annually for worship, business, and fellowship.
Young Friend/Junior Young Friend/Senior Young Friend/Young Adult Friend—Designations by age applied to various groups of young Friends.
