SEEKER SESSION ON MEMBERSHIP, 10/25.15
Please join us on October 25, 2015 for this seeker session. We expect that a range of viewpoints will be presented. There will be those present who find membership meaningful, and among the most important commitments they have made. There will be at least one person present who holds the view that membership should be abolished. You may wish to consider the queries and the quotes below. There is a Pendle Hill Pamphlet available in our Library that can also be ordered from Pendle Hill.
Ministry and Counsel and Nominating Committees are co-sponsoring a Seekers Session on Membership in the Religious Society of Friends. Queries to be considered:
Why do we have Membership?
How is it different from other types of membership in religious communities?
What are the barriers to membership?
How do you know if it is time to consider membership?
How does one join the meeting and what does a Clearness Committee do?
What Is Membership in the Meeting?
". . . membership is a way of saying to the meeting that you feel at home, and in the right place. Membership is also a way of saying to the meeting, and to the world, that you accept at least the fundamental elements of being a Quaker: the understanding of divine guidance, the manner of corporate worship and the ordering of the meeting’s business, the practical expression of inward convictions and the equality of all before God. In asking to be admitted to the community of the meeting you are affirming what the meeting stands for and declaring your willingness to contribute to its life."
—From Britain Yearly Meeting, 1999, quoted in Baltimore Yearly Meeting's Faith and Practice, 2012
Becoming Convinced
Friends may also enjoy the brief Quaker Speak video on “Becoming Convinced.” Quaker Speak is a project of the Friends Journal. (To display the transcript, click on the “Show Transcript” button below the video window.)
--- By Walter Hjelt Sullivan
"What does it mean to be a member?"
What unites Quakers is our belief that there is a sacred aspect, or "that of God," in all people. We believe that all of us can be ministers, without formal ordination. We believe that each of us can hold a measure of the Light or the Truth; that together we discern a fuller understanding of Truth. Our belief in continuing revelation means that Truth is continuing to emerge in this day and time, rather than having been completely revealed at some past time in history.
Several commonly held "testimonies," beliefs based in our experience about how we are called to put our faith into practice in our daily lives, are the result of our belief in that of God in everyone. The Peace Testimony holds that violence is not acceptable. We believe that no one is our enemy or beyond redemption. We do not elevate one gender above the other, or one race above another, but accord equal respect, privilege and responsibility to all. We strive to live simply, so that we may not be distracted from the Spirit, so we may be good stewards of the Earth's resources, and so these resources may be sustained and equitably shared.
We value and provide opportunities for learning, as a means of nurturing spiritual potential, and to ensure that no one is held back for lack of access to education. We strive to maintain integrity in our inner and outer lives -- in our spiritual journeys, work, and family responsibilities. We see membership in our meeting as a covenant with God and a covenant among ourselves. In this covenant, each member shares the responsibility of helping to build and maintain a meeting community.
We hold no expectations of a shared definition of the Mystery that is God, and we rejoice in the wide variety of ways in which we come to understand that Spirit.
We consider four components integral to our commitment as members:
- Worship
- Business of the Meeting
- Committee work
- Financial responsibilities
We see the participation of our adult members on an active, day-to-day basis as vital to the health of our community and our witness to the life of the Spirit.
A person considering membership can become acquainted with the Meeting by attending Meeting for Worship over a period of months and getting to know members of the Meeting. You might also become involved by attending coffee hour following Meeting for Worship, getting on the Meeting mailing list, joining in Meeting projects and responsibilities such as helping with coffee hour, joining the Attenders Committee, and meeting with other open committees. We consider it vital to read Faith and Practice and other Quaker literature.
--From Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting
From Wading Deeper Into the Ocean of Light
This is what our Meeting handbook says about membership
Membership in New Haven Friends Meeting and the Religious Society of Friends
You are considered an integral part of New Haven Friends Meeting simply by virtue of attending meetings regularly and being involved in some of the work of the Meeting. Membership in New Haven Friends Meeting and the Religious Society of Friends is a more formal commitment, which is approved by the Business Meeting. Being accepted into the Religious Society of Friends means that you are also a member of our Quarterly Meeting and New England Yearly Meeting. Though some people may attend Meeting for years without requesting formal membership, others request it after a year or two. The Meeting encourages attenders to consider membership when they feel ready. While we encourage all who are active participants in the Meeting to be members of the Religious Society of Friends, in the life of the Meeting we do not generally distinguish between those who are formal members and those who are not. The Clerk of the Meeting, and members of Ministry and Counsel Committee must be members of the Meeting.
Anyone interested in membership in the Religious Society of Friends will no doubt want to explore every facet of Quakerism, by attending Meeting for Worship, Meeting for Business, and other Meeting functions; by reading Faith and Practice of New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, materials from our library and other sources; and by interacting with Friends here in New Haven and in the wider Quaker community. When you feel sufficiently familiar with Quaker faith and practice and feel that membership would enhance your spiritual growth, you may request membership. Please see information about membership in Faith and Practice of New England Yearly Meeting: To request membership in the Religious Society of Friends write a letter to the Meeting, which should be given to the clerk. The clerk will share it with the Ministry and Counsel Committee.
The review process is very deliberate, and can take several months. In response to a written request for membership, Ministry and Counsel will appoint a clearness committee for membership. In an informal and relaxed setting, this committee will explore with the individual his/her reasons for wishing to join as well as their understanding of Quaker faith and practice, willingness to take on responsibility in the Meeting, and prospects for gaining spiritually from their association with the Religious Society of Friends. After meeting for clearness with the candidate, Ministry and Counsel may decide upon recommending membership at that time, or they may suggest that the individual take more time to familiarize themselves with the various facets of Quakerism or our Meeting in particular.
When the clearness committee recommends acceptance of membership the next scheduled Business Meeting will consider the recommendation. After approval by Business Meeting, the new member is recorded in the Business minutes and with the Meeting’s Recorder.
Children may be accepted into junior membership in the Religious Society of Friends by request of their parent(s). The request is submitted in the form of a letter to Ministry and Counsel. As spiritual maturity develops in parallel with an understanding of Quaker principles, junior members are expected when the time seems right, to express in writing to Ministry and Counsel their wish to affirm and continue their membership. At this time, a clearness committee will meet with the junior member, and report to Business Meeting. Junior membership ends at age 25 if no decision to become a member of meeting has been made by the junior member.
Friends who have been members of the Religious Society of Friends through other monthly meetings in the United States or abroad may request transfer of their membership to New Haven Friends Meeting. Once you are sufficiently familiar with New Haven Friends Meeting to feel interested and committed to it, you can initiate the transfer by writing to the clerk of your previous monthly meeting.
NEYM Faith and Practice 1985
Here is a link to the section of NEYM Faith and Practice on Membership. It mayor may not speak to you. It is under review by the Faith and Practice Revision Committee of NEYM.
Pendle Hill Pamphlet 371 by Tom Gates on Membership
You may want to read Pendle Hill Pamphlet 371 by Tom Gates on Membership. There should be a copy in the Meeting Library. It can be ordered for $7 plus shipping.