Conversations About Clerking

Monday-Session One: Introductions: Why did you come? What do you hope to get out of this workshop? What has been your experience at clerking? Have you clerked a Meeting? Have you clerked a committee? Do you have any folks you admire as clerks? Pass out Queries for the weekend. Pass out readings. Stress the conversational nature of the weekend and each session. At each session Shan and I will begin each conversation around the topics and then invite others into the conversation, first through small groups and then in the larger group. We'll end each session with questions.

Tuesday-Session Two: The Foundations: Quaker business procedure. How is the process supposed to work? The theological foundations of clerking and our business procedure. Role of leadership and authority of the group. Unity vs consensus. Sense of the Meeting. Break into small groups to discuss sense of the Meeting. Folks will come back to share what came from their small groups.

Wednesday-Session Three: Break into small groups to describe an experience where Quaker process worked well. Describe an example where Quaker process went badly! What was missing? Return to large group to share. What are the alternatives if Friends dissent? Have a conversation about potential problems and how to deal with them.

Thursday-Session Four: Role of the clerk. How can the clerk help the Meeting reach unity? Sensing unity. Checking the sense of unity with the Meeting. Importance of clear, succinct and deliberate minutes. Does the clerk control? Should the clerk control? IS the process sometimes too rigid? What part does continuing revelation play in the process? How is the Spirit invited into the Meeting by the Clerk?

Friday-Session Five: What advice would you give to a new clerk? Final questions.