Signals and Actions:
A sequence of signals and actions to consider
to restore order in the meeting.
by the Gospel Order Sub-committee,
Ministry and Counsel of New York Yearly Meeting

Introduction to the Sequence of Signals and Actions

This "Sequence of Signals and Actions" has two purposes: to help meetings identify problems and conflicts with some clarity and in a timely fashion, and to provide some options for action. Experience with conflicts in the Yearly Meeting and the testimony of state of the meeting reports to queries on conflict indicate that many meetings regret having waited until too late to address their problems and that meetings sometimes are not clear about an order of response to problems. We seek on the one hand to protect other Friends and the worship and fellowship of the meeting from disturbance and conflict; on the other hand, we want to express compassion for all parties involved. We offer this sequence as a place to start.

It is only a place to start. We recognize that this is a very sensitive issue for Friends and we offer it as a set of suggestions only. We encourage and expect meetings to make their own connections and to revise them as their experience indicates. We do, however, strongly recommend that you decide ahead of time on some guidelines for when you will begin to act in response to a perceived problem; experience has made the value of such preparation very clear.

We use the phrase "bringing gospel order" several times. It may feel archaic or technical to some Friends; it may be uncomfortable to Friends for whom the "gospel" has no relevance or even has negative associations. We use it out of an interest in recovering our tradition, because it may contribute to deeper understanding of the term, but mostly because we believe it is rich in meaning; it would be difficult to say as much as this phrase does with so few words. For the purpose of this resource, we would clarify our meaning of gospel order with this concise description:

Gospel order is used here to denote a process in which a person or persons bring their concerns directly to the person with whom they have a difficulty, in a spirit of love, with the intention of:

a. listening to the other person's needs, feelings and concerns in the situation

b. sharing their own needs, feelings and concerns, and

c. seeking some agreement as to how the conflict might be resolved. In some cases, those bringing gospel order may be authorized to speak for M & C or for the meeting.

A note about Ministry and Counsel's log. Friends may feel uncomfortable with the prospect of someone keeping a record of who said what in the meeting. We recommend such a practice because we have seen repeatedly in actual conflict situations that Friends contradict each other in their claims and great confusion arises because no one knows what has really happened. Eventually, meetings often seek to recover and even to document for themselves some agreed-upon description of what has happened so that the meeting can make decisions in clarity and understanding. It is also useful to see how long a problem is lasting, how big it is getting over time, and what measures have and have not worked. To this end we recommend that the clerk of Ministry and Counsel keep a strictly confidential, dated record of complaints brought specifically to M & C and a record of whatever actions the body has taken and other informal notes which might be useful should such confusion arise, and that this log be deleted of material which is no longer current.

We realize that some Friends will consider such a practice to be very unFriendly, even if it remains in the hands of the most trustworthy clerk and is kept in the strictest confidence. We hope that you can find some alternative method of retaining perspective and corporate memory in the midst of long-standing, complex difficulties.

A SEQUENCE OF SIGNALS AND ACTIONS

Signals		Actions
When someone on M & C hears of trouble		Confer informally with other members of M & C
When the first person brings a concern to M & C		Make a note in M & C's Log (see note above) Ask if s/he has brought gospel order, if appropriate (that is, have they themselves spoken directly to the person concerned?). Consider bringing the matter to M & C.
When the 2nd or 3rd person brings the concern to M & C		Bring the matter to M & C. Ask if they have brought gospel order, if appropriate. Consider conferring with the meeting's clerk
When all the members of M & C agree there is a problem.		Confer with the meeting's clerk. Prayerfully determine what is to be done and then appoint someone to bring gospel order to the situation.
If this initial attempt at restoring gospel order fails		Try again, appointing 2 or 3 to bring gospel order to the situation. Consider holding a meeting for reconciliation.
Second gospel order fails; or Meeting for Reconciliation fails or is rejected.		Consider some stronger intermediate action. Consider bringing the matter before the meeting.
When the first person leaves meeting.		Minister to the person who has left. Consider seeking outside help. Take some strong intermediate action. Consider bringing the matter before the meeting.
Intermediate action fails.		Consider asking the person to leave the meeting.
When the 2nd or 3rd person leaves meeting. When the problem has persisted 1 year. When the problem has persisted for a time equal to 1 term of service on M & C		Consider terminating membership.

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