Membership is the outward sign of an inner experience of the Living God, the Inner Light, and of unity with the other members of a living body. Membership expresses that this Friend stands in solidarity with Friend’s historic testimonies and constitutes a commitment to enter wholeheartedly into the spiritual and corporate activities of the Meeting and to assume responsibility for both service and support, as way opens. Membership is a commitment on the part of the member to strive to follow God’s leadings as they are revealed through individual worship and corporate discernment and of the Meeting to support the member on his or her spiritual and personal journey. Membership does not imply the achievement of a certain standard of goodness. We are all learners and seekers.
Membership in the Society is both a privilege and a responsibility. Since early Friends rejected the distinction between clergy and laity, responsibility for the full range of Meeting activities rests with the membership. Members are expected to participate in communal worship, to share in the work and service of the Society, and to live in harmony with its basic beliefs and practices. Membership entails readiness to live as part of the Monthly, Half Yearly and Yearly Meeting. Specifically, this means participation in meeting for worship, meeting for business, committee work, and giving time, skills, and financial support to Meeting activities such as religious education, pastoral care, and witness to the broader community.
Members are those for whom the Religious Society of Friends is their primary spiritual home and who feel a deep commitment to the life of the Meeting and to the wider Society of Friends. People who have attended Meeting for Worship regularly for about a year, participated actively in the life of the Meeting, and have become familiar with Friends’ historic testimonies and Quaker process, may be ready for membership. These testimonies include: Peace, Equality, Simplicity, and Integrity.
Attenders are welcome at all Meeting functions, including for meetings for business. Attenders are encouraged to be part of the discernment process at Meeting for Business but may not block Meeting members reaching unity. Attenders are welcome to serve on the Religious Education, Peace and Social Concerns, Library, and House and Grounds Committees. The following committees are restricted to members: Oversight, Worship and Ministry, and Nominations.
These articles are from Resources
for Fostering Vital Friends Meetings
See also: the FGC Quaker Library
