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video: How to Have a Quaker Clearness Committee (10 minutes)

Early on in my time with Quakers I learned about this thing called a “clearness committee.” Basically the way it was described to me is that you’ve got something that you need to figure out, you have a problem you need to solve, or a question you need to answer. You don’t necessarily need advice. You probably know what you need to do, but you need to clear through all the things that are interrupting your ability to access what, in your heart of hearts, you know you need to do. So you can then have a clearness committee.

Original video from QuakerSpeak.com.  A project of Friends Journal.  Filmed and edited by Jon Watts.  Transcript here.

essay: Quaker Organizational Structure (PDF)

Because God is among us collectively as well as within us individually, our communities help us experience that of God more fully. As we each possess different perspectives, the insights of community members help illuminate additional new approaches to the Truth. This is why Friends have found that decisions made by a reflective group tend to be better than decisions made on one’s own. Friends, therefore, try to remain open to Truth as it is expressed through others and often bring their personal leadings to their spiritual communities for aid in coming to “clearness.”  Clearness is a process that helps Friends discern the Truth. 

Pages 40-42 of Exploring Quakerism: A Study Guide, Participant’s Edition by Marsha D. Holliday, copyright 2006. Used by permission of Quaker Press of FGC

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