Quakerism grows from the grassroots. New worship groups often start on their own, and many become strong meetings over time. However, they grow even stronger when an established meeting takes them “under its care.” New worship groups bring energy and life to the wider Quaker community. Instead of weakening the parent meeting, they often help renew it. When a leading arises to begin a new worship group, meetings should welcome this opportunity with joy and support.
First Steps in Offering Care
When someone asks your meeting to help start a new worship group, the first step is to form a clearness committee. This committee meets with the Friend or Friends making the request to learn what they are proposing and why. If the group already exists, the committee explores what kind of help the group needs from the meeting.
Next, the clearness committee looks for two or three people willing to help establish or support the new group. These may be future attenders or members of your meeting who will offer guidance and care. Once these volunteers are identified, the clearness committee meets with them again to help clarify their goals. The committee should also review your yearly meeting’s Faith and Practice for guidance on supporting new groups.
When the committee feels clear, it recommends to the meeting for business that your meeting take the worship group under its care.
Ongoing Support and Responsibilities
After the meeting agrees to care for the worship group, it provides guidance and support as needed. The Friends nurturing the group should visit regularly and report on how the group is growing. Members of the worship group should also attend the parent meeting’s business sessions and share updates about their activities.
Usually, the parent meeting holds the memberships of worship group attenders and takes marriages under its care, since only established monthly meetings can do this.
When the worship group becomes strong enough to handle its own business, it may ask the parent meeting to recognize it as a monthly meeting. The steps for this process are usually explained in the yearly meeting’s Faith and Practice.
Last updated on December 19, 2025.