What Happens in Quaker Meeting for Worship?
We conduct ourselves in the unprogrammed tradition of Friends. This means we have no designated clergy, but settle into silent worship (not always easy, even for “experienced” Quakers!) in the presence of God, opening ourselves to whether God will speak through us. This common act unites us; Quaker worship, while private, is not isolated, like many forms of meditation. A spoken message may be “religious,” or it may be an anecdote about how to live a meaningful life, or how to help others. It may be a prayer for peace or for a troubled friend, or a request for help with a personal dilemma. Each message is framed in silence. We hope that shared messages are divinely inspired.
Sometimes Meeting for Worship proceeds in complete silence, and sometimes with shared ministry; there is no expectation either way. Sunday Meetings typically last an hour; Mid-Week Meeting for Worship typically lasts a half an hour. Meeting closes with the joining of hands and greetings. We remain after Meeting for a shared meal and conversation.
Some Key Principles of Quakerism
A Little Quaker History
The Religious Society of Friends began in England in the mid-1600s, during a time of social upheaval when many movements to simplify Christianity were afoot. The name “Quaker” was originally a term of derision, applied by those who claimed Friends “quaked” with emotion in their observances, in contrast to the more staid decorum of the established churches. Friends disarmed their critics by adopting the nickname. The formal name is taken from the Gospel of John 15:15, in which Jesus says to his disciples, “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father” (Bible, New Revised Standard Version).
Although Quakers suffered much persecution, their movement took root and Quakers were among the first to relocate to North America, where they were one of the most populous and influential denominations in Colonial times. As they moved west through the 19th century, several Meetings adopted more traditional Protestant customs, such as clergy-led services, hymns, etc. Today these are known as “programmed” Meetings.
Regardless of their worship form, Quakers have traditionally been concerned to stop the causes of war, to see that all people (including, at various times in history, women, slaves, prisoners, and the mentally ill) are treated with dignity and fairness; and to see that all have equal access to education, decent housing, food, etc. Quakerism is one of the traditional “Peace Churches.” This does not mean, however, that all Quakers in all periods of history have been uncompromisingly opposed to war; some fought in the Civil War, for example, believing that the ownership of human beings by other human beings was a greater affront to the notion of the Inner Light than was fighting.
Today, Quakers number about 400,000 worldwide, with the greatest concentrations in the U.S., Great Britain, and Kenya.