Religious Society of Friends

The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. Quakers are counted among the historic peace churches, and have congregations scattered across the world. Since its origin in England, Quakerism has spread to other countries, chiefly the United States, Kenya and Bolivia. The number of Quakers in the world is relatively small (approximately 600,000), although there are places, such as Philadelphia, PA US, in which Quaker influence is concentrated.

Basic divisions and organization

Like many movements, the Religious Society of Friends has evolved, changed, and split into various smaller subgroups. It is difficult to describe the Religious Society of Friends without making numerous qualifications and listing exceptions. In order to understand other aspects of the Religious Society of Friends, it is helpful to understand the basic divisions and organization.

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In Britain there has been a high level of organizational unity throughout the history of the Society. The local Friends meetings there are called preparative meetings. Several local meetings are part of a Monthly meeting. Several monthly meetings are organized into a general meeting. Formerly, general meetings were called quarterly meetings, and, while they continue to meet up to three times per year, they usually play no direct role in Quaker structures. Monthly meetings are represented directly in Meeting for Sufferings, which meets in between yearly meetings. (For further information, see Quaker Faith and Practice, published by Britain Yearly Meeting.)

Related Topics:
Monthly meeting - Yearly meeting

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Friends in the United States are more divided, although they are still united by many common bonds. Two main types of worship have emerged in the US, generally described as programmed and unprogrammed. With this division of worship style come several differences of theology and vocabulary.

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A local congregation in the unprogrammed tradition is called a meeting, or a monthly meeting (e.g., Smalltown Meeting or Smalltown Monthly Meeting). These meetings are called unprogrammed because there is no fixed plan for worship. Unprogrammed meetings follow the custom of waiting in silence until somebody is moved to speak. There is no paid pastor, although various committees and individuals may be appointed to fulfill important duties typically handled by pastors in other settings. These people are often called "ministry and oversight committee", "ministry and counsel committee", "elders", or "overseers." Usually a "clerk" is appointed, who is responsible for many of the administrative and coordination duties. Several local monthly meetings are part of a regional group called a quarterly meeting, which is usually part of an even larger group called a yearly meeting.

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In programmed traditions, the local congregations are often referred to as "Friends Churches". They usually have a paid pastor. Their services are planned ahead of time and include hymns, prayers, and sermons by the pastor. They resemble Protestant churches, but many retain aspects of unprogrammed worship, including periods of silence. The programmed tradition also has attracted a form of Evangelical Christianity within it.

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Although "programmed Quakerism" has become more akin to Protestantism, many Quakers consider their faith neither Protestant nor Catholic, but rather an expression of a third way to experience Christianity. There is a wide range of beliefs among Quakers and discovering what it truly means to be Quaker means struggling with these different viewpoints in the Meeting and the viewpoints held by the larger Quaker community.

Related Topics:
Protestant - Catholic - Christianity

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There are also semi-programmed Friends Meetings, in which there is some planning of the service and some silent waiting on the Spirit.

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