Quaker Vocabulary

Advices—Statements of faith and practice that arise from the collective wisdom of Friends and are meant for guidance, but not dutiful conformance, of those in the Society.
Affirmation—A legal declaration made by Friends or others who conscientiously decline to take an oath.
Annual Gathering—A term used by Intermountain Yearly Meeting, some regional meetings, and Friends General Conference for a large assembly of Friends which meets once a year.
Attender—One who attends and participates in meeting activities fairly regularly but has not become a member.
Birthright member—A Friend born of or adopted by Quaker parents. Individuals born or adopted into the Society of Friends are sometimes entered into the monthly meeting membership rolls automatically. Intermountain Yearly Meeting does not recognize a formal membership status based on an accident of birth.
Calling—A powerful sense of being destined and required to act on a specific concern.
Center down—A process by which we direct or still our conscious thought and open ourselves that we may hear God speak directly to us.
Child member, junior member, associate member—Terms used in some meetings with reference to the children in the meeting community who have not yet formally requested membership and been admitted.
Clearness (clarity)—A spiritually affirmed perception. A condition in which there are no perceived obstacles to a proposed course of action by an individual Friend or a meeting.
Clearness committee—A group of Friends appointed to assist a person or the meeting to clarify a decision or concern.
Clerk—An individual who prepares the agenda and presides at meetings of Friends, including business meetings and committee meetings.
Concern—An interest deeply rooted in the Holy Spirit; one that can move both an individual and a meeting to action; it may be used in the context of something one ‘thinks ought to be done’ in the human sense of social duty.
Convener—A member of a committee who calls together the first meeting of that committee.
Convinced Friend—One who becomes a Quaker as a result of being led to this decision by the Inner Light after seeking, thought, and study.
Corporate—Refers to the body of a Friends’ meeting.
Covered meeting—A meeting for worship which becomes “covered” by the presence of God; a meeting in which the participants, waiting faithfully upon the Spirit, feel the power and inspiration of God so strongly that they are united. Similar to a “gathered meeting.”
Discernment—The spiritual process of determining whether a given leading is divinely inspired and represents knowledge of the Truth. It is a gradually acquired skill that does not spring fully fledged.
Discipline—A book of faith and practice of the Religious Society of Friends, so called to reflect the spirit of discipleship felt by Friends.
Elder (verb)—Gently admonish in love the ways, habits, or thoughts of a Friend or attender after prayerful consideration and often after consultation with respected members of the meeting. Encourage timid Friends to share their gifts with the meeting, or discourage and/or question an individual’s inappropriate behavior or speaking.
Epistle—A letter of serious import sent either by an individual or a group. An epistle is sent annually from each yearly meeting to “Friends everywhere” and states the condition and experience of the yearly meeting.
Gathered meeting—A meeting that attains more than the usual sense of Divine Presence, uniting the worshipers in a common experience of holy fellowship. Similar to a “covered meeting.”
Hold in the Light—To ask or pray, either in concern or thanksgiving, that a person, situation, or problem be illuminated by divine grace.
Inner Light—The immediate, personal presence of God in our hearts that inspires and guides us, helps us discern Truth, and gives us strength to act on that guidance. The “Inner Light” is also called the “Inward Light,” the “Light Within,” the “Christ Within,” the “Light of Christ,” the “Holy Spirit,” and the “Seed.”
Lay down—To discontinue an activity, a committee, or a meeting when its work is completed or no longer felt necessary. A monthly meeting or worship group may be laid down when it no longer functions as such.
Leading—An inner conviction that impels one to follow a certain course under a sense of divine guidance. The soundness of a leading must be tested (the process of discernment) in order to reach clearness before putting it into action.
Member—An individual who has been formally admitted into a monthly meeting after undergoing a process to determine clearness in his or her own mind and within the meeting community. Membership in a monthly meeting confers membership in the Religious Society of Friends.
Ministry—A gift of the Spirit, referring both to vocal ministry in the sense of speaking in meeting for worship and to pastoral care and service.
Minute—A statement of a decision or a testimony, adopted by a meeting for business or a committee, expressing the unity of the meeting or committee for the action taken or the testimony given.
Minute (verb)—To record, with approval, the sense of a meeting with regard to a particular question or issue.
Monthly meeting—A group of Friends that meets regularly (usually weekly or more often) for worship and generally meets once each month to consider business. The monthly meeting is the basic local unit of the Religious Society of Friends.
Notion—A derisive term for the empty knowledge of religion that is of human origin, that is, lacking in spiritual depth. The term is more generally applied to any approach to religious matters that is not primarily based on first-hand spiritual experience.
Opening—A spiritually affirmed recognition of an opportunity to move forward toward a goal or out of a difficulty. As used by George Fox, revelation into the meaning of life and the scriptures.
Preparative meeting—In Intermountain Yearly Meeting, the term refers to an organized group of Friends that is under the care and guidance of an established monthly meeting and is preparing to become a monthly meeting.
Proceed as way opens—To wait for future circumstances to help solve a problem; to wait for guidance from God.
Programmed meeting—A meeting for worship, usually conducted by a pastor, with a prearranged program, including a sermon, music, an offering, etc. In some programmed meetings, short periods of silence and meditation are provided, during which Friends feel free to speak from the body of the meeting.
Quaker—A member of the Religious Society of Friends. Originally a description of a person experiencing the trembling sometimes resulting from spiritual experience (as when one is moved to speak during a meeting for worship). The term was applied in derision by a justice before whom George Fox appeared and was later adopted by the movement.
Queries—Questions, in conjunction with “Advices,” intended to challenge and guide one’s faith and practice. These enable individuals and meetings to examine themselves in relation to the standard of conduct the Religious Society of Friends has established for itself.
Regional meeting—A group of monthly meetings within a geographic region. Regional Meetings meet together at various intervals as led. Names such as “quarterly meeting” or “half yearly meeting” refer to the established intervals for specific regional meetings.
Released Friend—A concerned and qualified Friend set free of meeting obligations and expectations for other Quaker service. The meeting sometimes provides financial assistance and other support.
Right Order—1) According to the established processes and procedures of Quakers, therefore “right”; 2) that order that comes from the harmony of the Spirit within meeting.
Rise of Meeting—The end of the Meeting for Worship or for Business.
Season—To consider a matter for a period of time in order to seek the Light rather than to move hastily.
Sense of the meeting—A true unity of a meeting within the Spirit, a sense in the rightness of the point reached and a commitment of all to carry the decision forward. “Sense of the meeting” includes a spiritual recognition of Truth in the agreement of the meeting that a right course of action has been found. By contrast, “consensus” is a state of agreement that is the product of an intellectual process, often confused with “sense of the meeting.”
Sojourning member—A Friend who is temporarily residing in the area of another monthly meeting, accepted by that meeting as a participating member, but not included in their statistics for financial purposes.
Speak to one’s condition—A term referring to the fact that a statement, comment, or spiritual message is particularly apt or timely to an individual and helpful to her or him at that particular moment; from George Fox’s insight that “there is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.”
Stand aside—To decide not to declare unity with a decision but nevertheless not to block it from proceeding. A Friend who stands aside has a responsibility to support and carry forward the decision of the meeting, but he or she may ask to have the lack of agreement minuted.
Tender—Gentle, considerate, loving, sympathetic, caring. In Fox’s writing, the word “tender” was used with the connotation of softened and receptive to the Light and Power of God.
Testimonies—An outward expression or demonstration of our inner faith. They are not mere verbal statements. They are meant to be actions.
Threshing meeting—A meeting held to discuss an issue, at which all points of view are heard but no decision is made.
Traveling minute—The endorsement a meeting gives to one of its members who is traveling, usually among Friends, under the weight of a concern. This is distinct from a letter of introduction that a monthly meeting may prepare for a Friend who plans to visit Friends in the course of traveling.
Truth—Friends’ understanding of the will of God as made clear by direct revelation.
Unity—A common understanding of the will of the Spirit dependent on the willingness of all to seek the truth in each others’ utterances, to be open to persuasion, and to recognize and accept the sense of the meeting.
Unprogrammed (silent) meeting—A meeting for worship with no pastor or formal program, in which no individual is in charge. Gathered Friends sit in silence, waiting upon the Divine and “leadings of the Spirit,” which may give rise to vocal messages that are shared with the meeting. This is the form of worship practiced by early Friends.
Visitation—Visiting with intention among Friends for various purposes.
Wait upon the Lord—Actively seek and attend to God’s will in expectant, quiet worship.
Worship group—A group convened to worship together regularly after the manner of Friends. A worship group is generally under the care of a monthly meeting.
Worship sharing—A group worship experience during which Friends share their experiences on a particular topic, hearing from all who wish to speak and focusing on listening deeply to one another without discussion.
Yearly meeting—An association of monthly meetings, often encompassing several regional meetings, that convenes annually for worship, business, and fellowship.