New Role for Quarterly Meetings

Quakerism: a view from the back benches

Copyright 1966 The Back Benches

New Role for Quarterly Meetings

Under the circumstances of a renewed Society, with smaller community units, Quarterly Meeting may have a role. Many large Monthly Meetings, if distributed in new configurations, might become the new Quarterly Meetings. (Quarterly Meetings probably cannot be revived effectively under today’s configurations to serve a clear function.)

If there were no meeting house in the Quarter, perhaps renting facilities would do. Or a Friends Community Center or other institution could serve as the place for Quarterly Meeting. At any rate, Quarterly Meeting would act as a center to hold together the Monthly Meeting which had split into smaller “house” meetings. There is also the possibility that Quarterly Meetings, rather than Monthly Meetings, could be the holders of property, trust funds, etc.

(to be continued)