Consultations

All Quaker meetings–in fact, all faith communities–eventually reach the end of their life cycle. It does not happen all at once, and there are many different types of faithful responses to waning energy.

The following consultations occurred in April 2023, supported by the Louisville Institute pastoral study grant. Below, you can access the slides and video recordings of the consultations. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find a list of additional resources. There is also a video introduction to this work. The video introduction was initiated and supported by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.

The Life Cycle of Meetings

We’ll do an overview of what’s meant by the life cycle of meetings, and you’ll hear a bit about what the various stages of the life cycle might be like. Then, you’ll have a chance to consider where your own meeting might be in the life cycle. We’ll finish with a conversation about how you might talk about this in the context of your own faith community.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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Simplifying Committee Structures

We’ll talk about how we can simplify our meetings by deconstructing traditional roles and starting, instead, with Friends’ gifts and leadings and a list of necessary responsibilities. We’ll also look at the differences between committees, working groups, task groups, and short-term-volunteer roles and how each can be used to simplify meetings and reenergize Friends. This conversation will also touch on how and why meetings might transition from being pastored to being un-pastored.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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The Role of Regions

Many, though not all, Faith and Practice books give the responsibility for the health of local meetings to the regional meeting, and this includes walking alongside meetings that are nearing the end of the life cycle. In the conversation, we’ll talk about how regions might approach this, especially if the region itself is struggling. This will include talking about “ghost meetings,” which still exist legally but no longer function at all, as well as meetings that are small and struggling–or large and struggling. We’ll touch on some of the signs of healthy meetings, because size often isn’t a reliable indicator.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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Combining/Merging Meetings

Why might meetings consider merging or combining? What are some different models for this–for example, what if two local meetings became preparative meetings or worship groups but shared a monthly meeting for business, or what if one meeting came under the care of another? What does research tell us about the opportunities and the pitfalls that often arise? This conversation will be mostly about combining local meetings, but many of the principles will be just as relevant for Friends who are thinking about combining larger groups.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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The Role of Record Keepers

In this conversation, we’ll look at the extraordinary importance that record keepers play in meetings’ life cycles, both in terms of understanding the health and vitality of a meeting and in terms of preserving a meeting’s stories.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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Sharing, Repurposing, and Selling Buildings

When it comes to our buildings and property, what exactly does good stewardship mean, especially if the resources and/or energy of a meeting are waning? This gathering will focus on exploring the vast number of options available, including true-life stories of what other meetings have done. We’ll also spend some time identifying queries and processes that may help in a meeting’s discernment.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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The Role of Trustees

In this conversation, we’ll talk about what trusteeship means, from a spiritual perspective, when caring for the resources of meetings that are struggling to use their resources effectively or that are ready to lay themselves down. There will also be time for a more practical conversation about legal considerations and procedures, though we’ll note that exact regulations vary a great deal from state to state and country to country. Because trusteeship structures vary enormously among Quakers, we’ll expect that those attending will have a wide variety of direct and indirect relationships with local meetings. The emphasis of this conversation will be on broad principles, with opportunities to meet and network with other Quaker trustees who might be helpful future contacts.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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Restructuring Local Meetings

Some meetings are no longer able to function in their current form but also aren’t ready to be laid down. In this conversation, we’ll talk about how meetings might restructure themselves as house churches, worship groups, preparative meetings, or online meetings, with an emphasis on the benefits and drawbacks of each and time to talk through how meetings might approach the discernment process.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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The Role of Yearly Meetings

Together, we’ll touch on themes from each of the other consultations. We’ll take a brief look at some recent statistics and cultural shifts, and we’ll talk about the spiritual principle of resurrection–which is not the same thing as resuscitation. Then, I’ll offer some suggestions on what might be the role of yearly meetings in supporting transitions in local meetings.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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Laying Down a Meeting

How will we know when a meeting has truly come to the end of its life cycle? What is the best way forward then? How do we manage both pastoral care for the meeting’s community and practical concerns about property and finances? What is the role of considering a meeting’s legacy? In this conversation, we’ll identify a few general best practices, but mostly we’ll have a chance to talk to each other, ask questions, and consider possibilities.

You can view the slides in PDF form here.

You can watch a video of the presentation portion of the consultation here.

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Additional Resources

“The Life Cycle of Meetings” – a themed issue of New York Yearly Meeting’s Spark newsletter; stories of meetings in a variety of stages of their life cycles making various sorts of transitions

“Faithful Always: Transitions and Endings for Quaker Meetings and Churches Near the End of the Life Cycle” – a downloadable PDF

“Guidance for Meetings” – texts and queries specifically crafted for online and hybrid meetings, published by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

”Practicing Discernment Together: Finding God’s Way Forward in Decision Making” – an excellent book about discernment processes in general and how to move forward as a meeting through difficult decisions

Legacy Churches by Stephen Gray and Franklin Dumond – a book on congregational closure and the life cycle of local faith communities

“The Calcification of Committees” – a blog post about why it’s important to use multiple approaches to work, rather than always defaulting to committees

“Revamping the Job Descriptions” – a blog post giving an example of the tasks-not-roles approach

Essays on the Quaker Vision of Gospel Order – in particular, the chapter on community stewardship of our spiritual gifts provides an entirely different way of looking at service to the meeting

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes – a book about change in general and how we navigate it

The Good Friday Collaborative – an ecumenical organization that supports closing congregations

Toward the Better Country: Church Closure and Resurrection – not written for Quakers, but true stories and examples of congregational closing processes

Ending with Hope: Resource for Closing Congregations – includes various chapters that will be helpful for specific populations, like rural meetings or historical meetings

The Soul of the Congregation: An Invitation to Congregational Reflection – recommended for Friends looking for a less practical but deeply spiritual and reflective approach to working with congregations

Vital Merger by Dirk Elliott – a book written for pastored Christian communities that offers step-by-step advice for merging faith communities

The Swarthmore Friends Historical Library – the website has information about Swarthmore’s archival policies and links to archival policies of other Quaker groups

Unforeseen Joy: Serving a Friends Meeting as Recording Clerk – available online or for purchase, an excellent resource for Friends who write minutes

Britain Yearly Meeting’s resources on preserving records (multiple downloadable resources)

Transitioning Older and Historic Sacred Places: Community-Minded Approaches for Congregations and Judicatories – highly recommended resource with practical tips toward approaching a variety of property-related matters

Charleston Fund and other funds – grant support available for some meetinghouse-related purposes

“Being a Quaker Trustee” – an online course from Woodbrooke that repeats on occasion; designed for British Friends, but some concepts will translate