Business Meeting
Meeting For Business
Officially known as Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, this is a monthly meeting where Quakers gather to conduct business by seeking God’s will in the decisions that are to be made. Meeting for Business always starts and ends with a short period of silent worship, which connects individuals to Spirit and prompts them to be sensitive and grounded in the love that binds the Meeting. Quakers seek to find unity when making decisions, rather than taking votes carried by a majority. Because of that tradition, Meetings for Business take care to listen to all and try to find a solution all can support, even if it takes time or needs to be “seasoned” over a series of Meetings for Business. A clerk manages the Business Meeting discussion, sometimes even taking the group back into silence to allow ideas and thoughts to settle.
Minutes are recorded and reviewed, and later shared with all members and attenders. Meetings for Business are open to everyone and can be a powerful opportunity to learn about Quaker process, even if someone is only occasionally attending Silent Worship. Understanding how the Quakers reach their collective decisions is central to understanding Quakers and their testimonies.
Whenever we remember that we are in the presence of God, transformation is possible. Every task, no matter how mundane, becomes an act of worship, a word of praise offered to God. This is the basis for Quaker business practice. We call it ‘meeting for worship with attention to business’ because it is grounded in an awareness of God’s presence. “Don’t be lulled into thinking that you are there to get the job done and can dispense with the worship. Hold the work of the meeting in the Light. Listen deeply and speak tenderly. Begin with worship, end with worship; and call for worship whenever tempers fray or weariness sets in.”
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