Quaker Faith and Practice
Encyclopedia
A Book of Discipline may refer to one of the various books issued by a Yearly Meeting
of the Religious Society of Friends
, setting out what it means to be a Quaker in that Yearly Meeting
. The common name for this book varies between Yearly Meeting
and includes Book of Discipline, Faith and Practice, Christian Faith and Practice, Quaker Faith and Practice, Church Government and Handbook of Practice and Procedure. Each Book of Discipline is updated periodically by each Yearly Meeting
according to the usual practice of decision making within the Religious Society of Friends
.
' rather than fixed creeds. The writings are not intended to represent strict rules which followers must agree with or adhere to, but may be used as a source of guidance or discipline. Since the majority of the Society remains within a Christian theistic tradition, this is typically reflected in the publication.
Extracts from the book are sometimes read aloud in Quaker meetings for worship, or may be reflected upon individually.
George Fox
, a shoemaker and leather worker in England, was one of these early Seekers. He struggled to find answers and truth until one day he had a revelation. He wrote in his journal that a voice came to him and told him “There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to your condition.” George Fox became involved in the meetings of other early Seekers, and together with others, attracted more followers. Another early Quaker, Margaret Fell
(later married to George Fox
), tried to organise these meetings into sections, knowing that without some type of organization Quakerism would fall apart. The local meeting called is a Local meeting or Preparative Meeting, in which the members would discuss business matters. Next is a Monthly meeting, an accumulation of many local meetings. Representatives from the monthly meeting would appear at a Quarterly meeting, and lastly a Yearly meeting is held with a collection of many representatives from Quarterly meetings. These meetings not only kept organization and foundation for the Quaker faith but it kept them socially connected.
from the meeting of Elders at Balby, in 1656. This was a list of twenty advices as to how Friends should conduct themselves, formed following a meeting of prominent Seekers at Balby in Yorkshire, and is seen by many as the defining document founding Quakerism.
The Canons and institutions drawn up and agreed upon by the General Assembly or Meeting of the heads of the Quakers from all parts of the kingdom was produced following a meeting of leading Quakers in London in 1669. This had been drafted by George Fox
, the name Canons and Institutions had been given to the publication by his opponents. It contained general advices and regulations, and was the basis of future books of discipline, although the name was formally disclaimed by Friends in 1675..
The origins of the current book of discipline can be traced back to a manuscript in 1738 entitled Christian and brotherly advices given forth from time to time by the Yearly Meetings in London, alphabetically digested under proper heads. The first printed collection appeared in 1783 as Extracts from the minutes and advices of the Yearly Meeting of Friends held in London from its first institution (popularly known as the Book of Extracts). This was revised in 1801 and 1822 and 1833 (the last revision resulting in another change in title to Rules of Discipline). Up until this time, the publication was an alphabetical list of the main beliefs and practices of Quakers at the time.
From 1861 the Rules of Discipline was divided into separate chapters on
instead of the alphabetical arrangement of topics. This was revised in 1883, where it took the name Book of Christian discipline. Subsequently, the three chapters became three separate books, revised at various points over the next 50 years.
In 1921, a new publication Christian Life, Faith and Thought replaced the previous Christian Doctrine. This publication adopted a new approach of attempting 'to state truth, not by formulating it, but by expressing it through the vital personal and corporate experience of Friends'. Although much of this publication is in the form of prose drafted by a Revision Committee, this publication began the use of extracts which has subsequently been developed as an acceptable method of expressing the breadth of Quaker theology. In 1967 Church Government was revised, followed by a revision in 1959 of Christian Life, Faith and Thought and Christian Practice, which were merged into one new volume entitled Christian faith and practice in the experience of the Society of Friends. Interestingly, the 1959 edition of Christian Faith and Practice, whilst no longer used in Britain Yearly Meeting, is still a current book of discipline of Canadian Yearly Meeting. Church Government and Christian faith and practice together made up the Book of Discipline.
A new British revision was worked on from 1985, due to requests "not from the centre but from local meetings and individual Friends, as well as committees". to reflect developments in society, language and belief. The new version was accepted by Britain Yearly Meeting in 1994, and appeared in print in 1995, in one volume. This volume is almost entirely made up of an anthology of extracts from other sources, unlike earlier editions. This edition saw the name change to its current form - Quaker Faith and Practice: The book of Christian discipline of the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain. The chapters on the structure and organisation of Britain Yearly Meeting have been revised several times since then to reflect organisational changes in Britain Yearly Meeting, however the rest of the book has not been redrafted since 1994.
Some Quakers in Britain have suggested that future editions revert to having two volumes to the Book of Discipline: Church Government dealing with organisation, structure and government of the Yearly Meeting; and Faith and Practice dealing with the beliefs, testimonies and practices of Quakers in Britain.
from the early days of Quakerism. Each of these produced their own book of discipline, although each was based on the earlier disciplines of London Yearly Meeting. These were revised at various points according to changes in beliefs and practices of Friends over time.
Conferences of Yearly Meetings in the later part of the nineteenth century, between the Guerneyite
Yearly Meetings, who had accepted the Richmond Declaration of Faith
, proposed formulating a Uniform Discipline for all the Guerneyite Yearly Meetings in the United States. In 1897, New England Yearly Meeting
, Wilmington Yearly Meeting, Indiana Yearly Meeting
, and Kansas Yearly Meeting jointly accepted The Constitution and Discipline for the American Yearly Meetings of Friends as their book of discipline, and this book was subsequently accepted as the book of discipline of California Yearly Meeting, New York Yearly Meeting
, Western Yearly Meeting, and Baltimore Yearly Meeting
in 1901; and of Oregon Yearly Meeting, North Carolina Yearly Meeting, and Iowa Yearly Meeting in 1902. When Nebraska Yearly Meeting was founded in 1908, they too accepted The Constitution and Discipline for the American Yearly Meetings of Friends as their book of discipline.
In 1940, Five Years Meeting proposed that the 1897 Uniform Discipline be updated and revised. The ensuing publication Faith and Practice, was published in three volumes: (I) Faith and Life; (II) Organisation and Business Procedure; (III) Authorised Declaration of Faith. However, controversies and disagreements between Yearly Meetings meant that not all Yearly Meetings accepted this book of discipline - some accepted only one or two volumes, and others made revisions or alterations to the text. The publication was never formally accepted by Five Years Meeting, although some Yearly Meetings did formally accept a revised version as their own book of discipline. Since then, each Yearly Meeting has revised their own books of discipline, and no longer use a Uniform Discipline.
publishes two separate books in the tradition of Quaker books of discipline. The Handbook of Practice and Procedure gives a brief history of the Society and detailed instructions on how the Society in Australia is run.. This We Can Say: Quaker life, faith and thought, first published in 2003, was written over a period of ten years from 1993, to express personally the living faith of contemporary Australian Quakers. It also includes the Britain Yearly Meeting Advices and Queries.
's current book of discipline is called Quaker Faith and Practice: The book of Christian discipline of the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain. The text of this edition was originally approved by the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain in 1994, and has had three small revisions since then mainly because of changes in the structure of the Yearly Meeting. It is often known simply as Quaker Faith and Practice, or sometimes the (Christian) 'Book of Discipline' but this has become less common. The current fourth edition is sold in print. It is available in paperback, hardback and large print, and is also free to view online. The book is only available from the Quaker Bookshop in Friends House, Euston or from the online bookstore.
The first chapter, Advices and Queries, originated from queries asked by London Yearly Meeting (the predecessor to Britain Yearly Meeting) to the quarterly meetings about the state of their meetings, and advices originated from the original Christian and brotherly advices given forth from time to time by the Yearly Meetings in London, alphabetically digested under proper heads. Until 1994, there were separate General Advices and Queries, which tended to be related to each other - the advices giving advice on Christian living, and the queries being questions which asked Friends how they were living their lives, and could be used for personal reflection or discussion in groups. There was a requirement that all the advices and queries were read in each meeting over the course of a year. Since 1994, the advices and queries have been mixed together, so that each paragraph has both advices and queries within it. There is also no longer a requirement that they are read in each meeting, although some meetings do continue this practice. This chapter is published as a separate free booklet and is published in both English
and Welsh
.
In 2000, Canadian Yearly Meeting appointed a Faith and Practice Development Committee to co-ordinate development of its own Faith and Practice, published in 2011.
in the United States have their own books of discipline, most of which are titled Faith and Practice. Many of these are made available both in print and on-line.
Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of a collection of smaller, more frequent constituent meetings within a geographical area. These constituent meetings go by various names such as Quarterly Meetings, which...
of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, setting out what it means to be a Quaker in that Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of a collection of smaller, more frequent constituent meetings within a geographical area. These constituent meetings go by various names such as Quarterly Meetings, which...
. The common name for this book varies between Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of a collection of smaller, more frequent constituent meetings within a geographical area. These constituent meetings go by various names such as Quarterly Meetings, which...
and includes Book of Discipline, Faith and Practice, Christian Faith and Practice, Quaker Faith and Practice, Church Government and Handbook of Practice and Procedure. Each Book of Discipline is updated periodically by each Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of a collection of smaller, more frequent constituent meetings within a geographical area. These constituent meetings go by various names such as Quarterly Meetings, which...
according to the usual practice of decision making within the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
.
Text and usage
The contents of each book of discipline is agreed on by seeking unity among members of the authoring yearly meeting. Instead of voting or seeking an earthly consensus, the Meeting attempts to gain a sense of God's will for the community. Each member of the meeting is expected to listen to that of God within themselves and, if led, to contribute it to the group for reflection and consideration. Each member listens to others' contributions carefully, in an attitude of seeking Truth rather than of attempting to prevail or to debate. This process can be tedious and lengthy. Nevertheless, this is thought to be the best way of reflecting the breadth of Quaker theology and practice, and is consistent with an intention that they be based in evolving personal experience and 'inner lightInner light
Inner Light is a concept which many Quakers, members of the Religious Society of Friends, use to express their conscience, faith and beliefs. Each Quaker has a different idea of what they mean by "inner light", and this also varies internationally between Yearly Meetings, but the idea is often...
' rather than fixed creeds. The writings are not intended to represent strict rules which followers must agree with or adhere to, but may be used as a source of guidance or discipline. Since the majority of the Society remains within a Christian theistic tradition, this is typically reflected in the publication.
Extracts from the book are sometimes read aloud in Quaker meetings for worship, or may be reflected upon individually.
History
The first Quakers showed up in the seventeenth century about the same time the English translation of the Bible was printed. Quakers were first called “Seekers” and they did not agree with the Christianity of their day. They stated “The Churches have forgotten the real Christ.” Quakers wanted to go back to the early forms of Christianity, where Christ’s words and the examples he set were what mattered most.George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
, a shoemaker and leather worker in England, was one of these early Seekers. He struggled to find answers and truth until one day he had a revelation. He wrote in his journal that a voice came to him and told him “There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to your condition.” George Fox became involved in the meetings of other early Seekers, and together with others, attracted more followers. Another early Quaker, Margaret Fell
Margaret Fell
Margaret Fell or Margaret Fox was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends. Known popularly as the "mother of Quakerism", she is considered one of the Valiant Sixty early Quaker preachers and missionaries.-Life:...
(later married to George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
), tried to organise these meetings into sections, knowing that without some type of organization Quakerism would fall apart. The local meeting called is a Local meeting or Preparative Meeting, in which the members would discuss business matters. Next is a Monthly meeting, an accumulation of many local meetings. Representatives from the monthly meeting would appear at a Quarterly meeting, and lastly a Yearly meeting is held with a collection of many representatives from Quarterly meetings. These meetings not only kept organization and foundation for the Quaker faith but it kept them socially connected.
United Kingdom
The earliest statement of Christian discipline was the EpistleEpistle (Quaker)
Quaker epistle: in the 17th Century, the Quaker movement revived the Gospel use of the word "epistle" to mean an advisory or admonitory letter, sent to a group of people, sometimes termed a "general epistle"...
from the meeting of Elders at Balby, in 1656. This was a list of twenty advices as to how Friends should conduct themselves, formed following a meeting of prominent Seekers at Balby in Yorkshire, and is seen by many as the defining document founding Quakerism.
The Canons and institutions drawn up and agreed upon by the General Assembly or Meeting of the heads of the Quakers from all parts of the kingdom was produced following a meeting of leading Quakers in London in 1669. This had been drafted by George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
, the name Canons and Institutions had been given to the publication by his opponents. It contained general advices and regulations, and was the basis of future books of discipline, although the name was formally disclaimed by Friends in 1675..
The origins of the current book of discipline can be traced back to a manuscript in 1738 entitled Christian and brotherly advices given forth from time to time by the Yearly Meetings in London, alphabetically digested under proper heads. The first printed collection appeared in 1783 as Extracts from the minutes and advices of the Yearly Meeting of Friends held in London from its first institution (popularly known as the Book of Extracts). This was revised in 1801 and 1822 and 1833 (the last revision resulting in another change in title to Rules of Discipline). Up until this time, the publication was an alphabetical list of the main beliefs and practices of Quakers at the time.
From 1861 the Rules of Discipline was divided into separate chapters on
- Christian Doctrine - concerning the Christian theology and beliefs of Friends;
- Christian Practice - concerning the lives and testimonies of Friends
- Church Government - concerning the organisation, structure and government of the Religious Society of Friends.
instead of the alphabetical arrangement of topics. This was revised in 1883, where it took the name Book of Christian discipline. Subsequently, the three chapters became three separate books, revised at various points over the next 50 years.
In 1921, a new publication Christian Life, Faith and Thought replaced the previous Christian Doctrine. This publication adopted a new approach of attempting 'to state truth, not by formulating it, but by expressing it through the vital personal and corporate experience of Friends'. Although much of this publication is in the form of prose drafted by a Revision Committee, this publication began the use of extracts which has subsequently been developed as an acceptable method of expressing the breadth of Quaker theology. In 1967 Church Government was revised, followed by a revision in 1959 of Christian Life, Faith and Thought and Christian Practice, which were merged into one new volume entitled Christian faith and practice in the experience of the Society of Friends. Interestingly, the 1959 edition of Christian Faith and Practice, whilst no longer used in Britain Yearly Meeting, is still a current book of discipline of Canadian Yearly Meeting. Church Government and Christian faith and practice together made up the Book of Discipline.
A new British revision was worked on from 1985, due to requests "not from the centre but from local meetings and individual Friends, as well as committees". to reflect developments in society, language and belief. The new version was accepted by Britain Yearly Meeting in 1994, and appeared in print in 1995, in one volume. This volume is almost entirely made up of an anthology of extracts from other sources, unlike earlier editions. This edition saw the name change to its current form - Quaker Faith and Practice: The book of Christian discipline of the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain. The chapters on the structure and organisation of Britain Yearly Meeting have been revised several times since then to reflect organisational changes in Britain Yearly Meeting, however the rest of the book has not been redrafted since 1994.
Some Quakers in Britain have suggested that future editions revert to having two volumes to the Book of Discipline: Church Government dealing with organisation, structure and government of the Yearly Meeting; and Faith and Practice dealing with the beliefs, testimonies and practices of Quakers in Britain.
United States
Various Yearly Meetings were founded in what is now the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the early days of Quakerism. Each of these produced their own book of discipline, although each was based on the earlier disciplines of London Yearly Meeting. These were revised at various points according to changes in beliefs and practices of Friends over time.
Conferences of Yearly Meetings in the later part of the nineteenth century, between the Guerneyite
Joseph John Gurney
Joseph John Gurney was a banker in Norwich, England and an evangelical Minister of the Religious Society of Friends , whose views and actions led, ultimately, to a schism among American Quakers.-Biography:...
Yearly Meetings, who had accepted the Richmond Declaration of Faith
Richmond Declaration
The Richmond Declaration was made by 95 Quakers in September 1887, at a conference in Richmond, Indiana...
, proposed formulating a Uniform Discipline for all the Guerneyite Yearly Meetings in the United States. In 1897, New England Yearly Meeting
New England Yearly Meeting
New England Yearly Meeting is a body of the Religious Society of Friends headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts that includes Friends from the New England region of the United States....
, Wilmington Yearly Meeting, Indiana Yearly Meeting
Indiana Yearly Meeting
Indiana Yearly Meeting is a Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers. Indiana Yearly Meeting was established in 1821 and originally included all Friends west of the Scioto River, in Ohio, and Friends in Indiana and Illinois. The Yearly Meeting met for most of its history in...
, and Kansas Yearly Meeting jointly accepted The Constitution and Discipline for the American Yearly Meetings of Friends as their book of discipline, and this book was subsequently accepted as the book of discipline of California Yearly Meeting, New York Yearly Meeting
New York Yearly Meeting
New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or simply New York Yearly Meeting or NYYM, is the central organizing body for Quaker meetings and worship groups in New York State, northern and central New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut....
, Western Yearly Meeting, and Baltimore Yearly Meeting
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
Baltimore Yearly Meeting is a body of the Religious Society of Friends headquartered in Sandy Spring, Maryland that includes Friends from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. It was the first Yearly Meeting founded in North America, meeting in May 1672...
in 1901; and of Oregon Yearly Meeting, North Carolina Yearly Meeting, and Iowa Yearly Meeting in 1902. When Nebraska Yearly Meeting was founded in 1908, they too accepted The Constitution and Discipline for the American Yearly Meetings of Friends as their book of discipline.
In 1940, Five Years Meeting proposed that the 1897 Uniform Discipline be updated and revised. The ensuing publication Faith and Practice, was published in three volumes: (I) Faith and Life; (II) Organisation and Business Procedure; (III) Authorised Declaration of Faith. However, controversies and disagreements between Yearly Meetings meant that not all Yearly Meetings accepted this book of discipline - some accepted only one or two volumes, and others made revisions or alterations to the text. The publication was never formally accepted by Five Years Meeting, although some Yearly Meetings did formally accept a revised version as their own book of discipline. Since then, each Yearly Meeting has revised their own books of discipline, and no longer use a Uniform Discipline.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting published their Rules of Discipline of the Yearly Meeting of Friends held in Philadelphia in 1806, with paragraphs on each of the main practices and testimonies of Friends in that Yearly Meeting arranged in alphabetical order. The title Faith and Practice was first applied to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's book of discipline in 1955 and it was revised in 1972, 1979, and 1997, with minor revisions in 2002.Current books of discipline
There are currently over 24 different versions in print, each by a different yearly meeting, some also available to be viewed on-line. The names of the publications vary. Most Yearly Meetings either have:- One volume called the Book of Discipline
- Two volumes, which together make up the Book of Discipline:
- One called either Church Government or Handbook of Practice and Procedure - which deals with how the Yearly Meeting is organised and governed;
- The other book called either Faith and Practice or Faith, Life and Thought or similar title - which deals with the main beliefs, doctrines and testimonies of the Quakers in that Yearly Meeting.
Australia
Australia Yearly MeetingAustralia Yearly Meeting
Australia Yearly Meeting is the body of members of the Religious Society of Friends in Australia. Quakers within Australia Yearly Meeting generally follow the unprogrammed style of worship....
publishes two separate books in the tradition of Quaker books of discipline. The Handbook of Practice and Procedure gives a brief history of the Society and detailed instructions on how the Society in Australia is run.. This We Can Say: Quaker life, faith and thought, first published in 2003, was written over a period of ten years from 1993, to express personally the living faith of contemporary Australian Quakers. It also includes the Britain Yearly Meeting Advices and Queries.
Britain
Britain Yearly MeetingBritain Yearly Meeting
The Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain, also known as Britain Yearly Meeting , is a religious organisation in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, often defined as a denomination of Christianity.It is a part of the international religious...
's current book of discipline is called Quaker Faith and Practice: The book of Christian discipline of the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain. The text of this edition was originally approved by the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain in 1994, and has had three small revisions since then mainly because of changes in the structure of the Yearly Meeting. It is often known simply as Quaker Faith and Practice, or sometimes the (Christian) 'Book of Discipline' but this has become less common. The current fourth edition is sold in print. It is available in paperback, hardback and large print, and is also free to view online. The book is only available from the Quaker Bookshop in Friends House, Euston or from the online bookstore.
The first chapter, Advices and Queries, originated from queries asked by London Yearly Meeting (the predecessor to Britain Yearly Meeting) to the quarterly meetings about the state of their meetings, and advices originated from the original Christian and brotherly advices given forth from time to time by the Yearly Meetings in London, alphabetically digested under proper heads. Until 1994, there were separate General Advices and Queries, which tended to be related to each other - the advices giving advice on Christian living, and the queries being questions which asked Friends how they were living their lives, and could be used for personal reflection or discussion in groups. There was a requirement that all the advices and queries were read in each meeting over the course of a year. Since 1994, the advices and queries have been mixed together, so that each paragraph has both advices and queries within it. There is also no longer a requirement that they are read in each meeting, although some meetings do continue this practice. This chapter is published as a separate free booklet and is published in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
.
Canada
The books of discipline of Canadian Yearly Meeting are made up of three publications:- Canadian Yearly Meeting Organisation and Procedure (current edition published 2004) - which concerns the organisation, government and structure of Canadian Yearly Meeting, as well as chapters on membership, marriage procedures, etc.;
- The 1967 edition of Christian Faith and Practice in the Experience of the Society of Friends of London Yearly Meeting, originally developed and used by Quakers in Britain, remains part of Canadian Yearly Meeting's books of discipline, and is still published by Canadian Yearly Meeting even though it is now no longer used by Britain Yearly Meeting - this book concerns Quaker beliefs and practices;
- Advices and Queries - Canadian Yearly Meeting uses the same edition as Britain Yearly Meeting.
In 2000, Canadian Yearly Meeting appointed a Faith and Practice Development Committee to co-ordinate development of its own Faith and Practice, published in 2011.
Denmark
Råd og Spørgsmål (Advices and Queries) is the Advices and Queries of Denmark Yearly Meeting, being a Danish translation based on the 1994 Advices and Queries of Britain Yearly Meeting.Central and Southern Africa
Central and Southern Africa Yearly Meeting's book of discipline is called The Handbook of Practice and Procedure, including chapters on structure, organisation and government of the Society of Friends and Quaker experience and concerns. It also includes Central and Southern Africa's Advices and Queries as its final chapter.United States
Many of the different yearly meetingYearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of a collection of smaller, more frequent constituent meetings within a geographical area. These constituent meetings go by various names such as Quarterly Meetings, which...
in the United States have their own books of discipline, most of which are titled Faith and Practice. Many of these are made available both in print and on-line.
| Yearly Meeting | Title | Year of adoption |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Yearly Meeting Baltimore Yearly Meeting Baltimore Yearly Meeting is a body of the Religious Society of Friends headquartered in Sandy Spring, Maryland that includes Friends from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. It was the first Yearly Meeting founded in North America, meeting in May 1672... |
Faith and Practice | 1988 |
| Evangelical Friends Church Southwest | Faith and Practice | |
| Evangelical Friends Church, Mid-America Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | |
| Illinois Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | |
| InterMountain Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | |
| Iowa Yearly Meeting | Discipline | 1974 |
| Lake Erie Yearly Meeting | Policies and Procedures Booklet | 1995 |
| New England Yearly Meeting New England Yearly Meeting New England Yearly Meeting is a body of the Religious Society of Friends headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts that includes Friends from the New England region of the United States.... |
Faith and Practice | 1986 (currently being revised) |
| New York Yearly Meeting New York Yearly Meeting New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or simply New York Yearly Meeting or NYYM, is the central organizing body for Quaker meetings and worship groups in New York State, northern and central New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut.... |
Faith and Practice | 1998 revised in 2001 |
| North Carolina Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | 1983 |
| Northern Yearly Meeting Northern Yearly Meeting Northern Yearly Meeting is a Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends . It is affiliated with the Friends General Conference... |
Faith and Practice | |
| Northwest Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | 2008 |
| Ohio Yearly Meeting | Book of Discipline | 2001 |
| Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | 1978 revised 2007 and 2009 |
| Pacific Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | 2001 |
| Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or simply Philadelphia Yearly Meeting or PYM, is the central organizing body for Quaker meetings in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, area.... |
Faith and Practice | 1955 revised in 1972, 1997, 2002 |
| Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | 1997 |
| Southeastern Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | |
| Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association | Faith and Practice | |
| Western Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | 2005 |
| Wilmington Yearly Meeting | Faith and Practice | 1977 revised in 2000 |
Switzerland
Friends from Switzerland Yearly Meeting published Swiss Quaker Life, Belief and Thought in 2009. It is an anthology of quotes on Swiss Quakers' lives, beliefs and thoughts, published tri-lingually in English, French and German. It differs from other Yearly Meetings' books of discipline in not containing chapters on the structure and organisation of Switzerland Yearly Meeting. The us et coutumes (in French) or Braüche (in German) is presenting the organisation of the Society.See also
- The Testimonies of the Religious Society of FriendsReligious Society of FriendsThe Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...