(DRAFT-Page 22 of 28: Membership Working Paper, NEYM Faith and Practice Revision Committee to NEYM Sessions 2016.)

Suggested Topics for the Meeting of the Applicant and the Membership Clearness Committee.

Below are suggested topics to be addressed. Many of them will occur naturally in the course of conversation and are not meant as an examination, nor is it expected that there are “right” or “wrong” answers. The value of these topics lies in what they may reveal of experiences of the Spirit of both the applicant and the members of the clearness committee. Sufficient time should be allowed to ensure mutual understanding and trust. The discussion should take place unhurriedly in the spirit of a common search and seeking for clearness on the part of both the applicant and the clearness committee.

Sometimes the membership clearness committee may feel an individual is not ready for membership. It is important to recognize when this is the case and equally important to continue to provide pastoral care to nurture the individual’s progress on their spiritual
journey. This may include suggestions for religious education opportunities, spiritual companionship, counseling, or other necessary assistance.

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1. Spiritual journey. Describe your spiritual journey. What is your experience and understanding of the Spirit? What role does it play in your life? How do you anticipate that membership in the meeting and in the Society of Friends will affect this journey?

2. Quaker history and experience. What is your understanding of Quaker history and experience? What is your own experience of following the Inward Light as guide rather than relying on external authority? Have you found the collective experience and insights of Friends helpful in developing your own understandings?

3. Quaker Diversity. Are you aware of the diversity of language and theology used by Quakers to describe basic Friends’ principles? Can you be comfortable with both Christocentric and Universalist language when it is used to describe a spiritual experience? Can you be open to the experience that lies beneath the words?

4. Quaker testimonies. How would you describe Quaker testimonies? Do you find yourself in harmony with them? How has your experience with the testimonies been affected by the meeting’s expressions of these testimonies? How has your life been affected by these testimonies?

5. Quaker beliefs and practices. How familiar are you with Friends’ beliefs and practices? Are there some which are particularly appealing or applicable to you? Are there some that you find confusing or with which you do not connect?

6. Contributions to the meeting community. How are you involved in the life of the meeting? How do you hope to grow within and contribute to the community? What is your commitment to the meeting community and to the Society of Friends as a whole?

7. Living in spiritual community. Along with the joys and benefits of living in a spiritual community come potential hardships, disagreements and incompatibilities. Are you ready to address such difficulties with love and with an open heart?

8. Quaker decision-making. Do you understand how Friends make decisions? Have you participated in the monthly meeting for business or served on meeting committees? Are you comfortable with the process of seeking unity in making decisions? Are you prepared to seek clearness for individual leadings through the meeting? 

9. Organizational structure of the Society of Friends. Do you understand the relationship between the monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings? Are you open to participating in them?

10. Other affiliations. Are you affiliated with other religious organizations? How do those affiliations affect your involvement in and commitment to the meeting?

11. Process of clearness. What is your understanding of the process of coming to clearness?

12. Are there questions you have for the clearness committee?

Source: DRAFT: Membership Working Paper, NEYM Faith and Practice Revision Committee to NEYM Sessions 2016. p. 22 of 28.