The Authority Of Our Meetings Is The Power Of God

Php 365

BY PAUL LACEY
The author holds in creative tension the individual and corporate responsibilities in our monthly meetings to witness to the power and authority of God.

Pendle Hill Pamphlet 2003 40 PP. Paper

$6.50 (in stock)

Being Together

Our Corporate Life In The Religious Society Of Friends, Swarthmore Lecture 1994

BY MARGARET HEATHFIELD
Considering what type of organization provides the fewest obstacles to the free flowing of the Spirit, Margaret Heathfield addresses the problem of guidance within our individual and corporate lives. In the introduction she writes '... I could see why we were each led in different directions by the Spirit in our personal but why did this also happen when we were considering corporate matters?' In seeking an answer, Margaret draws on the findings of history and theology, as well as contemporary theories of management and the nature of organizations.

Britain Yearly Meeting 2008 124 PP. Paper

$9.00 (in stock)

Beyond Consensus

Salvaging Sense Of The Meeting - Php 307

BY BARRY MORLEY
"In seeking the sense of the meeting we open ourselves to being guided to perfect resolution in the Light, to a place where we sit in unity in the collective inward Presence. Through consensus we decide it; through sense of the meeting we turn it over, allowing it to be decided. `Reaching consensus is a secular process,' says a Friend. `In sense of the meeting God gets a voice.'" (the Author) Morley describes three essential components in discovering sense of the meeting: release, long focus, and transition to Light, all of which are nurtured by worship.

Pendle Hill Pamphlet 1996 32 PP. Paper

$6.50 (in stock)

Beyond Majority Rule

Voteless Decision Making In The Religious Society Of Friends

BY MICHAEL SHEERAN
Michael Sheeran, a Jesuit scholar, spent two years visiting monthly meetings and observing annual sessions within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting studying the actual decision making process used among Friends. This book is the result of his study and he includes detailed descriptions of the process at work and draws conclusions about what works well and what does not. Also included is a history of Quaker process. "Earlier Sheeran had written, `Quakers do not begin with a theory. They begin with an event.' This event, this knowing at first hand that the continuous revelation is still at work is, in his judgement, what really matters." -Douglas Steere, from the foreword

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting 1983 153 PP. Paper

$18.00 (in stock)

Consensus Through Conversation

How To Achieve High-commitment Decisions

BY LARRY DRESSLER
You have to live with the corporate lingo, but even Quakers (who have been using consensus for 350 years) will find this useful. The book leads managers, consultants, and facilitators through the consensus-building process. It shows how to avoid common pitfalls like false agreement and the " illusion of inclusion." For anyone charged with getting groups to fruitful resolution on important issues, Consensus through Conversation is a useful reference work.

Berrett Kohler 2006 89 PP. Paper

$15.95 (in stock)

Fellowships, Conferences And Associations

The Limits Of The Liberal Quaker Reinvention Of Meeting Polity

BY ELIZABETH CAZDEN
A look at the "confusion and disagreement" about how meetings govern themselves. Cazden reviews classical Quaker models and then looks at the "alternate model that has come to characterize liberal unprogrammed ('Friends General Conference-type') meetings in North America." An important read for anyone trying to understand contemporary Quaker debates over same-sex marriage, the meaning of membership, the role of committees and issues of leadership in the Religious Society of Friends.

Beacon Hill Friends House 2004 36 PP. Paper

$4.00 (in stock)

Mind Of Christ

Bill Taber On Meeting For Business- Php 406

BY BILL TABER EDITED BY MICHAEL BIRKEL
Meeting for business is one of Quakerisms greatest treasures - but it can also be absolutely dire when it doesn't go well. Michael Birkel has here edited the notes that Bill Taber had made on how it can work at its best. Bill Taber was a most centered and experienced Friend and this is his most valuable advice on Business meetings passed on to future generations of clerks and those who gather for Meeting for business.

Pendle Hill Pamphlet 2010 34 PP. Paper

$6.50 (in stock)

Practicing Discernment Together

Finding God's Way Forward In Decision Making

BY LON FENDALL, JAN WOOD, AND BRUCE BISHOP
Group discernment is an essential ingredient of anything that Quakers seek to do together, and a central part of Quaker process. Even the smallest Bible study group or informal gathering makes decisions. That decision making carries with it the potential of strengthening the spiritual depth of each member of the group, and of discovering God's will - but only if the participants understand and abide by the process. "In concise, lucid prose, illustrated with modern day case studies and stories from the bible, they discuss the attitudes, skills, and steps that help us to find God's leadings for us as meeting communities." - Chel Avery

Barclay Press 2006 145 PP. Paper

$16.00 (in stock)

Pray And Pay Attention

Or How To Enjoy Meeting For Business

BY CHARLES BROWN
An essay which traces the movement of the Spirit as Philadelphia Yearly Meeting grappled with the question of reparations and issues of racism in its annaul sessions in the early 70s.

Southeastern Yearly Meeting 1991 24 PP. Paper

$4.00 (in stock)

Quaker Meeting For Business

BY DOUGLAS STEERE
A useful discussion of the meanings and responsibilities of corporate discernment.

Southeastern Yearly Meeting 1995 17 PP. Paper

$4.00 (in stock)

Spiritual Responsibility In The Meeting For Business

BY PATRICIA LORING
This pamphlet points out the differences between Friends' process and the secular process of "reaching consensus." $0.75 each (fewer than 10). $0.60 each (10-49). $0.40 each (50 or more).

Quaker Press of FGC 1993 4 PAGES Tract

0-10 $0.75, 10-50 $0.60, 50 or more $0.40 (in stock)

Treasures In Earthen Vessels

Letters On Christian Unity

BY BRIAN DRAYTON
A biblical and contemporary consideration of unity and dissension in the Christian communities at every stage.

NEYM 1995 67 PP. Paper

$3.75 (in stock)

Where Should I Stand?

A Field Guide For Monthly Meeting Clerks

BY ELIZABETH BOARDMAN
Elizabeth Boardman draws on her four years as a monthly meeting clerk and the wisdom of fifteen other experienced clerks to answer questions, simple and profound, including When should I attend committee meetings? How should I relate to the children of the meeting? How do I get support for this job? How do I help sustain the faith community? Where Should I Stand? is designed to spark new questions and additional ideas among readers and to encourage continued discussions at regional gatherings.(Also available as an ebook. Enter the title in the search field at left to find electronic editions.)

Quaker Press of FGC 2008 128 PP. Paper

$12.50 (in stock)

Wisdom Of Group Decisions - Paperback

Principles And Practical Tips For Collaboration

BY CRAIG FRESHLEY
A collection of 100 one-page tips for making thoughtful, equitable, lasting group decisions for meetings , communities, organizations, governments, families, and our planet. Each tip is a provocative meditation and the book as a whole is a complete toolkit. The book is based on Caroline Estes' simple premise that "We each have a piece of the truth and we make our best decisions when we put all our pieces together." Freshley is a Quaker and while this book is not spiritually rooted, much of it is inspired by the Quaker idea of consensus.

Good Group Decisions 2010 134 PP. Paper

$12.00 (in stock)