Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quakers)

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Out of my mind…

Last month, 25 of us gathered on the Portland campus of George Fox University for a weekend course on “Pastors and Elders Working Together.” This was a seminary version of a course we will be offering at regional gatherings and local churches in an effort to better equip our elders in their ministries and encourage positive working relationships with our Friends pastors. We are also very close to publishing a revised Elders’ Handbook that will be distributed to your local church and will be available online with updated resources.

One of the most interesting conversations during the class occurred as we discussed the subject of “leadership” among Friends. An excerpt from the Elders’ Handbook on this topic follows:                                                                                                                            

Friends have strong convictions about Jesus being the Head of the Church. He is our Present Teacher and Guide and our first work as His people is to learn to attend to, discern, and mind His leading. Therefore, we trust the Holy Spirit to speak to us individually and communally and to illuminate the Scriptures, so that we might faithfully obey the will of God. Worship after the manner of Friends most often leaves generous time for listening in silence. Out of such silence God may call on anyone in the gathering to minister words of grace and truth. In our meetings for business, we do not gather to debate or vote for our preferences, but to discern the voice of Christ together. When it comes to individuals serving as human leaders among us, they serve expecting no special treatment, higher honor or exalted status. As a people under the headship of Christ, we are careful to treat one another with respect as equals, even when our roles in community differ.

There are times, however, when this simple truth gets quite complicated. Some of us in leadership positions do not really want to be mere equals. The thought of a little exalted status, just a bit of honor, a few special privileges can sound pretty appealing! Though we may want to invite the input of others in decision making, we really want to be the ones to decide. Instead of recognizing leadership as a call and gift from God and a function within the Body, we are tempted to make it a status or position that defines who we are rather than how we serve for the sake of Christ and others.

Another complication, however, springs from a few Friends’ deep suspicion of leadership. Vigilantly guarding our testimony of equality or our respect for each person’s ability to listen to God, some Friends have a biased distrust for those in leadership and for institutional authority. From this perspective, any distinctions of role or function in the Body are questioned. Instead of creating a climate where leaders are freed to serve, decisions are readily criticized and challenged.  Behavioral/ theological standards or corporate disciplines get described as power plays or unnecessary, outward legalisms. In this context of mistrust and under a steady diet of criticism, the work of leadership is undermined and the ministry of the church thwarted.

Other factors can complicate the working out of leadership and followership in the life of a Friends Church. For instance, the size and complexity of a local church needs to be taken into account as leadership roles and activities are initiated. A congregation of 50 people cannot function the same way that a congregation of 500 does. In the larger gathering, it makes sense for the whole Meeting to delegate responsibility and authority to individuals or sub-groups. Giving them the power to make decisions and act for the sake of the whole allows the work of the church to move forward in timely ways.                                                                                                            

Finding a way forward through some of these tension points is imperative if Friends are going to thrive. We need to create communities where Christ’s active leadership is coupled with the free exercise of appropriate human leadership gifts and roles.

I really do think Friends can thrive-but to do so we need to continue to focus on becoming healthy and mature local churches bent on knowing and obeying Christ together. A piece of that is learning how to function well together, allowing all of the parts of the Body to become “coordinated and neatly fitted together with the necessary parts, each functioning in its own way so as to give a lovely symmetry to the whole body.” (Ephesians 4)  Hopefully, the work we are doing with Elders’ training, along with the discernment workshops, classes available through the seminary, and other resources offered by our NWYM boards will help.

If you are interested in reading more on Friends and leadership, read a document that discusses this issue at length, providing some additional thoughts and probing queries: “Values for Healthy Leadership among Friends.” Other resources, including the new Elders Handbook, are available on our Resources for Local Churches site.

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.Questions for Discussion:

• What has been your experience with “leadership among Friends”?
• What are some ways you feel we could “find a way forward”?.

Please feel free to comment below and share your thoughts. Colin and others will respond and keep this conversation going.

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