Quaker Process for Friends on the Benches

This should be required reading not only for new presiding clerks, committee clerks, but for everyone who attends meeting for business or work on a committee. The work of the meeting begins in committees. The presiding clerk stands on the shoulders of those who do the groundwork of discernment in committees. There needs to be trust for valuable committee work so that things are not redone during the Meeting for Worship for the conduct of Business. The more the body of the Meeting understands the process, the smoother the process. Quaker process is not just procedures, but a living, growing, thing, responding to the breath of the Spirit.

This is a thoughtful, well researched, and very helpful book about Quaker process, especially for Friends (Quakers "on the benches") who are currently seeking to serve their Meeting through practicing Quaker process. As a practicing Friend myself, I am grateful to Mathilda Navias for writing this book, and to all of the seasoned Friends who read and commented on her early draft. To me it reads like a well seasoned book, one I was very happy to find.

Very good content on Quaker process. It would be phenomenal if the table of contents linked to the chapters and subsections so it could be used as a quick reference guide.

Essential book for any Friend's library. A unique guide to the spiritual process of a Meeting.

Wonderfully thorough and clarifying.

The description says, "the most thorough survey to date of the nuances of Quaker process and practice," which speaks accurately to my own reading experience. The author skillfully and comprehensively pulls together seasoned descriptions from a variety of Quaker sources, from Conservative to Evangelical to Liberal, from Programmed to Unprogrammed, from FUM to FGC, from Yearly Meetings around the world. This seems an impossible task, to pull from such diverse sources into a well integrated source book for Quaker process, but the author does it well.The book is both engaging and easy to read, not so easy to do with a compendium of Quaker practice. The book is well organized to be a reference, but also leads one stepwise through the basis of and expression of Quaker process and practice. The author includes many quotations from both individuals and from Yearly Meeting disciplines and skillfully ties it all together. Most surprising to me, the author is able to incorporate descriptions of process and practice from such a wide range of Quaker experience without there being any sense of bias regarding which "branch" of Quakers.This book is published by Friends Publishing Corporation, publishers of Friends Journal, and is also available from[...]From the back cover of the book, well described:Quaker Process for Friends on the Benches is the most thorough survey to date of the nuances of Quaker process and practice. This book provides historical context to how Quaker process has evolved, shares common practices and variations used by contemporary Friends, and gives real-life examples of model Quaker process in action. Readers will find answers to such questions as "What does it mean to serve on a committee?" and "How should new technologies be used in our Quaker business?" Readers will learn best practices from a range of perspectives on topics like discernment, leadings, and the mechanics of interrelated Quaker bodies. Both accessible and comprehensive, this richly researched handbook deserves a place in the library of every Friends meeting and every Quaker member or attender who seeks to find joy in the spiritual practice of Quaker process. A glossary, index, and annotated bibliography will give readers years of practical service and well-lit paths into a deeper study of the Quaker faith."Mathilda Navias has written a remarkable book that is tender toward all varieties of Friends. Every page reflects not just wide study, but also deep experience and clear wisdom." - Tom Hamm, Quaker Historian and author of The Quakers in America