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We are a people separate, but a part of the world we live in. The Society of Friends, with Divine guidance, nurtures the spiritual vitality of the Yearly  and Monthly Meetings around the world by providing programs and services for Friends, meetings, and seekers. We envision a vital and growing Religious Society of Friends—a faith that deepens spiritually, welcomes newcomers, builds supportive and inclusive community, and provides loving service and witness in the world.

We see Quakers led by the Spirit joining together in ministry to offer services that help Friends, meetings, and seekers explore, deepen, connect, serve and witness within the context of our living faith. 

At the core of the Quaker faith is our trust that all people can have direct, inward experience of divine love, healing and guidance. We have learned that through responding to this guidance, we can be changed—even transformed—coming to live lives reflecting the Light and Love of God. This is the hope, the invitation and the promise that gathers us as the people called "Friends."

We worship as a community with the understanding that all share the responsibility for ministry. We know that we need one another's help to be faithful. We gather in stillness to listen for how the Holy Spirit might speak within us or through the words of another. Most meetings practice what we call waiting worship—in which we expectantly wait together in silence for inspired speaking or insight to arise—some of us also worship in ways similar to Protestant churches, with hymn singing, spoken prayer, reflection on Scripture, or a brief prepared message. We seek to embody a practical spirituality in our daily lives, where every interaction can be sacred, and where every person can be a teacher and friend.

We work together with our neighbors to help build a more just, peaceful and sustainable world, where all people are honored as beloved children of God, regardless of nationality, class, race, creed, age, ability, family status, sexual orientation or gender identity, and where humanity lives as a humble, blessed part of the commonwealth of all life.

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Government Structure 

The Religious Society of Friends is federated theological republic, composed of four types of co-equal structures: Monthly Meeting (or Friends Churches), Quarterly Meetings, Yearly Meetings, and the General Board. All Decisions are made by consensus so if a member present disagrees with a course of action, that course is not taken.  Previous decisions stand until changed by a new consensus.

Monthly meetings have sole authority over local affairs. This includes schools, local utilities, parks, etc.  They are the only organization that collects taxes from the people. They meet monthly for business  and all their members may participate. 

Quarterly Meeting gather four times a year. They mediate disputes between monthly meetings and act as a county court.  They are empowered to take immediate action when necessary that stands until their Yearly Meeting gathers. They are composed of a delegate from each constituent monthly meeting. 

Yearly meetings write the Faith and Practice, a document that is essentially the laws and guidelines for all their members. They handle commerce between monthly meetings.  They also collect taxes from their monthly meetings, and fund massive public works projects.  They can encourage a monthly meeting to follow their guidance on local affairs , but they have limited tools to actually force them. Some Yearly Meetings are representative bodies like Quarterly Meetings, while others are open to all members.

The General Board has sole authority over all international affairs, and has the power to make decisions that directly relate to this authority.  They collect taxes from the Yearly Meetings, hire diplomats, sign treaties, etc.  They are composed of a delegate from each Yearly Meeting and Independent Monthly Meeting.  

There is no judiciary per se, but that by no means suggests there is no system of justice. At the local level, either the Ministry and Council or the Fellowship Committees will mediate depending on the nature of the dispute. Ministry and Council handles religious arguments whereas Fellowship handles secular ones. Sometimes other committees will get involved such as House and Grounds or Peace and Social Justice.  The decision as to which committee gets involved is made between the clerk of the monthly meeting and the various committees. Again, no decisions are made without consensus. 

Committees will often bring in resource groups (groups of Friends who research a specific topic and provide expert guidance to the meeting) to aid discernment in complex situations. Any time during mediation, a Clearness Committee might be instituted. The purpose of a Clearness Committee is to help a Friend make an important, but difficult decision. If a dispute becomes of concern to the wider meeting, it may come before a monthly buisness meeting of the Monthly Meeting.  Finally, if the dispute simply cannot be solved, one or both of the fueding members may be asked to go to another Monthly Meeting. Finally, in extreme circumstance, the Yearly Meeting may revoke their citizenship. This rarely happens.