Non-Episcopal Ecclesiology 1: The Quakers

There are about 350 thousand Quakers in the world and there are three types:

1. Evangelical Quakers have 300 thousand members and are found primarily in Africa.  They worship like other protestant evangelical churches and will even have a pastor.
2. Conservative Quakers are found in the United States and number about 1.5 thousand.  They are Christian and adhere to traditional ways of running meetings for worship.
3. Liberal Quakers number about 50 thousand and are found in Europe and America.  They take a more liberal approach to religion and do not insist on a Christian ethos, although Christianity is still perhaps the greatest influence.

These three approaches are united by four common themes:

1. The historic peace testimony.
2. Decisions are made by discerning the spirit of the meeting.
3. Belief that something of God is found in all people.
4. Therefore there can be no priests or sacraments.

It seems the main structure in Britain is the monthly meeting.  This is made up of a number of local meetings who take council together.  Each local meeting has a preparative meeting, which prepares for monthly meeting.  In addition there is a yearly meeting where the monthly meetings take council together.  This appears on the surface similar to Reformed Ecclesiology, although I'm not sure whether Quakers would view it as such.

The Quakers in England have, ecumenically, had a complex history.  At present they are members of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and the national ecumenical instruments.  As Quakers have no written doctrinal statements they are exempted from affirmation of trinitarianism and the sacraments.  Within the Society of Friends, there are concerns as to what membership of these organisations implies for Friends.  However, they make a robust and valued contribution and are influential beyond their relatively small membership.

The main problems Quakers have working ecumenically is with what they perceive to be the fixed theological approaches of other churches.  However, the degree to which members of other churches feel bound by their own churches' theology is something of an open question these days.

Disclaimer:  My aim in these accounts of ecclesiology is to paint a positive overall picture, although I may from time to time touch upon problems and issues.  I am not an expert in this field and may make some mistakes.  I welcome any comments that will help me present a clearer and more accurate picture.  Please note I am not aiming for an in-depth analysis at this stage.  I have drawn on a book by Benjamin Pink Dandelion for some of this post, although it is from memory and so any mistakes are entirely my own.