The Monthly Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business reflects our faith that the Light of God, if followed, may draw all into agreement. Decisions are made, not by majority vote, compromise, or consensus, but by prayerful, patient discernment of a corporate “sense of the meeting.” We seek that Truth that transcends individual differences.
Friends’ Business Meetings begin in a period of worshipful silence, often started with a reading or query. The clerk of the Meeting then suggests an agenda, arising from member and attender recommendations, but the agenda may be modified by those present. Each item is discussed in a worshipful atmosphere, with an endeavor to avoid trivial, irrelevant, or impulsive comments.
When it appears to the clerk that unity has been reached, a tentative minute is formulated to express that sense of the meeting.