CHAPTER I -- FRIENDS UNIVERSITY

EFC-MAYM and Friends University remain mutually supportive of each other, due in part to the historic ties between the two.  Friends University continues to build upon the Quaker heritage received from her beginning as an educational arm of the Yearly Meeting.  Friends University is governed by the Friends University Board of Trustees, an independent board.  However, Friends University maintains the provision in the Bylaws that in the event of dissolution of the University, the board of trustees shall dispose the net assets of the University exclusively to and for the benefit of the Evangelical Friends Church – Mid America Yearly Meeting, if it would then qualify as an exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

Friends University maintains its long history of Quaker representation on the Board of Trustees by the following provision in the University's Bylaws (which deals with the nomination of members to the University's Board of Trustees:

…the Committee on Trusteeship shall endeavor to make such recommendations so that approximately one-quarter of the board shall be composed of persons who are affiliated with or have a background in the Christian and Quaker tradition of the Society of Friends.

Friends University's name and Quaker heritage continues to influence the values and ethos of the campus.  There is an informal, but reciprocal sharing of talented leaders by both organizations.  Many Members of EFC-MAYM are graduates of Friends University and Friends University provides Christian liberal arts training to a segment of those affiliated with EFC-MAYM.

[back to top]

A number of organizations closely related to the work of the Yearly Meeting may be organized and governed by their own organization, subject to the approval of the Yearly Meeting. Among them are:

Friends Youth. An organization which provides programs and activities for the youth of EFC-MAYM.

Friends Men. An organization which provides opportunities for service, projects, programs, and an annual Father-Son Retreat for the Men of EFC-MAYM.

Ministers' Benefit Association. A voluntary organization of Friends Ministers which provides for each member to make a contribution at the time of the death of a member to help with final expenses. For those who are in active service, or retired from active service in EFC-MAYM, an additional contribution is made by EFC-MAYM.

EFC-MAYM Friends Ministers'. An organization which provides for an annual Ministers Conference and other programs for the ministers of EFC-MAYM.

Friends Women. An organization which provides opportunities for service, projects, programs, and an annual retreat for the Women of EFC-MAYM.

Friends Disaster Service. An organization which offers practical assistance to persons impacted by natural disasters, such as tornadoes, floods, etc.

[back to top]

The statistical year, as well as the official year for various Yearly Meeting interests and activities, begins January 1 and ends December 31. The minutes of the local church during the intervening twelve months should furnish the source of information for making the statistical reports. Local churches are advised to revise carefully their membership reports, and having done so to adopt such as the official roll of membership of the local church, inserting the entire list of names, preferably in alphabetical order, in their minute of adoption. They are directed to repeat this revision in January of each year, at which time the statistical blank is to be filled out and sent to the Yearly Meeting office in accordance with instructions provided.

Non-participating members are to be included in the totals and lists but are to be also reported under the heading, Non-participating Members, except when reported as members by an extension church. (See classification of members and non-participating members.) Associate members are to be included in the totals and also reported under the separate heading, Associate Members. Extension churches are to make statistical reports similar to those made by local churches. (See Part II, Chapter II, Section I, D., 4., paragraph 3).

[back to top]

Among duties of the presiding clerk of the local church, some are these:

Conduct business sessions of the local church at regular intervals to keep members informed and involved in major decisions.

Conduct monthly sessions of the Elders Board and/or business meetings of the local church.

Call for the appointment of a nominating committee in the business session of the local church held no later than September or October; receive this committee's report at the church's last business session before January 1.

Among reports to be received annually are the statistical report and the report of the auditing committee.

The Queries (Checklist of Faith and Practice), (See Part III, Chapter V), are to be read at least once annually in a regular session of the local church.

[back to top]

CHAPTER V -- SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CONDUCT OF BUSINESS SESSIONS

Where Needed. These suggestions are primarily for use in the business sessions in new local churches where there are few who have had previous contact and background in a Friends church. The same general procedure is applicable, however, in any meeting for business.

Devotional Period. Every meeting should begin with a devotional period, in which those present feel free to express themselves in prayer, testimony, exhortation, Scripture reading, or message. When all who will have taken part and all minds are free, it is appropriate to turn to the business of the occasion. Friends feel that the business of the church is a religious exercise, and one which should not be entered upon without appropriate waiting upon God.

The Opening Minute. The business is begun with the reading by the clerk (the recording clerk if there is one; otherwise by the presiding clerk) of the opening minute. It is worded somewhat as follows: "Pennville Friends Church met in regular session January 4, 20_, at 7:30 p.m." Some churches wish to keep a continuing record of the age of the church, and accordingly will say that the church "met in its thirty-sixth regular session," for example. Thus the session is opened and is ready to take up the business.

Reading of the Minutes. The minutes of the previous session should always be read. The clerk (or recording clerk) may formulate the minutes as the business goes forward, and it may be desirable to have them read at the close of the session and any needed corrections made. The minutes are then approved, and the reading after the opening of the next session is for the information of all who are then present. If the minutes were not read at the close of the previous session, this reading is for correction and approval.

Presentation of Business. As in other gatherings, old business, that is, matters which the minutes indicate need further consideration or final action, is taken up first. If a committee has been appointed for a special purpose, its report is called for and acted upon. If a matter has been discussed and action has been postponed for lack of full information, the church may be informed and then proceed to discuss further and to reach a conclusion. After the old business has been cared for, new business is in order. The reports of the officers of the church and of standing committees may be given and approved. Any other matter on which the consideration of the church is needed may be presented. Every member of the church has a right to participate and therefore to introduce new business. It is customary among Friends to present matters of business in the form of a proposition or a suggestion rather than as a motion.

Consideration of Business Matters. Persons proposing action do so, not with the idea of championing the proposition or of attempting to bring the church to the member's own viewpoint, but with the desire that the suggestion be fully considered from all angles until it appears in a clear light. No member is qualified to determine this for the church. Accordingly, each one should freely speak to the proposition and express his or her mind. When this is done in humility and godly fear, it is frequently the case that the common thought of the people shifts to one or the other side of the matter. The objective of this method of business is to corporately discern the will of God. After allowing ample time for discussion of the issue the presiding clerk then announces what is discerned to be the sense of the meeting and asks for approval. Unless objections are raised, the recording clerk then formulates a minute embodying the proposition and the decision. It is very seldom necessary to take a vote in such cases or at any time in a Friends business session. Voting under all ordinary circumstances is discouraged.

The Concluding Minute. After all matters have been considered and there is no further business to be presented, the presiding clerk perceives that the minds of all are clear and reads (or has read) the concluding minute: "The session then adjourned, to meet April 6, 20_."

[back to top]

CHAPTER VI -- GLOSSARY OF QUAKER TERMS

Academy - a secondary school under the supervision of a quarterly meeting or other church unit, especially common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Affirmation - a solemn declaration of truth accepted by the courts in place of a legal oath

Appoint - to choose a church officer, board member, or committee member by vocal approval of nominations; decisions and elections are very rarely (if ever) determined by formal vote (See "sense of the meeting")

Area meeting - an organization of the local churches in a given geographic proximity replacing the Quarterly Meeting; a business session or rally for such an organization

Birthright membership - historically, a membership based solely on the fact of Friends parentage at the time of a person's birth, discontinued in 1902 by those Yearly Meetings that adopted the Uniform Discipline; now a term wrongly used by adults whose Friends parents enrolled them as associate members at birth

Camp Board - One of the boards (in EFC - MAYM) under which the activities of the church are organized; it operates Camp Quaker Haven at Arkansas City and promotes the values of camping

Certificate - an official card or paper granted to a minister or other Christian worker; it authenticates the minister's character or position and authorizes service among other Friends

Church - basically, the body of all born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ; a term also used to designate the particular local meeting or its meetinghouse

Clerk - a duly appointed officer for business meetings; usually designated by the duty performed, as presiding clerk, recording clerk, reading clerk

Concern - a God-given interest or sense of responsibility for initiating certain action relative to people or to business of the church; a "concerned Friend" is a member feeling the responsibility or interest

Convinced Friend - historically, any adult who became a Friend by personal choice, under the convincement of the Holy Spirit

Conservative Friends - (previously nicknamed Wilburites) the branch of Friends arising from separations between 1845 and 1904, basically orthodox in doctrine but conservative in manner of worship and methods of meeting activities

Discipline - a common name for the book of Faith and Practice, a constitution or manual for the conduct of Friends business meetings and a statement of faith for a particular Yearly Meeting

EEA - initials for Evangelical Friends Church (in French, Eglise Evangelique des Amis) of Burundi, which developed from the MEA (Mission Evangelique des Amis) of FAGM (Friends Africa Gospel Mission)

EFC/MAYM - Evangelical Friends Church - Mid America Yearly Meeting (formerly MAYM)

EFI – Evangelical Friends International. An international cooperation of Friends Yearly Meetings, composed of five sections: North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe

EFI-NA—Evangelical Friends International – North America Section. A cooperation of Yearly Meetings including: Alaska Yearly Meeting, Evangelical Friends Church – Eastern Region, Evangelical Friends Church – Mid America Yearly Meeting, Friends Church Southwest, Northwest Yearly Meeting, and Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting.

EFM—Evangelical Friends Mission, a cooperative body under Evangelical Friends International who share resources and personnel for missions around the world.

Elder - an official position in the local church, Area, or Yearly Meeting held by members chosen for their spiritual gifts and qualifications to provide leadership to the body.

Elders Board—a local, Area, or Yearly Meeting board composed of persons chosen for their spiritual gifts and qualifications to provide leadership to the body.

Extension church _ a new congregation of worshipers, usually under the sponsorship of a nearby local Friends church; when size and strength warrant it, the congregation may be organized into a local church

Friends General Conference - a cooperative group of certain Friends Yearly Meetings, emphasizing Quakerism as a way of life rather than accepted dogma; most are non-pastoral and have unprogrammed worship services

Friends United Meeting - a cooperative group of certain Friends Yearly Meetings (formerly the Five Years Meeting); many are orthodox in doctrine, have pastors for local churches and a programmed type of worship that yet allows individual ministry under the direct leading of the Holy Spirit

General Superintendent - the top administrative officer of a Yearly Meeting, but responsible to the Elders Board of the Yearly Meeting

Hicksite Friends - a nickname for the sympathizers with Elias Hicks after the Great Separation of 1827-1828 between orthodox and liberal elements; former Hicksite Yearly Meetings became members of the Friends General Conference, formed in 1900

Home and Cross-Cultural Missions Board - one of the boards (in EFC-MAYM) under which the activities of the church are organized; it seeks to place an emphasis on cross-cultural ministries at home, church planting, and care for weak churches.

"Inner Light" - a misnomer for "Inward Light", the Light of Christ or illumination of the Holy Spirit as He reveals to people their sin and leads them to salvation; this Light never contradicts Holy Scripture

Local meeting - a term for a congregation of Friends assembling together frequently and regularly

MAYM – Mid-America Yearly Meeting, formerly Kansas Yearly Meeting, now EFC - MAYM

Meeting - a general term for any group of Friends, their organization, their assemblies for fellowship or for business; they were usually designated further by their time of meeting (as mid-week meeting), frequency (as monthly meeting), purpose (as meeting for worship), or personnel (as meeting for ministry and oversight)

Meetinghouse - the historic term for the building in which Friends assembled for worship

Mid-week meeting - a regular meeting for worship, usually held on Wednesdays or Thursdays, also frequently called prayer meeting

Minister - historically, any member whose speaking in meeting has helped the hearers spiritually and been an evidence of having received a special gift for the ministry from the Holy Spirit, the gift later recognized by the local meeting and Yearly Meeting by the process of recording

Ministry Team – a group of persons chosen to work with an elder in the local church for one of the areas of concern.

Monthly meeting - historically, the term used for the smallest unit of organization among Friends, comprising one or more congregations; it might apply to the organization, to its members, or to the business meeting session held once each month. It is now referred to as the local meeting or local church

New Congregation (group, plant, work) - the first phase of a religious work, authorized and carried on by Friends leadership

Orthodox Friends - historically, that branch of American Friends after the Separation of 1827-1828 that adhered to the Discipline, upheld the authority of the elders, and favored evangelical theology but adopted no formal creed. The orthodox group suffered later divisions between Progressives (Gurneyites) and Conservatives (Wilburites) on matters of method

Overseers - historically, an official position in the monthly meeting held by two or more members chosen to exercise watchful care and affectionate oversight for the maintenance of consistent moral living by members of the meeting

Participating membership - in EFC - MAYM those members who show active interest through participation in and support of the local church services and activities; others in full membership are designated as non-participating members

Plain language _ the practice of early Friends in consistently using the singular forms (thou, thee, thy) in place of the plural forms of "you" and "your" when addressing individuals of all social levels; also the use of numbers in naming the days of the week or months of the year instead of their more common names most of which are derived from the names of pagan deities

Queries - a specified list of questions to be read periodically in business meetings as a reminder of the high standards of moral and spiritual life which Friends seek to uphold

Quietism - a form of mysticism, especially characteristic of Friends from about 1690 to 1825, in which they felt even regenerated human nature is unreliable, so that God can reveal Himself only when man's "creaturely" activities are quiet and suspended; it kept them aloof from the world, narrowed in their vision, and caused a loss of the aggressiveness which characterized first-generation Friends

Recording - the process of formal acknowledgement by the Yearly Meeting of certain gifts of ministry evidenced by a member; Friends believe that it is God who ordains and the church simply records the evidence of ordination

Representative - an appointed delegate of a local meeting to the business sessions of a higher meeting; for the total composition and duties of the "Representative Body" (See Part II, Chapter II, Section I, A., 8. & 9; and Part II, Chapter II, Section III, C.)

Sense of the meeting - the feeling of concurrence, or consensus, among those in attendance at a business meeting; detecting this, the presiding clerk states it is the action of the meeting, usually without a vote

Society of Friends - the legal name of the denomination in England, made necessary by the restrictions imposed by the established Church of England; the term is retained by many Yearly Meetings in America, but others are known legally as the Friends Church

Stewards Board - one of the boards (in EFC - MAYM) under which the activities of the church are organized; it has the responsibility of preparing and presenting the budgets, promoting stewardship education and being legal trustees of real estate, charitable legacies and trusts

Testimonies - historically, a term referring to the distinctive practices and attitudes adopted by Friends because of certain religious convictions, especially in the realms of social and religious practice; today, the term is used more frequently of public witness or sharing of a personal experience with God, or a statement of praise or of trust in Him

Trustees (EFC-MAYM) - A group of five persons who are nominated by the Elders Board and approved by the Yearly Meeting Representatives to care for the legal responsibilities of the Yearly Meeting.

Trustees (Local Churches) - A group of three or more persons nominated by the local Nominating Committee and approved by the local Business Meeting to care for the legal responsibilities of the local church.

United Yearly Meetings - one of the five Yearly Meetings who have united their divided branches caused by the 19th century separations; all but Philadelphia hold dual membership in the Friends United Meeting and Friends General Conference

Unity - the willingness of everyone present to make decisions faithful to God's leading while maintaining sensitivity to everyone's understanding of God's will. Although some persons may not agree fully with a proposed course of action, they are willing to accept the decision of the group

Unprogrammed meetings _ non-pastoral Friends meetings whose worship services are held on the basis of holy obedience, usually characterized by prolonged periods of silence and meditation

Weighty Friends – a historic Quaker term referring to persons who have exemplified leadership and sound judgment in church and spiritual matters.

World Mission Board - one of the boards (in EFC-MAYM) under which the activities of the church are organized; it seeks to place an emphasis on world missions.

Yearly Meeting - the highest unit of authority in the structure of Friends business meetings, comprising all local churches within its jurisdiction; meetings for business, worship and fellowship are held annually, the sessions requiring several days.

[back to top]

CHAPTER VII -- INCORPORATION OF LOCAL CHURCHES

Since the Articles of Incorporation for churches must take various forms because of the differing corporation laws in the five states within Evangelical Friends Church - Mid America Yearly Meeting, the Yearly Meeting shall not propose the wording of the Articles in each instance other than to require the insertion of the following statements:

First, that somewhere in the paragraph on Purpose or Objective there be included the clause: "to conduct a local church in accordance with the provisions as set forth in the book of Faith and Practice of Evangelical Friends Church - Mid America Yearly Meeting, a nonprofit corporation in the State of Kansas".

Second, under Dissolution and/or Disaffiliation, insert this paragraph: "Though intended to be perpetual, the corporation, in case of dissolution and/or disaffiliation, provides that the assets shall become the property of Evangelical Friends Church - Mid America Yearly Meeting, or its successors"

Third, under Membership, that "every person who has been admitted as a member of the __________ Friends Church in accordance with the said book of Faith and Practice shall be a member of this corporation, and no other terms of admission into such corporation will be recognized or required".

Fourth, under Trustees, "The method of electing trustees and the duties of the trustees shall be in accord with the said book of Faith and Practice of Evangelical Friends Church - Mid America Yearly Meeting".

In the event that the exact wording as stated above is inconsistent with the Statute of the State under which the Local Church is seeking incorporation, differing wording will be allowed provided that it states in essence the concepts delineated above, and that the suggested change is approved by the Yearly Meeting Superintendent.

[back to top]