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Chapter V
FRIENDS UNITED MEETING
Preface

            The Five Years Meeting of Friends, while convened in Richmond, Indiana, October 19-25, 1950, authorized an official statement for its own organization and procedure. In keeping with that action a chapter on Five Years Meeting of Friends Business Procedure was printed in the FAITH AND PRACTICE which was subsequently issued. The 1955 session of Five Years Meeting made changes in procedure which were noted in the 1957 edition of FAITH AND PRACTICE. Further changes came in the wake of the 1960, 1963 and 1966 sessions, which were incorporated in the 1966 edition of FAITH AND PRACTICE.

            An outstanding action of the 1960 session was the approval of triennial sessions and the setting of the next session in 1963 on a trial basis. The triennial sessions were approved as a regular procedure in the 1963 session.

            Recommendations for a new name were considered and action was taken in 1963 as follows: "It was approved to ask the Executive Council to choose a name and it was empowered to act." (Minute 67, p. 81).

            The Executive Committee of the Executive Council in the council sessions of March, 1965 recommended the name "Friends United Meeting." The Council (Minute 65 E 22-A) took the action: "Friends United Meeting was approved, and the Executive Committee was directed to follow through on necessary adjustments and legal procedures...." The final legal steps required were taken in the July, 1966 sessions.

            The Triennial Sessions held in July, 1972 authorized rewriting this Chapter in FAITH AND PRACTICE in order to incorporate the changes in structure and business procedure effected by the reorganization authorized by the Triennial Sessions in 1969.

 

 

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Triennial Sessions

Membership   Friends United Meeting is composed of members of fifteen constituent Yearly Meetings: Baltimore, California, Canadian, Cuba, East Africa, Indiana,  Iowa, Jamaica, Nebraska, New England, New York, North Carolina, Southeastern, Western and Wilmington.

Jurisdiction     Friends United Meeting shall have

full jurisdiction over all matters delegated to it by the constituent Yearly Meetings. It shall have advisory supervision of the interests of the Yearly Meetings and shall publish a complete record of its proceedings for their information.

Fiscal Year      The fiscal year of the Friends United Meeting shall be the calendar year with a grace period of ten days.

Sessions          The time and place for holding the sessions of Friends United Meeting shall be designated by the minute of its own adjournment or by the General Board.

Representatives Each Yearly Meeting is entitled to

appoint five representatives and one additional representa­tive for each one thousand members or major fraction thereof. Vacancies in the quota of any one Yearly Meeting may be filled by action of that Yearly Meeting, or by its representatives at the Triennial session. The representatives may participate in a travel pool.

            The Clerks and/or Assistant Clerks of Friends United Meeting shall be the Clerks of the Representative Body.

            Major matters and proposals shall be considered by the Representative Body before they are presented for action in the General Meeting. Routine procedural matters shall be acted upon by the Representative Body and reported to the General Meeting which reserves the right to approve, disapprove or reconsider.

Nominating Committee                     Each Yearly Meeting shall name one of its Representatives to serve on the Nominating Committee and another to serve on the New Business Committee. These Committees serve the Representative Body only during the Triennial Sessions. The

 

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Nominating Committee makes recommendations to the Representative Body for Clerks, Trustees and the Treasurer. It makes other recommendations as directed by the Clerk or by the Representative Body.

New Business Committee      The New Business Committee screens and channels new items of business either to the Representative Body or to the Clerk, as may be appropriate.

Clerks The Presiding, Assistant Presiding, Recording, Assistant Recording, Reading and Announcing Clerks shall be named early in the sessions and shall take their positions as Clerks at the end of the sessions, continuing through the triennium and through the following sessions, when their successors will be appointed. In the absence of one or more Clerks, nominations for temporary appointments shall be made by the Nominating Committee of the Representative Body.

The Clerks shall receive correspondence from the Yearly Meetings, the General Board, affiliated groups or concerned Friends, which shall then be referred to the appropriate bodies.

Referrals         The Clerk, or the Representative Body, may refer appropriate matters to the General Board or to the proper Commission of the Friends United Meeting.

Appeals           Those presenting new proposals may appeal to the Representative Body if not satisfied with the channels used by the Clerks or the New Business Committee.

Organization and Functions

General Board Authority        In the interim between Triennial Sessions, the General Board is the responsible body and legal representative of the Friends United Meeting. It shall have the authority and responsibil­ity to act for Friends United Meeting between Triennial Sessions.

            The General Board shall report to the Representative Body of the Friends United Meeting in triennial session. Its report shall include its recommendations for the appoint­ment of the General Secretary, the Associate General Secretaries and the Editor of QUAKER LIFE. These

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appointments shall be considered by the Representative Body before they are presented for action by the Friends United Meeting in triennial session. The General Board is authorized to fill vacancies in these positions or among the Clerks, if they occur during the interim between sessions.

General Board Composition        The General Board shall consist of members appointed as follows:

            Yearly Meeting appointments                 -29 (may vary)

            Presiding and Assistant

            Presiding Clerks                                    - 2

            Recording Clerk                                    - 1

            Chairman of Commissions                      - 3

            U.S.F.W. appointment                           - 1

            Quaker Men appointment                       - 1

            Treasurer                                              - 1

            Trustees appointment                             - 1

            Young Friends appointments                  - 3

                                                                        42

            The formula for Yearly Meeting appointments to the General Board is:

            Membership -    3,000 or less - one appointee

                                    3,001 to 10,000 - two appointees

                                    10,001 and over - three appointees

            The General Secretary, Associate General Secretaries, and Editor of QUAKER LIFE are resource members of the General Board. At the discretion of the General Board, resource members may serve on any committee but the Personnel Committee.

The FUM Recording Clerk is a member and recording secretary of the General Board.

            Yearly Meetings shall make their appointments to the General Board and Commissions during the year preceding the Friends United Meeting Triennial Sessions, and they shall take office at the first session of the respective bodies following these Sessions. Appointments to fill vacancies shall take office at the first meeting of their respective bodies following the appointment by their Yearly Meeting.

            The Young Friends members of the General Board are to be appointed by the Chairman of the Meeting Ministries Commission in consultation with this Commission until such time as a Friends United Meeting Young Friends

 

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organization might come into existence. If such an organization should materialize, then the organization would appoint the Young Friends representatives.

            The United Society of Friends Women and National Quaker Men each shall appoint one person to each Commission, and from those appointed to the Commissions shall choose one from each organization to serve on the General Board.

            The Presiding Clerk of the Friends United Meeting shall serve as the Clerk of the General Board. In his absence the Assistant Presiding Clerk shall preside. When the Presiding Clerk is reporting he shall yield his presiding role to the Assistant Presiding Clerk.

            The General Board shall have four regular internal Committees: Executive Committee, Personnel Committee, Priorities and Budget Committee, and Nominating Commit­tee.

 

Executive Committee of General Board

            The Executive Committee of the General Board shall be made up of eight members all of whom are mem­bers of the General Board: Presiding Clerk, Assistant Presiding Clerk, General Secretary, Commission Chairmen and two members-at-large shall represent different Yearly Meetings and shall be appointed for terms of three years by the General Board at the first meeting following the Triennial Sessions of Friends United Meeting.

            This Committee shall assume responsibility for active counsel with and guidance of the General Secretary. It shall have authority to act for the General Board within limits as prescribed by the General Board and shall make a full report thereto.

            The members of this Committee should be willing and able to meet at least five times a year.

Personnel Committee of the  General Board            The Personnel Committee of the General Board shall have the re­sponsibility for screening and recommending to the General Board names for those to serve as General Secretary, Associate General Secretaries and Editor of QUAKER LIFE. It shall work in close consultation with the General Secretary, the

 

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Executive Committee and the Commissions and shall present its recommendations to the General Board. It shall review periodically all personnel policies applying to the total staff and shall recommend changes to the General Board. The basic salary structure shall be reviewed by this Committee and salary recommendations shall be sent to the Priorities and Budget Committee for budget preparation.

            This Committee shall be made up of five appointees from the General Board broadly representative of the interest of Friends United Meeting, and shall serve for three years.

Priorities and The Priorities and Budget Committee           Budget Commit­tee of the General Board shall be of the General Board composed of: The General Secretary and Associate General Secretaries, Treasurer of Friends United Meeting and the three Yearly Meeting representa­tives, clerks or committee chairmen, to be named by the General Board. From the ongoing and projected needs of the Commissions it shall prepare the budget for review by the Executive Committee and approval by the General Board.

 

            The five steps in developing the budget are:

            1. Prepared by the Priorities and Budget Committee

            2. Reviewed by the Executive Committee

            3. Approved by the General Board

             4. Interpreted by the General Services Commission

             5. Implemented by the Commissions and their staffs

 

Nominating Committee of the General Board           At its first meeting following the Triennial Sessions of Friends United Meeting the General Board shall appoint from its membership five persons to serve for a three year term as a Nominating Committee.

            The Nominating Committee of the General Board shall present names to the General Board for its approval: two members-at-large to serve on the Executive Committee, the five members of the Personnel Committee, the three Yearly Meeting executives, clerks or committee chairmen to serve on the Priorities and Budget Committee, and the chairmen of these committees. It shall also make other nominations for

 

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appointments as directed by the General Board.

 

 Commissions and their Functions

            In cooperation with the General and Associate General Secretaries, and under broad policies established by the General Board, the Commissions shall delineate their areas of service, study and recommend priorities, and appoint such task groups, project units or ad hoc committees as are found necessary to carry out their responsibilities, and suggest staff, financial support and arrangements needed therefor. Each Commission shall name a Chairman, Vice Chairman and such other officers as may be required to carry out their responsibilities.

Meeting Ministries Commission       This Commission focuses its energies on those services which are designed to facilitate Monthly and Yearly Meetings in their ministries. Concerns relating to curriculum and leadership development, Meeting growth, social and ethical issues, youth, family life and creative aging are illustrative of the appropriate agenda considerations of the Meeting Ministries Commission.

Wider Ministries Commission           The concerns of this Commission focus largely on educational and program activities designed to encour­age Monthly and Yearly Meetings in two ways: to reach out beyond themselves and to provide programs for channeling their outreach ministries. Besides administration of outreach ministries some of which are in cooperation with some of our constituent Yearly Meetings, this Commission seeks to enable the development of new Meetings and new creative ministries in areas of special human need. Such programs or projects may have quite varied objectives. But whether their chief accent is on education, proclamation, social concerns, leadership development, health, agriculture or economics, they have a common undergirding assumption. It is that the Christian mission calls Friends to reach out beyond themselves in ministry to the whole of life wherever a need may be found and wherever Friends sense through a corporate leading that they may make a contribution.

 

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General Services Commission           This Commission encompasses the business and office administration of the Friends United Meeting. In

this sense it provides a supportive role and back-up role for the ministries of the other two Commissions. General Services Commission assumes major responsibilities for interpretation and promotion, publishing, Friends United Press, Bookstore services, curriculum promotion and sales, accounting, office management, and oversight of our national group pension and health insurance programs. In 1969 the Friends United Meeting inaugurated a new retirement plan designed to provide more appropriate benefits to the retired than did our earlier plan established in 1945. The new plan, in contract with Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, is designed for pastors and other employees of Monthly and Yearly Meetings and others employed by any Quaker organization or agency. Minimum eligibility requirements include an annual minimum salary and specify that the participant be under age 70. The Plan is managed by the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company and is under the supervision of a five-member Pension Committee which reports to the Business Manage­ment sub-committee of the General Services Commission.

            The Pension Committee consists of five members appointed by the General Board of Friends United Meeting. Inquiries may be directed to the Pension Committee at the Friends Central Offices in Richmond, Indiana.

            National Friends Insurance Trust - in order to provide for sharing medical treatment expenses at a moderate cost the Friends United Meeting offers a group plan open to all employees of Monthly and Yearly Meetings and others employed by Quaker organizations and agencies. This Health, Hospitalization and Major Medical coverage includes life insurance on the employee, plus accidental death benefit. Single and family memberships are available. Responsibility for this insurance program is lodged with the Business Management sub-committee of the General Services Commission.

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Composition of Commissions

            Yearly Meeting appointments -

Membership - 3,000 or less

            - one to General Services Commission

- one to Meeting Ministries Commission - one to Wider Ministries Commission

            3,001 to 10,000

            one to General Services Commission

- three to Meeting Ministries Commission three to Wider Ministries Commission

            10,001 or over

            - one to General Services Commission

- four to Meeting Ministries Commission - four to Wider Ministries Commission

Other appointments:

            The United Society of Friends Women shall appoint one person to each of the three Commissions. Quaker Men shall also appoint one person to each of the three Commissions. Young Friends shall have one representative on each of the three Commissions to be appointed by the Meeting Ministries Commission until such time as a Friends United Meeting Young Friends organization shall materialize. (see section on General Board Composition).

            For information concerning terms and time of Yearly Meeting appointments to Commissions see same section.

            In making appointments to Commissions it is suggested that Yearly Meetings give careful consideration to those named so that the areas of function of the Yearly Meeting are fairly represented in their Commission appointments. Yearly Meeting appointments shall be for a term of three years and should coincide with the Triennial year of Friends United Meeting. It is suggested that terms of Yearly Meeting appointees be limited to two consecutive triennial terms.

            At present, time, distance and travel costs preclude regular participation by East Africa Yearly Meeting in full quota representation. By utilizing EAYM members in the United States it is hoped that EAYM might fill its full quota (3) on the General Board as frequently as possible and that at least one representative might serve on each Commission.

 

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            Yearly Meetings shall first appoint members to serve on the Commissions and shall then choose from among Commission appointees those to serve on the General Board.

            Members of the General Board who are not serving on Commissions as well as other Friends are invited to meet with the Commission of their preference as guests and observers.

            Administrative Staff    The appointment of the General Secretary, Associate General Secre­taries and the Editor of QUAKER LIFE shall be made by the Friends United Meeting in its Triennial Sessions. They shall administer the work of the Friends United Meeting.

            a. GENERAL SECRETARY: The person in this office serves as the Executive of the Friends United Meeting. He shall be responsible to the General Board. The General Secretary, in addition to his executive functions, has field responsibilities with freedom to travel among Friends, visiting Yearly Meetings, attending conferences and giving inspiration and encouragement to Friends wherever a way opens. He is a resource member of all Boards and Commissions and Committees of Friends United Meeting.

            b. ASSOCIATE GENERAL SECRETARIES: The Asso­ciate General Secretaries shall assist the General Secretary and may be assigned by the General Secretary to meet with the Commissions and to carry out specific duties in the area of a particular Commission's responsibility.

            c. EDITOR of QUAKER LIFE: The Editor of QUAKER LIFE shall be responsible for producing QUAKER LIFE, the preparation and distribution of regular news releases to the Yearly Meetings, and such other duties as may be designated by the General Board and the General Secretary.

            d. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS: The General Secretary shall be responsible for the appointment and assignment of administrative assistants.

 

Property and Financial Interests

Trustees         The Board of Trustees shall hold and administer such property as Friends United Meeting shall place in its custody and shall have the management of annuity, trust and endowment funds given for the use of the Friends United Meeting or one of its Commissions,

 

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Committees or programs.

            The Board shall consist of seven members chosen for periods of six years, three to be selected at one triennial session and four at the next. They shall be appointed by Friends United Meeting upon the recommendation of the Nominating Committee of the Representative Body. In keeping with Quaker ideals of service and the distribution of responsibility, the service of Trustees should not extend beyond the limit of twelve consecutive years, not counting the filling of unexpired terms.

 

The Friends Extension Corporation Friends Extension Corporation serves to offer financial assistance through loans and small grants to new fellowship groups preparing to establish a Friends Meeting and to existing Friends Meetings planning to extend their physical facilities. Consideration is also given for financial assistance to Friends retirement homes, camps, conference grounds and educational buildings. The Corpora­tion solicits funds and property from individuals, Meetings and Trustee groups who wish to invest in this program of extending the witness and work of Friends.

            The membership of the Friends Extension Corporation Board of Directors shall consist of the Chairman of the Wider Ministries Commission, the Chairman of the Meeting Ministries Commission, two Associate General Secretaries to be named by the General Secretary, Friends United Meeting Treasurer, one member designated by FUM Trustees and three members at large to be appointed by the General Board.

            The Executive Committee shall conduct interim business delegated to it by its Board. The Committee consists of the four officers and one other Director appointed by the chairman.

Treasurer        The Treasurer shall be appointed by Friends United Meeting upon the recommendation of the Nominating Committee of the Representative Body.

United Services Budget         The United Services Budget is a financial system by which the work of the Commissions is sup­ported. It is raised by the Yearly Meetings on a voluntary

 

 

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basis.

Assessment Budget   The permanent expenses for the administration of Friends United Meeting and the operation of the Central Offices are provided through per capital giving by the Yearly Meetings to the Assessment Budget.

Expense Pool  Expenses for travel of the designated number of representatives to and from the sessions of Friends United Meeting shall be paid by the Yearly Meetings (see section on Representatives). To equalize these expenses, a pool shall be arranged whereby each Yearly Meeting shall pay the expenses of its quota of representa­tives according to the average expenses of all the representatives in attendance. Details in connection with the pool shall be determined by the General Board.

            When the Travel Pool is inadequate to cover the expense of the representatives to the Triennial Sessions, the Yearly Meetings shall make such financial arrangements as may be necessary to ensure their proper representation at the Sessions.

 

Membership of Yearly Meetings       Upon the approval of the Meetings involved, Friends United Meeting may establish a new Yearly Meeting by setting off a portion of an existing Yearly Meeting, or portions of two or more Yearly Meetings, or upon the request of a group of new Meetings.

            Applications for membership in Friends United Meeting received from Yearly Meetings already established will be considered on an individual basis.

Yearly Meetings on Mission Field    The Wider Ministries Commission shall inform Friends United Meeting when the organization of a Yearly Meeting is proposed on any of its mission fields. Friends United Meeting shall carefully consider the proposition and, if it deem it advisable, shall establish the new Yearly Meeting. Such Yearly Meetings shall be constituent members of Friends United Meeting but shall not necessarily be expected to assume the financial and representative responsibilities required of other Yearly Meetings.

 

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Relationship to Interdenominational Agencies         All Commissions shall seek and I maintain cooperation with such church affiliated agencies as may best serve to increase the range and effectiveness of their work.

Associated Organizations

            There are several groups that are closely associated with the Friends United Meeting, some of which are represented on our Boards or Commissions. (Others share in the concerns and activities while not officially identified with the Friends United Meeting). They are classified as Affiliated, Cooperative or Ecumenical Relationships.

a. Affiliated organizations include the United Society of Friends Women and the National Quaker Men. They ap­point representatives to the three Commissions and the General Board. They share in the discussion of business matters and in the decisions made.

b. Cooperative organizations are those that are made up largely of Friends and whose interests and concerns paral­lel or supplement the work of the Friends United Meeting. They are welcome to attend Commissions and General Board sessions as observers at their own expense. An ob­server has the privilege to speak but may not enter into the decision making.

c. Ecumenical organizations are those that promote Chris­tian fellowship and service through national or interna­tional structures. These so identified are the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, as well as the State and local Councils of Churches. They may attend the General Board and Commission sessions by request as observers at their own expense. The General Board may make appointments to these organizations in response to requests from them.

United Society            of Friends Women      The United Society of Friends Women has as its principal objective the unification and correlation of the activities and concerns of all women in their Meetings in one inclusive organization with a view to an enlarged program of study and giving. As a part of this approach to their task the

 

 

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name of the organization was changed in 1948 from the Women's Missionary Union to its present name. The United Society includes the women's societies in the following Yearly Meetings: Baltimore, California, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New England, New York, North Carolina,- .Western, Wilmington, Jamaica and East Africa Yearly Meeting.

 

National Quaker Men            The Quaker Men movement among Friends started essentially as a local Meeting enterprise, later becoming a Yearly Meeting and Friends United Meeting movement. It seeks to enlist the manpower of its membership for effective service through the local Meeting. With a background of development in several Yearly Meetings, the Quaker Men organization of Friends United Meeting was formed during the sessions of 1950. This organization promotes and supports special projects for which the local Meetings, Yearly Meetings and Friends United Meeting are concerned.

 

American Friends Service Committee          The American Friends Service Committee is a channel for service in a wide range of humanitarian activities at home and abroad through which many Friends in Friends United Meeting may express their convictions in relief and service. Its membership includes representatives of many of the constituent Yearly Meetings of Friends United Meeting.

Friends            Committee on National Legislation   The Friends Committee on National       Legislation, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., seeks to relate Friends principles to current nation­al policy. Through meetings and literature, the F.C.N.L. informs Friends on matters pertinent to Friends beliefs and provides a channel for action. It seeks to work with legislators and administrative officers for those laws which will help to make a peaceful world. The Executive Board of the F.C.N.L. is made up of Friends many representing constituent Yearly Meetings of the Friends United Meeting.

Friends World Consultation for Consultation            The Friends World Committee for Committee has headquarters in London, England and offices in the United States at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Plainfield,

 

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Indiana. Other offices are located in Edinburgh, Scotland and Nairobi, Kenya. The Friends World Committee seeks to nurture the spiritual life and growth of the world-wide community of Friends through literature, conferences, inter-visitation and outreach. It is composed of representa­tives from Yearly Meetings around the world. Its purpose is to strengthen in Friends the sense of unity and inter­dependence and to enable Friends to take their place in the development of a world Christian community.

National Council of Churches            The National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America is an organization whose object is to manifest the essential oneness of the Christian Churches of America in Jesus Christ as their Divine Lord and Savior and to promote the spirit of fellowship, service, and cooperation among them. Friends United Meeting is a constituent member represented in the organization. The General Board may make appointments to the National Council of Churches as requested by this body.

 

World Council of Churches    The World Council of Churches is an organization of like purpose to the above, but world-wide in scope. It is basically, "A fellowship of Churches which accept our Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior." Friends were represented at the Advisory Conference in 1938, which drafted the Constitution of the proposed Council, and in 1940 the Five Years Meeting approved the proposal of membership in the World Council of Churches in this statement: "The Five Years Meeting of Friends in America wholeheartedly accepts the invitation to join the World Council of Churches. Our central interest is to affirm our absolute loyalty to Jesus Christ as Head of the Church and to express the spirit of love, the power of truth, and the promotion of vital religion of life." The General Board may make appointments to the World Council of Churches as requested by that ecumenical body.

 

Amending, Revising Discipline          Propositions for amendment or revision of these procedures may originate with a Yearly Meeting, or with Friends United Meeting, or its General Board. These provisions may be considered as administrative procedure of Friends United Meeting and may be amended or revised by that body at its triennial session.