Structure of the Religious Society of Friends
Friends Meetings:
Groups of Friends are called "Meetings".
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) throughout the world are divided into autonomous Yearly Meetings, with differing customs and practices. There is no central authority, although a committee in London, Friends World Committee for Consultation, has a coordinating role. As the name suggests Yearly Meetings gather once a year primarily to conduct business relating to the whole group. The Religious Society of Friends in Aotearoa New Zealand is a non-hierarchical organisation, having no ministers, creed or dogma.
Worship Groups
The fundamental unit of the Society is the Worship Group. These gather for worship on a regular basis, normally each Sunday but smaller worship groups may meet fortnightly or monthly, and for a few not on Sunday. Our Meetings for Worship are unprogrammed. Some Quaker groups in other parts of the world have regular pastors and programmed Meetings.
Monthly Meetings
Worship Groups are organised into regional groups called Monthly Meetings. All the Worship Groups in an agreed region are part of the same Monthly Meeting. All Friends in each region are part of that Monthly Meeting, and are encouraged to attend the Meeting for Business which is held monthly. The Meeting for Business has a Clerk to facilitate and record the meetings decisions. There will also be a Treasurer and a number of other office holders for different functions. There are nine Monthly Meetings in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and one called a Recognised Meeting (Quakers in Nelson) which has more autonomy than Worship Groups but is still part of tis Monthly Meeting (Christchurch). The number of worship groups in each Monthly Meeting ranges from one to eight.
Members and Attenders
The people associated with each Monthly Meeting are referred to as either Members or Attenders. Members are those who have formally applied for and been accepted into membership with a particular Monthly Meeting. Attenders are those who attend Meeting for Worship but have not taken formal membership. Memebrs and Attenders are often collectively called Friends.
Aotearoa New Zealand Yearly Meeting
The term "Yearly Meeting" is used to describe both the corporate body of New Zealand Quakers, comprised of all the Monthly Meetings, and the actual annual business meeting. The annual gathering of the Yearly Meeting rotates around the New Zealand between the North adn South Island to make travelling to attend more equitable. There are a number of appointments, usually for a three year term, to Yearly Meeting positions, such as Clerk, Treasurer and various committees. At the actual business Meeting (Yearly Meeting), we write an Epistle, summarising what went on at our annual Meeting and how we felt about it.
Common abbreviations:
YM refers to Yearly Meeting; MM refers to Monthly Meeting; WG to Worship Group.
ANZ refers to Aotearoa New Zealand e.g. ANZYM
The monthly Meetings are also often given a two letter abbreviation:
- NT Northern MM
- MNI Mid North Island MM
- TN Taranaki MM
- WG Whanganui MM
- PN Palmerston North MM
- KP Kapiti MM
- WN Wellington MM
- CH Christchurch MM
- DN Denedin MM