Status: Draft Approved by Revision Committee: 4/29/06 Next step: To be presented at Sessions 2006 for preliminary approval. Download "Revisions to this Faith and Practice" 1 page, 82 KB, Adobe PDF format

Table of contents Preface Illustrative experiences of Friends Worship Corporate discernment Integration of faith and life Living our faith in the meeting community Living our faith in personal lives Living our faith in the world beyond the Meeting Organization A Brief History of Friends in New England Revisions to this Faith and Practice General Advices and Queries Glossary Appendices Acknowledgements Index Expanded table of contents

Preliminary note (not to be included in the revised book):  Since the Yearly Meeting does not have a functional set of By-Laws, Faith & Practice serves (among other things) as our By-Laws.  By-Laws always need a provision for how they can be revised.

    The Yearly Meeting at its annual session has sole authority to change or add to this book of Faith and Practice. 

    Proposals for changes to particular sections of Faith and Practice (like other Yearly Meeting business) may come to the Yearly Meeting business session either from a Yearly Meeting committee or from a quarterly meeting.  A monthly meeting wishing to propose revisions should bring a minute to its quarterly meeting, which after due consideration may forward it to the Yearly Meeting with its endorsement.

    If the Yearly Meeting business session approves an amendment, the revised or new text should be published with the minutes of that session.  The change takes provisional effect upon that first approval, and meetings and individuals are encouraged to use it for a year to gauge its practical effect and help Friends discern whether the change is rightly ordered.  The amendment must then come to a subsequent Yearly Meeting business session (normally in the subsequent year) for second and final approval. Copies of the revised text will then be made widely available in a form easily inserted into the printed book.

    From time to time the Yearly Meeting may see that it would be desirable to review and revise the entire book of Faith and Practice.  When this occurs, the Yearly Meeting shall establish an appropriate committee and define the scope of its work.  In any event, the text of any successor or replacement Faith and Practice must be approved at two annual sessions of the Yearly Meeting, and should be widely distributed throughout the Yearly Meeting during the revision and approval process.

Last Updated Saturday, July 19 2008 @ 09:50 PM EDT