In the very early days of the Quaker movement, there was no clearly defined membership, and anyone who attended the Meetings of Friends and appeared to be “convinced of the truth” was regarded as a Friend. For various reasons, however, it soon became necessary for Membership to be more clearly defined. Today, Membership is open to anyone who feels a strong resonance with the Society’s core beliefs, testimonies and practices, and who finds spiritual support and satisfaction in Meeting for Worship. An application must be made for membership. To this day, those who are accepted into membership after making such an application are referred to as “convinced Friends.”

You should not consider making an application for formal Membership of the Society until you have attended a number of Meetings and become familiar with our worship, principles and practices. Some details of the process are given in the following paragraphs.

Become a Regular Attender

The first step in joining with Quakers is to begin attending Meetings for Worship. Most Meetings have a sizeable number of ‘Attenders’, people who are not in Membership, but come regularly to Meeting. Many ‘Attenders’ never become Members but nevertheless find a full role in the Meeting.

You will slowly get to know who is who and who performs what duties – Elders, who look after the spiritual life of the Meeting; Overseers, whose main concern is pastoral care of those who are part of the Meeting community; the Correspondent, who reads the notices; the Clerk, who organises the Business Meetings (who may also be the Correspondent); and others.

Members and Attenders can participate equally in Meeting for Worship. In addition, Members and Attenders can serve on most Quaker committees and participate in most business meetings with equal status.

Learn About, and Try to Live by, Quaker Principles

Spend time learning about the ways of Friends. Consider the Quaker Testimonies and Advices and Queries, and try to apply them to your daily life. You might find it helpful to read Quaker literature and participate in Quaker discussion groups, retreats or courses, to help you learn more about Quaker history and Quaker concerns today.

Try to help out with the running of the Meeting – this could be something simple, like helping to set things up or clear them away, or bringing something for tea/coffee after Meeting. You might wish to attend some local Business Meetings in order to learn more about your Meeting and get to know and understand Quaker Business Methods. It also may be a good idea to have attended Meeting for Worship at more than one Meeting, to ensure that your perception of the Society is not based entirely on experience with one particular Meeting.

Talk with experienced Friends

Before applying for Membership, you might find it helpful to talk with experienced Members of the Meeting you usually attend, or with an Elder or Overseer. They will do their best to guide you and advise you about timing, and discuss your hopes and doubts in an informal and confidential way, and may suggest material for you to read. You should feel quite free to raise the matter of your interest in applying – some Friends may be reluctant to bring up the question with you themselves, for fear that they will appear to be pressing you to join. 

Why become a member?

Membership is the outward sign of a personal involvement with and desire to support a community of people who have no binding creed, but who share convictions about the purpose and meaning of life. It shows that, though the religious path is an intensely individual one, it is one where it is impossible to “go it alone” – because we all need both to give and to receive loving care and support on our spiritual journeys. Being a member of the Religious Society of Friends involves the sharing of loving care, and a sharing of responsibility.

When should I apply for membership?

There are no set requirements that must be met for you to apply for Membership. You should be familiar with the Religious Society of Friends, its way of worship, its core beliefs, its testimonies and its aspirations. This will mean attending Meeting for Worship over an appreciable period, perhaps a year or more, and participating in some other Quaker activities.

Before applying for membership, you could ask yourself questions such as these:

• Has the Meeting for Worship based on silence become an important part of my life? Have I explored the variety of Friends by going to Meetings for Worship other than my own?

• Do I feel a resonance with the Quaker Testimonies – Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Equality? How do I respond to the challenges of the Advices and Queries?

• Have I learned about the Christian roots and the history of the Society?

• Am I prepared to do my part to help with the jobs which are essential in a group which has no paid leaders or staff? Am I willing to contribute financially to the extent that I am able? Am I willing to be a friend to the other people in my Meeting, in the broadest sense of that word?

One question that you need not ask yourself is: ‘Am I good enough to be a Quaker?’ The Society of Friends is not a body of ultra-virtuous people – Membership is not based on worthiness, but instead on an openness to ongoing spiritual growth and development.

Applying for Membership

If you have decided to apply for membership, this is how you go about it.

Write to the Clerk of your Monthly Meeting. If you do not know their name and address ask any Member of your Meeting, for example, the person who gives the notices after Meeting. It is fine to send your letter of application by email. It is helpful to Monthly Meeting if you give a few details about yourself, your experience with Quakers, and your reasons for seeking membership.

Your application will be on the Agenda for the next Monthly Meeting. The Monthly Meeting will arrange for two Friends to visit with you and talk over your application. This is not an ‘examination’ – it is to discuss your experience, motivations and expectations, and to give you a chance to ask any questions you may have. Hopefully it will be an interesting and enjoyable visit for you all. The visitors will then tell the next Monthly Meeting about the visit, and the decision of the Monthly Meeting about your Membership will be conveyed to you as soon as possible after that.

If you become a member, your Meeting will be very happy. But if you decide that, at the moment, Membership is not for you, there is no less of a welcome for you in your Meeting.

So, you have become a member!

Now that you are a Member, you are eligible to serve in a wider range of capacities at the Monthly Meeting, Quarterly Meeting and Yearly Meeting level. When thinking about roles you might take on, Nominations Committees will aim to take into consideration what they know of your talents and interests.

As a member, you can become more involved in furthering Quaker spiritual values and various causes connected with the Quaker testimonies. Members are often involved in helping to keep the Society functioning well, furthering Quaker concerns, and providing the foundation for much of what the Society of Friends stands for. By becoming a member, you express a desire to support Quaker ideals and work, though what aspects of that work you may become involved in varies from person to person.