Faith and Practice
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Part II: The Form of Government
Chapter 2—General Organization
Section 1—The Local Meeting
D. New Work and New Meetings
1. Opening a New Work
A new work may be entered upon by a local meeting through its Outreach Ministries Committee in conjunction with the Spiritual Life Ministries Committee, or by the Yearly Meeting Board for Outreach Ministries. When a person or a group desires to initiate a new work, the authorization of one of these bodies should first be secured.
2. Mission Points
Unless organized by a substantial group of Friends from a local meeting (see 3. Extension Meetings, below), a religious work in its first phase, duly authorized and carried on by Friends leadership, is designated as a mission point. It may consist of a Sunday school, a prayer meeting, a Bible study class, or a preaching point, utilizing such facilities as a home, a school, or a church building. Very little organization is necessary since all of its affairs are to be administered by the parent meeting.
3. Extension Meetings
When a mission point has developed to the place where it appears to the initiating body that it possesses the potential of a local meeting, that body petitions the Yearly Meeting Board of Outreach Ministries to organize it as an extension meeting. The Board, at its discretion, may do so by guiding the mission point congregation into a simple but functional organization, involving the appointment of individuals among its own members to handle local affairs.
When a substantial group of Friends from established meetings, normally members living in an area more or less remote from established meetings, wishes to form a new congregation with extension meeting status, they may make contact with a conveniently situated local meeting or with the Yearly Meeting Board of Outreach Ministries and follow the same procedure as outlined above.
The Board of Outreach Ministries is responsible, after due consultation with the local congregation and the General Superintendent, to select and call the pastor and maintain general supervision over the extension meeting. Such supervision implies no financial obligation on its part other than that which it may voluntarily assume. The Board may petition a local meeting, preferably the initiating body, to share in the sponsorship of the congregation, with or without financial obligation. Friends and others may become members of the extension meeting through regular procedure (see Section 1: Active Membership). They then enjoy dual membership, being listed separately as non-resident members by the parent meeting (but not included in statistical reporting) and as participating members by the extension meeting. The Clerk of the extension meeting notifies the Clerk of the parent meeting concerning reception of members and transfer of members to other meetings.
Once duly established in accordance with the procedures outlined above, the extension meeting appoints its own officers and committees annually thereafter, subject to the approval of the Yearly Meeting Board of Outreach Ministries. The extension meeting appoints annually one member of its Executive Council to the Yearly meeting Representative Body, reporting same to the Yearly Meeting Presiding Clerk. Annually, it prepares a statistical report like all local meetings.
The extension meeting is responsible for its proportionate share of the financial support of the Yearly Meeting program through the annual budget on the same terms as those which apply to the local meetings.
All property rights involved in connection with an extension meeting are vested in the Yearly Meeting through its Board of Trustees or in some incorporated meeting within the same state. Projects for buying, building, and remodeling are to be submitted to the proper agencies of the Yearly Meeting and their approval secured before action is taken (see 5. Board of Stewardship Ministries.)
4. New Local Meetings
An extension meeting may request the sponsoring body to take proper steps toward its establishment as a new local meeting. Likewise, the sponsoring meeting may take the initiative, making sure to secure the concurrence of the extension meeting. When such action has been approved by the local meeting, it sends its proposition to the Yearly Meeting Board of Outreach Ministries, stating when and where the business sessions of the new meeting are to be held.
Upon approval by the Board, the extension meeting is so notified, and upon receiving this notification is authorized to proceed with full organization as a local meeting, thus coming under the counsel of the Yearly Meeting Board of Spiritual Life Ministries rather than the Board of Outreach Ministries (see 3. Board of Spiritual Life Ministries).
5. Union of Churches
When it is proposed that two or more local or extension meetings, or a local and an extension meeting, unite or consolidate to form one new local meeting, the proposal is given full and careful consideration by the meetings involved. When, after consultation with the General Superintendent, each of them has taken official action to approve the union, the General Superintendent carries their request to the Yearly Meeting Board of Spiritual Life Ministries. If one or both of the meetings is an extension meeting, the Board of Spiritual Life Ministries shall obtain the concurrence of the Board of Outreach Ministries. When sanction has been secured, the meetings proceed to unify their business sessions, their officers and committees, their services, and their holdings at the time and in the manner which seems best to them in their situation. They consult with the Yearly Meeting Board of Trustees in regard to proper adjustment or disposal of real estate and other assets. The united meeting chooses the site and facilities best adapted to its need, and the name by which it is officially to be known. Membership of both meetings is transferred en masse to the new united meeting. If the constituent meetings were located in different Yearly Meeting areas, the new meeting petitions the Yearly Meeting for affiliation with the area of its choice.
6. Nomenclature
The word “Friends” is to be included in the naming of a work in any phase.
7. New Yearly Meetings
When a group of churches wish to be set off and established as a new yearly meeting, they inform the Yearly Meeting of their desire and of their concurrence in the proposal. The Yearly Meeting then considers the advisability of such action and renders a decision in view of all the facts involved. If action is favorable and a new yearly meeting is to be established, the Yearly Meeting appoints a committee, not to exceed ten in number, to attend the opening of such yearly meeting with the minute of the Yearly Meeting establishing it. This committee inaugurates sessions in accordance with the form of organization of the existing Yearly Meeting.
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