The reason for this is this. In 1990, feeling led to write a book of Bible-based earth stewardship when I was at the time actively hostile to the Bible and Christianity, I sought oversight from my rather small meeting, knowing that I might get into trouble. At first, my meeting didn’t know what I was talking about, and, after a second meeting, I was told to rely on my editor. They didn’t get that I needed spiritual support during the process, not editorial support afterwards. “We can’t tell you what to think,” they said.

I felt burned and bereft, and never went back to a meeting for support and oversight again, even though my sense of calling kept branching out into new areas, leading me into other ministries.

Then I moved to Philadelphia and joined Central Philadelphia Meeting. One of the reasons—the main reason, really—was that CPM has a Gifts and Leadings committee explicitly charged with supporting Quaker ministry. It is the only meeting I have ever heard of that has a settled and effective infrastructure for nurturing and overseeing ministry. And this committee anchors a broader culture of eldership in the meeting. The membership knows there’s such a thing as a leading into service and the meeting knows what to do about it when such callings arise.

And they can be proactive, not just responsive to requests for support from their ministers. I moderate a weekly Bible study online and a couple of our regular attenders serve on Gifts and Leadings. They brought this particular ministry to the committee and the committee has asked me whether I want support. I now have the informal support of a small group of Friends and a minute will come before the meeting for approval of more formal support. I cannot say what a wonderful gift this is.

Quaker spirituality has two faces. One face looks inward with the personally transformative power of standing still in the Light, the spirituality of inward listening for God’s guidance, grace, forgiveness, healing, renewal, inspiration, and fulfillment. The other face looks outward. When we sink down in the Seed, when we abide in the Spirit’s love, this bears fruit in the form of ministry—service on behalf of the Holy Spirit to heal the hurts of others, to mend the world, and to witness to Truth.

Nurturing these two faces of Quaker spirituality is, I believe, the primary mission of our meetings. Meetings that do not recognize and support calls to ministry/service leave at least half of their charge as meetings unfulfilled.

I know it’s not easy. Meetings have other things to do. And it takes a deeper knowledge of the Quaker way than some meetings possess, let alone members with the gifts of eldership that such support really needs. But I suspect that these gifts of eldership are there in very many meetings; they just lie dormant, only awaiting some will to service and experimentation. All that’s really needed is care, wanting to support each other. It will feel awkward at first, and mistakes will be made, but faith and practice will carry one through.

Fostering the knowledge of this aspect of Quaker spirituality and raising up these kinds of gifts is, in fact, one of my ministries. My calling is born out of my own experience, both the negative and the positive. It is why I am replying to your post, Martin, for which I am so grateful, and also for Windy Cooler’s article. Thank you for pointing me to it!