The need for a book describing Intermountain Yearly
Meeting rose out of the same impulse toward order as was recognized during
the early years of the Religious Society of Friends. What early Friends called
a “book of discipline”* evolved from minutes describing guidelines that Friends
found enabled them to carry out actions consistent with their faith. It
described the basic framework of monthly, quarterly (or regional), and yearly
meetings set up by the founder, George Fox. Not long after its founding, the
Society realized that, in order to assess the health and progress of Friends,
certain information was needed. Focused questions, now called queries,
were formulated to gather this information. In 1791, the first advices were
adopted. Together, the advices and queries reminded Friends (and still
do) of the basic faith and principles held to be essential to the life and
witness of the Religious Society of Friends. This collection of materials, with
periodic revisions, served both as records and guides, never as rules or
creeds, and was open to change as times and society changed. A Quaker book of
discipline, also called a faith and practice, sets forth our current
understanding of how we are organized, what we believe, and how our lives bear
witness to what we believe.
Intermountain Yearly Meeting began in the 1960s, as
a fellowship of Friends. In 1974, it became a yearly meeting. Unlike other
yearly meetings, ours did not evolve as an outgrowth of a pre-existing yearly
meeting. Because it developed independently, it had no Faith and Practice to
guide its constituent monthly meetings. Between 1976 and 1979, Friends created
the Guide to Clerks and Monthly Meetings, which later became The
Guide for the Operations of Intermountain Yearly Meeting. In 1993,
Intermountain Yearly Meeting created a committee charged with developing a Faith
and Practice. In 1998, we adopted the 2nd edition
of North Pacific Meeting’s Faith and Practice (1993), pending
development of our own.
This present version, in response to the changes that have
occurred over time, attempts to describe Intermountain Yearly Meeting and
the Society of Friends both as we were and as we are now. Advices and
queries help us see if we are living our faith in Truth and ask us to be
honest with ourselves. At the same time, our Faith and Practice reminds
us of what joins us in the Spirit despite the great variety of ways Friends
experience and express that Spirit moving in, through, and among us in
the world. Such differences are valuable for the breadth and richness they
bring to our Society.
A word about the words we use: early Friends used words
that described their experience—seed and light come to mind. This
allowed both an openness and a precision that could easily have been lost if
they had prescribed or limited the words available to them. To strengthen the
understanding of our own experience, we look to the experience and
understanding of others. We listen as others describe their experiences in
their words, and work to describe our own experiences as best we can using our
own words. Language is precise when it opens doors and illuminates broad
vistas. Please feel free to interpret the language of this work in ways that
open up the world for you beyond the limits of your material senses.
This book explores the current practices and ways of living
of Intermountain Yearly Meeting Friends. It reminds us of what Quakers
believe and how they are to behave. It is not a book of prayer or
liturgy. Our Faith and Practice
- reflects
not our individuality but the spirit of our corporate body;
- shows
us how to live and act as Friends in our meetings;
- guides
and advises us as we seek our way through the confusions of our world;
- reminds
us that we are Friends and that we continue to be led by the inward
Spirit;
- directs
our actions as Friends in our communities;
- shows
our commonality despite the breadth and variety of our beliefs;
- helps
each of us, new to or familiar with Friends, to learn more about who we
are and how we do things;
- helps
us maintain order in practicing our faith;
- reminds
us of who we are and what it is that joins us in God’s spirit;
- declares
that we care about who we are and what we believe and consider it worth sharing.
It has been a long journey!
