4 Branches of Quakerism

Four Branches of the Religious Society of Friends(Quakers)

Present-day Quakers range from groups emphasizing belief in scriptural inerrancy and the divinity of Christ, to those with mystical and/or liberal tendencies where the doctrine of the universal Light is both extended, and primary—incarnational secondary, and the basic harmony of all deep religious experience asserted.

As with most other religions and their denominations, Friends were not impervious to the new ideas and schools of thought which abounded in the late eighteenth century, and individuals viewed what they saw as traditional Quakerism through the varying lenses of the Enlightenment, emerging liberalism and evangelical renewal. The “great separation” (Hicksite) of 1827-28 began in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting over the primacy of the role of the Inward Light in guiding individual faith and conscience, or the (Orthodox) protestant emphasis on Biblical authority and the atonement. Similar schisms rapidly followed in New York, Baltimore, New England and Canada. How has such diversity arisen? Brief specifics are given below.

Further schisms occurred during the period when many Americans were moving westward. The main connecting body of Orthodox Friends, then called Five Years Meeting, now known as Friends United Meeting, followed the lead of English Friend Joseph John Gurney into increasingly evangelical beliefs. This understanding, over time, led many meetings to adopt forms of worship very close to those of traditional Protestant churches.

The next division came as primarily New England Friends who resisted what they saw as the Gurneyite threat to traditional Quakerism, separated to form the a branch called Wilburite, Conservative, or Primitive honoring both worship in the sphere of silence and the primacy of Jesus.

The early twentieth century saw the most recent schism, as those who had been most deeply influenced by the Holiness revival and the fundamentalist movement split from Gurneyite yearly meetings (FUM), to form the final branch which has a strong evangelical emphases. These meetings, frequently called Friends Churches not Quaker Meetings, are most frequently found in either the southern or western states.

Almost simultaneously, as the latter schisms were taking place, other Friends were seeking reconciliation and reunification within the five yearly meetings in which the initial splits had first taken place. This process took half a century, but the merger of meetings which began on the local level in the 1930s reached fruition in 1955 through the reunification of four of the five yearly meetings: Baltimore, New York, New England and Philadelphia.

The twentieth century also saw the emergence of four broad confederations for the purpose of either service to, or support of their constituent yearly meetings. These are now known as Friends General Conference, Friends United Meeting, Wider Fellowship of Conservative Friends and Evangelical Friends Church International—roughly corresponding to Hicksite, Gurneyite, Conservative and Evangelical worship and structure.

Today, the world’s understanding of Quakers is multifaceted and continues to change. Each variety has many similar dimensions: religious faith, some forms of worship, community life and concern for traditional Quaker social testimonies. Those who attempt to divide Friends into categories of liberal versus conservative or programmed versus “unprogrammed” often find themselves surprised by the reality masked by any over simplistic approach. Quakers, as with any splits within religious boundaries, are often vague and subject to continual change.

The 4 branches

Evangelical Friends International (EFI)

This group is the most recently organized (with the Association of Evangelical Friends emerging in the 1940s and becoming known as Evangelical Friends Church International in the 1960s). These Friends take seriously George Fox’s admonition to “let all nations hear the word by sound or writing” and the Great Commission (Mt 28:19-20). Mission fields include Bolivia, Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Burundi, Rwanda, Rough Rock (Arizona), Nepal, the Philippines, Siberia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, and Indonesia.

Evangelical Quaker theology tends to have a strong Scriptural base, following George Fox’s view that Scripture is to be “read, believed, and fulfilled.” They subscribe to the basic beliefs of many other evangelicals, but differ from them both in the support of outward sacraments (water baptism, etc.) and in their support for traditional Friends testimonies as peace, simplicity and equality. Their worship is generally programmed, but often includes periods of open or unprogrammed worship for vocal prayer. Evangelically-oriented Friends have meetings in 25 states and one province.

Evangelical Friends International 5350 Broadmoor Circle, NW Canton, OH 44709303.238.5200 Website: www.efcer.org

Friends United Meeting (FUM)

Formerly called Five Years Meeting (established 1902), Friends United Meeting grew out of the western movement of Quakers in the late 1800s. When meetings grew rapidly because of new converts, pastors were hired to provide leadership and care. Today many meetings use a combination of programmed pastor-led, sacred readings, music and perhaps some open or silent worship. Their social testimonies are similar to those of FGC, but FUM Friends make a commitment to “gather people into fellowship where Jesus Christ is known, loved and obeyed as Teacher and Lord.” There are twelve yearly meetings and a total 256 local meetings. Of the total twelve yearly meetings, five are affiliated with FGC as well. In those congregations which have pastors, there are some 700 members. There are a total of 295 meetings in 18 states. Within FUM is a considerable range of belief and practice.

FUM is an international group, with Yearly Meetings in Cuba, Jamaica, India, Taiwan and Africa, as a result of their mission fields in those areas. For more information, contact:

Friends United Meeting101 Quaker Hill Dr. Richmond, IN 47374317.962.7573(Quaker Hill Bookstore800.537.8838)Website: www.fum.orgemail: fum@fum.org

Conservative Friends

Conservative Friends split off in the mid-1800s in order to maintain unprogrammed worship withan explicitly Christ-centered basis. The meetings are mostly in rural areas in Ohio, North Carolina,and Iowa and have some 25 meetings in three states and their worship groups are to be found in 16 additional states and one province. Some conservative Friends use traditional plain language and plain dress. For information, contact the yearly meeting correspondents:

Ohio Yearly Meeting Seth B. Hinshaw, clerk61830 Sandy Ridge Rd. Barnesville, OH 43713 740.425.3168

Wider Fellowship of Conservative Friends5190 Kirk Road Columbiana OH 44408330.457.2939email: nanquak@aol.com

North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) Robert Gosney, clerk PO Box 489 Woodland NC 27897-0489252.587.2571

Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) Deborah Fisch, clerk 916 41st Street Des Moines IA 50312-2612515.277.1970

Friends General Conference (FGC)

Friends General Conference, organized in 1900, is a service organization which addresses the needs of Friends in the unprogrammed tradition of Quakerism, in which worship is based on waiting quietly for divine leading. Most individual FGC Friends favor and accept diversity in religious views, and some are Universalist in their outlook.

FGC provides educational and inspirational materials, outreach resources, assistance with religious education programs, and other services. FGC’s annual Gathering of Friends, attended by 1,600 to 2,000 Friends each summer, offers Friends of all ages a wide variety of workshops, programs, and opportunities for worship. FGC’s Quaker Books distributes more than $400,000 worth of Quaker books and materials each year.

Eighteen yearly meetings and eight monthly meetings are affiliated with FGC. There are 698 meetings and worship groups in North America, at least one in each of the 50 states and in each of the10 Canadian province. In the entire world there are some 59,000 unprogrammed Quakers. For more information, contact:

Friends General Conference 1216 Arch St. 2B Philadelphia, PA 19107215.561.1700(Quaker Books of FGC 800.966.4556)Websites: www.fgcquaker.org www.quakerfinder.org email: friends@fgcquaker.org

permission kindly given June, 2011