USA > Indiana > Discipline of Indiana Yearly Meeting of Friends : being the constitution and discipline of the American Yearly Meeting of Friends; with the additions adopted by Indiana Yearly Meeting > Part 2
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Thus was a system of order and government, in conformity with the spirit of Christianity, estab- lished among us in early times; and thus a field was opened for the exercise of the various gifts, by which the church, the body of Christ, is edified.
INDIANA YEARLY MEETING
HISTORICAL
The settlement of the Friends, who afterwards formed Indiana Yearly Meeting, began in Warren County, Ohio, about 1799. A meeting for worship was established for these immigrants in 1802, and the following year a Preparative and Monthly Meet- ing named Miami, the latter being opened Tenth month 13th, 1803, at Waynesville, Ohio. These meetings were authorized by Westland Monthly and Redstone Quarterly Meetings, in south-western Pennsylvania, branches of Baltimore Yearly Meet- ing.
The rapid settlement of Friends in Warren County and the regions around it, is evidenced by the fact that in four years after the opening of Miami Monthly Meeting 400 removal certificates of Friends were received by it, bringing to that meeting the membership of 1,826 persons. For the accommo- dation of these, three other Monthly Meetings were opened in 1807, and Miami Quarterly Meeting, es- tablished by Redstone Quarterly Meeting and Bal- timore Yearly Meeting, composed of Miami, West Branch, Centre and Fairfield Monthly Meetings, was opened in Fifth month, 1809, at Waynesville, Ohio.
Three years later West Branch Quarterly Meet- ing, composed of four Monthly Meetings, set off
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from Miami Quarterly Meeting and established by Baltimore Yearly Meeting, was opened Sixth month 13th, 1812, to be held alternately at West Branch, Miami County, Ohio, and Whitewater, Richmond, Indiana. The same year Baltimore Yearly Meeting authorized the establishment of Ohio Yearly Meet- ing, which was opened at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, in 1813. Then followed the setting off from Miami Quarterly Meeting of Fairfield Quarterly Meeting in 1815, and from West Branch, of Whitewater Quarterly Meeting in 1817, and Blue River Quar- terly Meeting in 1819, and their establishment by Ohio Yearly Meeting.
A request was made in 1817 for a new Yearly Meeting to accommodate the Friends of the above five Quarterly Meetings, but Ohio Yearly Meeting at that time judged it premature. It was renewed again in 1820, and granted, to be opened in 1821, which was done as the following opening Minute shows: "Indiana Yearly Meeting for the states of Indiana, Illinois and the western part of Ohio, opened and held at Whitewater, the 8th of the Tenth month, 1821, agreeably to the request of the several Quarterly Meetings constituting the same, and united with by the Ohio Yearly Meeting."
Since its opening in 1821, Indiana Yearly Meeting has established twenty-eight Quarterly Meetings, making thirty-three that have belonged to it since its opening, thus giving evidence of its growth and expansion. Of these thirty-three Quarterly Meet- ings, one, at its own request, was joined to Ohio Yearly Meeting in 1856; five were taken to consti- tute Western Yearly Meeting, opened at Plain-
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field, Ind., in 1858; five were taken to constitute Iowa Yearly Meeting, opened at Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 1863; four to constitute Kansas Yearly Meeting, opened at Lawrence, Kans., in 1872, and three to constitute Wilmington Yearly Meeting, opened at Wilmington, Ohio, in 1892, leaving fifteen Quarterly Meetings still belonging to Indiana Yearly Meeting; namely, West Branch; opened in 1812, Whitewater in 1817, New Garden in 1823, Westfield in 1825, Spiceland in 1840, Fairmount in 1841, Wabash in 1865, Walnut Ridge in 1867, Mar- ion in 1872, Winchester in 1874, Vandalia in 1887, Dublin in 1888, Van Wert in 1889, and Long Lake and Eastern both in 1892.
It is not known how many members composed Indiana Yearly Meeting at its opening in 1821. An apparently reliable accounting of its members in 1827, "Collected and reported by a Committee of the Meeting for Sufferings," gave the number at that time 13,945. The first statistical report made to the Yearly Meeting by the Quarterly Meetings was in 1865. The number given then was 11,955. This was after both Western and Iowa Yearly Meetings, with their thousands of members, had been set off. After Kansas Yearly Meeting was set off in 1872, with its 2,504 members reported in 1871, Indiana Yearly Meeting had still 15,285 members reported. After Wilmington Yearly Meeting was set off in 1892, with its 5,421 members reported in 1891, In- diana's reports gave still 17,147 members in its re- maining fifteen Quarterly Meetings. The number reported in these fifteen Quarterly Meetings this year (1902) is 20,278.
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In the eighty years since its opening , Indiana Yearly Meeting has held a prominent place among the Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends. During that time its formative and educa- tive influence has been efficiently exercised in the sphere of its control. In addition to the usual work of a Yearly Meeting in attending to the necessary and required business relating to its organization, and the care of its own membership, Indiana Yearly Meeting has been engaged in various departments of related and collateral lines of work, some of which may be briefly noticed as follows :
First: From its opening in 1821, Indiana Yearly Meeting has been engaged in training the Indians in civilized ways, and educating them and instruct- ing them in Christian living. It took up the work begun under the direction of Baltimore and Ohio Yearly Meetings among the Shawnee Indians at Wapakoneta, Ohio, and continued it till their re- moval to Missouri Territory, now State of Kansas, in 1832 and 33. At the request of these Indians, Indiana Yearly Meeting resumed work with them in their new location near the present Kansas City in 1837, and continued it until the Shawnees sold their land in Kansas and left the state about 1870.
When at the request of President Grant, in 1869, Friends took charge of several Indian tribes, under the United States Government in Kansas and In- dian Territory, Indiana Yearly Meeting did its full share, with the other American Yearly Meetings ; and since Friends have withdrawn from their con- nection with the government in the care of these tribes, this Yearly Meeting has continued, with
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other Yearly Meetings, to the present time, the work of educating and Christianizing the Indians in several tribes, in Indian and Oklahoma Terri- tories.
Second: From the first Indiana Yearly Meeting has given much care and aid to the colored people in its limits. This has been done through its own committee, on this concern, and similar commit- tees of its different Quarterly Meetings. When, during the Civil War, great numbers of freedmen came into the Union lines, in a needy and dependent condition, this Yearly Meeting sent agents and help- ers amongst them with means to supply their wants, and to open schools among them for their encour- agement and instruction. For several years large sums of money and supplies of different kinds were collected and distributed among them for their ben- efit, in some years amounting to over $30,000 in value.
Since the war, Friends of Indiana Yearly Meeting have kept up near Helena, Ark., Southland College, giving the colored young men and women oppor- tunity for an advanced grade of instruction and training, qualifying them to become teachers amongst their own people. This school is located on a large farm, about nine miles from Helena, and has an en- dowment of about $35,000 productive funds to aid in its support, mainly the donation of an English Friend.
Third: The Friends settling in Ohio and In- diana gave early attention to the education of their children and the support of good schools. In these respects they were usually in advance of the sur-
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rounding communities. Generally each Friends' settlement had its school, which was patronized by others as well as themselves. Before the time of free public education these schools were of great service in their respective localities. Many of them furnished opportunity for more advanced education for those desiring it, and later became academies of considerable note and usefulnes.
About 1833 agitation began for the establishment of a central boarding-school near Richmond, Ind., under the care of Indiana Yearly Meeting, on a farm purchased in part for that purpose. But ow- ing to the limited means of Friends, and the finan- cial stress of the country, it was not till the summer of 1847 that this school was opened to students. In 1859 it was incorporated and took the name of Earlham College. Since that time it has maintain- ed its standing in the ranks of the better grade of colleges of the State. The last twenty years it has been under the joint management of Indiana and Western Yearly Metings. The college has suitable buildings, located on 120 acres of land ad- joining the city of. Richmond, and has a productive endowment of about $200,000 to aid in its support.
Fourth: Schools for Scriptural Instruction were early encouraged by Friends in Indiana Yearly Meeting, and soon after its establishment some such schools were begun and have since been kept up. In 1859 the Yearly Meeting appointed a "General Committee on First-day Scriptural Schools, who shall have care of that important and interesting subject and labor, as way may open, for the fur- ther advancement of the cause, and for greater ef-
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ficiency of action in our subordinate Meetings." This Committee with similar ones in the subordin- ate meetings appears to have labored zealously to create an interest in the study of the Scriptures, with the aim to have a good Bible School sustained on First days, the year around, in every Friends' Meeting, and this end appears to have been pretty well attained in Indiana Yearly Meeting.
Fifth: In 1850 a concern of the Yearly Meeting for a better supply and circulation of good litera- ture on religious subjects, especially with reference to the history and doctrines of the Society of Friends, resulted in the appointment of the Cen- tral Committee on Books and Tracts, with correspond- ing branches in the subordinate meetings. The work of this committee grew to large proportions in a few years, resulting in an annual expenditure of about $2,000, received from voluntary contribu- tions, and the distribution of between three and four million pages of tracts. Of late years the work, though still valuable, has been less extensive, the demand for such literature being supplied by other agencies.
During these years a Book Fund of $4,000 has been accumulated by small annual appropriations and donations from benevolent persons, the inter- est of which is now used, by this committee, to fur- nish needed religious books. This committee has supplied for distribution about 66,000,000 pages of Tracts in the last fifty years.
Sixth : Organized Home Mission work was be- gun by the Women Friends in Indiana Yearly Meet- ing in 1866. In 1873 the whole Yearly Meeting
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united in this work, which has been continued to the present time under a Committee of the Yearly Meeting, with branch committees in the subordin- ate meetings doing efficient work. Their labors have resulted in much relief to those in limited cir- cumstances and in bringing the consolations of the Gospel of Christ to many in need of its saving influences.
Seventh: At the Yearly Meeting in 1868 a small voluntary association of Friends was formed to en- courage Foreign Mission work. In 1871 this association sent two missionaries to Matamoros, Mexico. In 1874 this work was accepted by Indiana Yearly Meeting. In 1883 the women of Indiana Yearly Meeting formed a Women's Foreign Mission Board, which did successful work in developing interest in For- eign Missions in the membership of the Yearly Meet- ing. The principle work of these two Boards has been jointly in the State of Tamaulipas, Mex., the two principal stations being at Matamoros and Vic- toria, with a number of outstations in that state. The Women's Board also, for some years, has made a small annual contribution to Friends' Missions in Syria and Japan. These two Boards now work as one, which continues the work in Mexico, and has a productive endowment fund of $16,750, as report- ed in 1902.
Since the organization of the American Friends' Board of Foreign Missions was authorized by the Conference of American Yearly Meetings in 1892, Indiana Yearly Meeting has given its support and encouragement to the work of that Board, which, in addition to collecting and reporting information
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of Friends' Missionary work and workers, annually, since 1893, opened, about two years ago, mission work in the eastern part of Cuba, in which now six American and two Spanish speaking missionaries are successfully engaged.
Eighth: In order to bring the advantages of the Yearly Meeting to "Many Friends who seldom en- joy the privilege of attending our Annual Assembly; and, also, for many who are not members of our Re- ligious Society, but feel an interest in it," Indiana Yearly Meeting, in 1867, appointed a committee to hold General Meetings in different parts of its limits. This was continued successfully till 1880, when the work was referred to a new committee appointed "To have a general oversight of our meetings," "To forward the promulgation of the Gospel" and "To take into consideration the condition of meetings without a regular ministry." This committee, known at first as the Committee on the Ministry, has since, under various names, had charge of the work as outlined above, and is now called the Evangelistic and Church Extension Committee. They have the use of the interest on the Ministers' Fund of $13,000, in addition to the appropriations and contributions for its work, all of which, the past year, amounted to over $2,500. They employ a superintendent who devotes his entire time to the work.
Ninth: In accordance with the well-known views of the Society of Friends, Indiana Yearly Meeting has always held to the peaceable nature of theChris- tian religion, and its opposition to the spirit of war. In 1867, on the report of a Committee appointed to attend a Conference of the different Yearly Meet-
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ings of the Friends on Peace, Indiana Yearly Meet- ing appointed a Committee on Peace, which has been kept up ever since, and has co-operated with like committees of other Yearly Meetings in maintain- ing the testimony of Friends on that subject and spreading abroad their views. In the last thirty- five years $14,000 has been appropriated for this cause by Indiana Yearly Meeting.
Tenth: Always a temperate people, believing in Moderation in all things, the Friends have in recent years, held and advocated total abstinence from in- toxicants and narcotics as the safe and consistent course for the enlightened Christians of to-day. Hence they favor prohibition of the use and sale of all intoxicants as beverages. Accordingly Indiana Yearly Meeting has endeavored to establish its members in these views and practices and to exert its influence to promote Temperance in the above radical sense in their respective communities. The Yearly Meeting has for the last thirty years sought to advance this work through a standing committee on Temperance, with branch committees in the sub- ordinate meetings who have labored, as way has opened, to create and strengthen right sentiments on this subject among its own members and others, and for the prohibition of the use and sale of intoxi- cating beverages and narcotics. This committee has the use of the interest of an Endowment fund of $1,000 and appropriations made for its use by the Yearly Meeting from time to time.
Eleventh: The proper provision for and care of prisoners and other unfortunate classes has long been a living concern of Friends in Indiana Yearly
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Meeting. Attention to these subjects has been given mainly by the Representative Meeting or Commit- tee, of the Yearly Meeting. This body has labored efficiently the last thirty-five years, through a com- mittee on these subjects, for better accommodations in the penitentiaries and jails and the benevolent State institutions, and for more rational and humane treatment of their inmates. Their labors have been principally in the State of Indiana.
The persistent influence thus brought to bear on legislators and State officials, has been instrumental in bringing about valuable reform in prison accom- modations and discipline: in better provisions for, and care of, the deaf and dumb, blind, insane and fee- ble minded; in the establishment of separate prisons for women prisoners; and in opening reform schools for incorrigible and criminal juvenile offenders, both boys and girls, where they are placed under proper and humane restraint, and such educative influences, and industrial training as will qualify them to be- come useful members of society where their lot may be cast.
Twelfth: The property of Indiana Yearly Meet- ing is held by seven Trustees, and its financial affairs are under their care and management. The real es- tate and invested funds of the Yearly Meeting as appraised and given in 1897, were: Real estate, $105,197.48; Funds, $102,734.02. Total, $207,931.50. The endowment funds are given in Treasurer's re- port in 1902 as $110,427.50, showing an increase of nearly $8,000 in the five years since 1897.
The Trustees reported in 1897 the appraised value of the meeting houses, school property, cemeteries,
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etc., and funds of different kinds, belonging to and controlled by the subordinate meetings of the Yearly Meeting, at $261,806.
Earlham College and its Endowment Funds are not included in the foregoing, these being held and controlled jointly by the Earlham College Trustees of Indiana and Western Yearly Meetings.
CONSTITUTION AND DISCIPLINE
FOR THE AMERICAN YEARLY MEETINGS OF FRIENDS
HISTORICAL STATEMENT
The Society of Friends, generally called Quakers, arose in England about the middle of the seven- teenth century. George Fox began his ministry in 1647. The position of the Friends was the logi- cal conclusion of the Protestant Reformation, and marked the culmination in the development of doc- trine which had been advancing by irregular stages for more than a century. They proclaimed the truth that man's salvation is a personal matter between his own soul and God, and does not depend upon the intervention of the Church in any of its offices, or by any of its officers, in the administration of any rite, ordinance or ceremony whatever. They accepted the doctrines of the Apostolic Age of the Church, and distinctively emphasized the truth that the Holy Spirit enlightens every soul to reveal its condition and make the individual feel the need of a Saviour. They emphasized the further truth that Christ's promise to plant a new life in the soul and abide there to give it light, to feed it with the bread of life and to lead it into all truth, had become a practical reality, to be known and experienced by every true believer. They proclaimed that the true baptism is that of Christ Himself, who baptizes
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Constitution and Discipline
His people with the Holy Spirit, and that the true communion is the spiritual partaking of the body and blood of Jesus Christ by faith, and that there is no form or degree of sacerdotalism in the Chris- tian Church.
This clear and vigorous message as to the free- dom and the spirituality of the Gospel attracted multitudes of people who had sought the truth in the endless disputations of the time. The Society was organized with a great number of adherents. They took the title of Society because it was consid- ered that the term Church belonged to the whole body of Christ, and that no portion of that body had a right to assume to itself a name that implied any exclusion of others. The claims of the Estab- lished Church made this, in a measure, necessary. The name Friends was taken in accordance with the declaration of the Master: "Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." For a time the members called themselves "The Friends of Truth."
The distinguishing doctrines of Friends have, from the beginning, led them into special lines of ser- vice that have resulted in great good to mankind. Because they would not comply with unjust re- quirements they were imprisoned in great numbers in England until their quiet endurance of oppression aroused the conscience of the nation, and this re- sulted in obtaining many of the blessings of civil and religious liberty which all now enjoy. They were the consistent and unyielding opponents of human slavery when they stood almost alone in their opposition to it. They have opposed war, as
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violating the principles of Christianity, as well as the precepts of its Founder, and as bringing untold evils upon mankind, and they have always advo- cated peaceable methods of settling disputes be- tween nations. They have steadily advocated justice toward the North American Indian, and have labored independently and as the repre- sentatives of government, for his civilization and Christianization. They believe that oaths were forbidden by Christ, and they have obtained in all English-speaking countries the privilege of af- firmation. They have advocated, and in many cases inaugurated prison reform, which has
greatly relieved the sufferings of convicts. They have been among the leaders in the rational and Christian treatment of the insane; and, in many other ways, have engaged in the service they felt laid upon them for the good of humanity.
Friends came to America soon after the body arose in England. New England Yearly Meeting was established in 1671, or earlier; Baltimore in 1672; Virginia in 1673, and joined to Baltimore in 1845; Philadelphia in 1681; New York in 1695, by New England; North Carolina in 1698; Ohio in 1813, by Baltimore; Indiana in 1821, by Ohio; West- ern in 1858, by Indiana; Iowa in 1863, by Indiana ; Canada in 1867, by New York; Kansas in 1872, by Indiana; Wilmington in 1892, by Indiana; Oregon in 1893, by Iowa; California in 1895, by Iowa.
Conferences to consider special situations were held in Philadelphia in 1829, and in Baltimore in 1849.
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Constitution and Discipline
The first General Conference of the Yearly Meet- ings was held at Richmond, Indiana, in 1887, and was attended by delegates from London and Dub- lin Yearly Meetings, and from all those on the American continent, except that of Philadelphia, which was unofficially represented. It was after- wards decided to hold similar conferences of the American Yearly Meetings once in five years. They have been held at Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1892 and 1897. At the latter conference it was felt that a closer union of the Yearly Meetings and a unform discipline would be desirable. A committee was appointed in furtherance of this purpose and this Constitution and Discipline was prepared.
It has been regularly adopted by the Yearly Meet- ings of New England, Wilmington, Indiana and Kansas in 1900; by California, New York, Western and Baltimore in 1901, and by Oregon, North Car- olina and Iowa in 1902.
PART I
THE CHURCH AND ITS DENOMI- NATIONS
CHAPTER I.
1985212
THE CHURCH.
1. The Church of Jesus Christ is composed of those persons who, through repentance of their sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, have been born into His kingdom by the Holy Spirit. By the revelation of the Holy Spirit they look to Christ as their Prophet, Priest and King, and, by the Spirit's baptism and power, are enabled to resist temptation and to live in obedience to God's holy will.
2. A Christian denomination is an organization composed of those who hold similar views of the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, and maintain certain practices based upon these teachings, and who voluntarily associate themselves for joint participation in worship, for fellowship and mutual help, and for united effort in the promotion of truth and righteousness. The denomination of Friends is such a Christian body.
3. Each denominational body has its own system of government, and rules for the transaction of its business and for individual observance by its mem- bers.
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Constitution and Discipline
CHAPTER II.
SECTION 1.
ESSENTIAL TRUTHS.
The vital principle of the Christian faith is the truth that man's salvation and higher life are per- sonal matters between the individual soul and God.
Salvation is deliverance from sin and the pos- session of spiritual life. This comes through a per- sonal faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour, who, through His love and sacrifice draws us to Him.
Conviction for sin is awakened by the operation of the Holy Spirit causing the soul to feel its need of reconciliation with God. When Christ is seen as the only hope of salvation, and a man yields to Him, he is brought into newness of life, and realizes that his sonship to God has become an actual real- ity. This transformation is wrought without the necessary agency of any human priest, or ordinance, or ceremony whatsoever. A changed nature and life bear witness to this new relation to Him.
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