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 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
2. When an applicant for membership produces a letter of recommendation from another evangeli- cal denomination, the Monthly Meeting may exer- cise its judgment as to receiving him on this rec- ommendation.
3. The acceptance and the issuing of all certifi- cates shall be recorded on the minutes of the Monthly Meetings, and the list of members cor- rected accordingly. Removal certificates for minis- ters shall include a certificate of this position. The official positions of Elders and Overseers are not transferable.
106
Constitution and Discipline
SECTION 3 .- RESIGNATION AND FORFEITURE OF MEMBERSHIP.
1. Resignations of membership shall be made to the Monthly Meeting in writing. The Monthly Meeting may exercise its discretion in accepting a resignation.
2. If a member in good standing wishes to unite with some other evangelical body of Christians, the Monthly Meeting may grant him a letter stating his Christian standing, whereupon his membership with The Friends shall cease.
3. When any member shall have united with another religious body, the Monthly Meeting, on information thereof, shall remove his name from the list of members and inform him of its action.
4. Members removing to places remote from any Monthly Meeting should correspond with their Monthly Meetings, and, where practicable, Monthly Meetings through a committee, should correspond with their absent members. If no information has been, or can be, received from a member for a period of three years, his Monthly Meeting, in its discre- tion, may remove his name from its list of members.
CHAPTER II.
SECTION 1 .- DEALING WITH OFFENDERS.
1. All formal complaints against a member shall be introduced to his Monthly Meeting in writing by the Overseers, whereupon a committee shall be appointed to confer with the offender, who shall seek in a spirit of love, to show him his error, and to
107
Rules of Discipline
lead him to repentance and confession of the same, in order that he may be restored to fellowship in the Church. If the exercise of due care and for- bearance shall be without avail, the Monthly Meet- ing shall execute a minute of disownment and furnish the offender with a copy of the same .*
2. When any member habitually neglects the attendance of meetings for worship, without reas- onable excuse, after a period of three years, due care having been extended by the Monthly Meet- ing, his name may be removed from the list of mem- bers, and the meeting shall inform him of its action.
3. If any member shall deny the fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion, or shall be guil- ty of conduct that brings the Christian religion into public disrepute, the Monthly Meeting shall appoint a committee to endeavor, in a Christian spirit, to reclaim him; if this proves unavailing, it shall dis- own him.
SECTION 2 .- APPEALS.
1. When a member who has been under deal- ings by a Monthly Meeting is dissatisfied with its decision, he may file with the next Monthly Meet- ing, or the one succeeding it, his appeal to the Quar- terly Meeting for its review of the case. The Monthly Meeting shall enter the same upon its minutes and inform the Quarterly Meeting thereof A committee of three shall be appointed to repre- sent it in the case before the Quarterly Meeting.
2. When a Quarterly Meeting receives a notice
*And inform him of his right of appeal.
108
Constitution and Discipline
of appeal from a Monthly Meeting it shall refer the subject to a committee, omitting from the appoint ment members of the Monthly Meeting appealed from. The committee shall carefully and deliber- ately examine the whole proceedings in the case from their commencement, giving the appellant and the Monthly Meeting's committee a full hearing. If it be found that the offence has been rightly ad- judged and the charge substantiated and that the proceedings have been in accordance with the Constitution and Discipline, they are to so report to the Quarterly Meeting, and that meeting, if it approves of the report, shall confirm the judgment of the Monthly Meeting and inform the appellant of the result.
3. But if it be found that the offence has not been correctly adjudged, or that the charge has not been sufficiently sustained, or that by any irregu- larity in the proceedings the rights of the appellant have been infringed, the committee shall report in accordance therewith, and the Quarterly Meeting, if it approves of the report, shall set aside the judg- ment of the Monthly Meeting.
4. In all cases where the judgment of a meeting is set aside, the ground of such decision must be en- tered upon the minutes, and the meeting affected in- formed thereof. If that ground be one of irregular- ity of proceeding only, the meeting shall be at lib erty to take up the case again, and correct its error.
5. Should the appellant be dissatisfied with the decision of the Quarterly Meeting, he may file with the next Quarterly Meeting, or the one succeeding
109
Rules of Discipline
it, but none later, his appeal to the Yearly Meeting for its review of the case. The Quarterly Meeting shall enter the same upon its minutes, inform the Yearly Meeting thereof, and appoint a committee of three, or more, to represent it, in the case before the Yearly Meeting, or a committee of the same. The Yearly Meeting shall call all cases of appeal not later than the second day of the sitting of that body.
6. An appellant shall have a right to be pres- ent during the appointment of the committee in his case, and objections which he may then make to persons nominated on the committee are to be judged of by the meeting.
7. The committee appointed by the Yearly Meet- ing in a case of appeal from a Quarterly Meeting shall examine into and judge of the nature of the offence, and the proceedings in the case, and they shall fully consider the statement of the appellant and that of the respondents, and also the minutes of the Monthly and Quarterly Meetings in the case, and shall report to the Yearly Meeting. The decis- ion of the Yearly Meeting shall be final.
8. In every case of appeal the decision shall be recorded upon the minutes of the superior meeting, and the clerk of that meeting shall forward a tran- script thereof to the meeting or meetings whence it came, with instructions to enter the same upon their minutes.
9. A Monthly Meeting may appeal to the Yearly Meeting in a case where it may feel aggrieved by the decision of the Quarterly Meeting.
110
Constitution and Discipline
CHAPTER III.
MARRIAGE.
1. Parties desiring to unite in marriage accord- ing to the long-standing custom of The Friends should inform the Monthly Meeting of which one or both of them are members that they intend mar- riage with each other, which meeting shall enter the proposal on its minutes; and, if either party is a minor, consent of parents or guardians must be given to the meeting.
2. If either party be a member of another Monthly Meeting, the Monthly Meeting where the proposition is introduced should have information thereof, so that the name of the Monthly Meeting may be entered on the record.
3. When any one of our members desires to join in marriage with one not in membership with us, the same procedure is recommended as when both are members, the Monthly Meeting noting the fact of non-membership on its records.
4. If any objections have been presented to the Overseers, which they shall judge reasonable, they should inform the Monthly Meeting, and a commit- tee should be appointed to investigate and report, when the meeting may dismiss the case or proceed in it, as shall appear right.
5. If no obstruction appears, the parties shall be left at liberty to accomplish their marriage ac- cording to the Rules of Discipline.
6. A committee of two men and two women shall be appointed to attend the marriage, to see
ยท
111
Rules of Discipline
that it is properly conducted, and make report to the Monthly Meeting .*
7. Monthly Meetings shall not, in any case, rec- ognize marriage proceedings under circumstances which would violate the laws of the State in which the marriage is solemnized.
8. Marriages under the Rules of Discipline shall be solemnized in a regular week-day meeting, or in a meeting appointed by the Monthly Meeting.
9. At a suitable time in the meeting the parties should stand up, and, taking each other by the right hand, declare to the following effect, the man first :
"In the presence of the Lord, and before these witnesses, I take thee, D. E., to be my wife, promis- ing, with Divine assistance, to be unto thee a lov- ing and faithful husband, as long as we both shall live."
And the woman in like manner :
"In the presence of the Lord, and before these witnesses, I take thee, A. B., to be my husband, promising, with Divine assistance, to be unto thee a loving and faithful wife, as long as we both shall live."
10. A certificate is then to be signed by the par- ties, the man first, the woman adopting the name of her husband; and then it is to be audibly read by some proper person. At the conclusion of the meeting it should be signed by others as witnesses.
11. Parties who are to marry must carefully
*The committee will also place the marriage certificate in the hands of the Recorder.
112
Constitution and Discipline
observe the requirements of the laws of their State, both in obtaining a license, when such is required, and in reporting the marriage to the proper civil officers.
12. Each Yearly Meeting may adopt such regu- lations for the solemnization of marriage as its local conditions may make advisable.
CHAPTER IV.
SECTION 1 .- DIVORCE.
The marriage relation is the most sacred of hu- man engagements, and it is solemnly entered into for life. It must not be broken except upon the grounds set forth in the Holy Scriptures. While this relation may be abused, so as to bring suffer- ing upon innocent persons, the moral welfare of the individuals and of the community requires that the sacred permanency of its obligations be maintained. The scriptural, moral and legal obligations and re- strictions apply to husband and wife alike.
SECTION 2 .- TEMPERANCE AND THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.
All members are earnestly warned against the use of all intoxicating liquors, and of opium in all of its preparations, except for purposes strictly med- icinal, and in the manufactures and arts; and they are advised to abstain from the use of tobacco. The use of these tends to physical, mental and moral injury.
As the liquor traffic is a great cause of poverty and crime, and a serious obstacle to the spread of
113
Rules of Discipline
the Gospel, members of the Church should never engage in it in any way, but should be active, earn- est and emphatic in their opposition to this great evil. The liquor saloon should receive no counte- nance in any manner whatsoever.
SECTION 3 .- SECRET SOCIETIES.
The rights of individuals to freedom of action, within proper bounds, must be maintained, but it is the duty of the Church to warn its members against whatever may, in any way, interfere with the best development of Christian character. The so-called "secret societies" may often have benev- olent and useful provisions for their members, while at the same time, there may be influences in their association that lower the moral standards, or lead away from the religious interests, or undermine the grounds of faith. The mere pledge to secrecy is a surrender of manly independence that tends to moral decadence. Members of the Church should be very circumspect in these important matters, and they will find safety in the complete avoidance of such relations.
CHAPTER V.
SECTION 1 .- QUERIES.
1. The intention in directing the following quer- ies to be seriously considered is not only to inquire into the state of the meetings, but also to encour- age every member to examine himself whether he acts consistently with the principles of the Chris- tian religion.
114
Constitution and Discipline
No arrangements, however perfect, can take the place of individual faithfulness to Christ, and daily dependence upon the help of the Holy Spirit, which are necessary to growth in the spiritual life and to usefulness in the Church. The serious considera- tion of the following queries should tend to direct the attention of all to the true source of spiritual strength, to promote the religious welfare of indi- viduals, and to keep the Church in a healthy con- dition.
2. These queries are to be read in Monthly and Quarterly Meetings three times a year .*
Query 1. Are all meetings for worship and dis- cipline duly held, and are you regular and punctual in attending them?
Query 2. Do you love one another as becomes the followers of Christ? Are you careful of the rep- utation of others? When differences arise, do you make earnest efforts to end them speedily?
Query 3. Do you seek to maintain a religious life, and to be watchful that you may not be unduly absorbed by temporal affairs? Are you in the daily practice of reading the Holy Scriptures in your fam- ilies, giving time for reverent waiting upon the Lord?
Query 4. Do you, who have children or others un- der your care, endeavor to train them for upright and useful lives; and do you prayerfully seek the guidance and blessing of the Lord on your efforts for their conversion and growth in grace? Do you encourage them to read and study the Holy Scriptures?
*Or before each congregation First-day morning.
115
Rules of Discipline
Query 5. Do you abstain from the manufacture, sale, or use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage? Are you careful to avoid all places and amusements inconsistent with a Christian character; and do you observe true moderation in all things?
Query 6. Do you maintain the Christian prin- ciple of peace and consistently refrain from bearing arms and from performing military service as in- compatible with the precepts and spirit of the Gos- pel; from taking or administering oaths; and from de- frauding the public revenue?
Query 7. Do you frequently inspect your affairs and settle your accounts? Are you just in your deal- ings, punctual to your promises and prompt in the payment of your debts; careful to live within your income; and to avoid involving yourselves in busi- ness beyond your ability to manage?
Query 8. Do you provide for the suitable edu- cation of your children, and do you guard them against hurtful reading and evil associates? Are the necessities of the poor and those likely to re- quire aid inspected and relieved?
SECTION 2 .- QUERIES FOR MEETINGS ON MIN- ISTRY AND OVERSIGHT.
These queries are to be read three times a year in the Local and Quarterly Meetings on Ministry and Oversight.
Query 1. Are you diligent in attending your meetings for worship and discipline, and careful to promote the attendance of your families ?
116
Constitution and Discipline
Query 2. Are you in unity with one another, and with the meetings to which you belong, harmoni- ously laboring together in the love of the Gospel? Have you an earnest religious exercise for the con- version of sinners, and for the building up of be- lievers?
Query 3. Do you prayerfully endeavor to oc- cupy, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in humble dependence upon Christ, the spiritual gifts with which you have been entrusted? Do you cher- ish an active interest in all who engage in the min- istry or other Christian work; and do you make evident your loving sympathy with them and their service ?
Query 4. Are you good examples to others in uprightness of life? Do you frequently read the Holy Scriptures, prayerfully seeking a right under- standing of them under the enlightening influenre of the Holy Spirit?
PART IV DEPARTMENTS OF WORK
CHAPTER I.
THE PASTORAL COMMITTEE OF THE CONGRE- GATION.
1. It is the duty of this Committee to have a gen- eral oversight of the shepherding of the flock, to be watchful of the interests of absent members, to visit the families of attenders of meetings, to extend a special care to those attenders who are not members and to invite them to join in membership when they are prepared to do so. They shall extend a watchful care over the Associate members, and encourage them to become Active members as soon as they are pre- pared to do so.
2. The Pastoral Committees shall receive applica- tions for membership, examine each case carefully, and act upon it as provided in Section 1, Chapter I., Part III. (See page 104.)
CHAPTER II.
THE EVANGELISTIC COMMITTEE OF THE QUARTERLY MEETING.
The Quarterly Meeting shall have the general over- sight and care of the evangelistic work within its bor- ders ; it shall be diligent to assist the congregations in
118
Constitution and Discipline
carrying it on, and it shall have authority to open and assume charge of new fields of labor. It may annu- ally appoint an Evangelistic Committee to advance these interests, whose chairman shall be an advisory member of the Yearly Meeting's Committee on Evan- gelistic and Church Extension Work.
CHAPTER III.
EVANGELISTIC AND CHURCH EXTENSION COM- MITTEE OF THE YEARLY MEETING.
1. Each Yearly Meeting may appoint a Commit- tee on Evangelistic and Church Extension Work, whose duty it shall be to ascertain the needy fields within the limits of the Yearly Meeting, and en- deavor to meet the requirements of these by such gospel service as may, under the Divine blessing, arouse the lukewarm and indifferent, bring sinners to repentance and faith in Christ, strengthen be- lievers, and advance the interests of the Church. Special attention shall be given to gathering the scattered membership and to the establishment of meetings where practicable. They shall be author- ized to secure funds by voluntary contributions for building new meeting houses and repairing old ones. When this committee engages in evangelis- tic work within the limits of a Quarterly Meeting, in shall maintain harmonious relations with the Quarterly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight.
2. The committee shall organize by the appoint- ment of a Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, who, with the General Superintendent, where one is
119
Departments of Work
appointed, shall constitute the Executive Commit- tee. These persons shall perform the duties usu- ally pertaining to their positions.
3. Upon the nomination of the committee, the Yearly Meeting may appoint a General Superinten- dent of Evangelistic and Church Extension Work, who shall perform such duties as the committee may direct.
4. The committee shall give to ministers, or other workers who desire to engage in special pas- toral or evangelistic service, certificates as provided for in Paragraph 6, Section 2, Chapter VII., PartII .*
5. The chairman of the Quarterly Meeting's committees shall be advisory members of this Yearly Meeting's committee.
CHAPTER IV.
BOARDS OF THE FIVE-YEARS MEETING. SECTION 1 .- BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.
A Board of Foreign Missions shall be organized to consist of two members from each Yearly Meet- ing, and an additional member for each eight thous- and members and fractional part thereof above five thousand, to be designated by the Yearly Meetings when their delegates to the Five-Years Meeting are appointed, and who may or may not be delegates to the Five-Years Meeting, to serve for five years. Each Yearly Meeting shall fill vacancies in its own representation. The Board of Foreign Missions
*See page 85.
120
Constitution and Discipline
thus constituted shall meet before the final ad- journment of the Five-Years Meeting and appoint from among its members a Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, and at least two others, who, with these officers, shall constitute an Executive Com- mittee. The names of these officers, shall be re- ported to the Five-Years Meeting and published in its proceedings.
The Board of Foreign Missions shall have a gen- eral advisory oversight of the Foreign Mission work of the several Yearly Meetings represented in the Board. With the approval of two-thirds of its mem- bers it may enter upon mission fields not occupied by any Yearly Meeting; and it may assume con- trol of such missionary work as any Yearly Meet- ing may see fit to transfer to it.
The members of the Board from the several Yearly Meetings shall fully inform the Secretary as to the mission needs, and of the work done by their Yearly Meetings and their subordinate meet- ings.
The Executive Committee of the Board shall have the general charge of its affairs in executing the di- rections of the Board. The members of the Execu- tive Committee shall be paid their actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
It shall be the duty of the Chairman to preside at the meetings of the Board and of the Executive Committee, and to order such payments as are to be made by the Treasurer for the obligations au- thorized by the Board or the Executive Commit- tee.
121
Departments of Work
The Secretary shall be the executive officer of the Board, and it shall be his duty to collect information respecting the condition and needs of Foreign Mis- sion fields, and to learn as far as possible, the best means of supplying those needs; to obtain from the members of the Board, and from other sources, full information of the Foreign Mission work carried on by the several Yearly Meetings represented in the Board, or by the members of these Yearly Meet- ings, and to advise those in charge of such work in reference thereto; to ascertain the qualifications and preferences of those offering themselves as mis- sionaries; to collect and publish full statistics con- cerning all the Foreign Mission work of Friends in America, and in general to obtain and impart such information, from within and without the de- nomination, as may aid the Foreign Mission work.
The Secretary shall be paid such salary as the Board may determine.
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive all funds for the use of the Board, and to disburse them on the order of the Chairman, countersigned by the Secretary. He shall keep the said funds in a sep- arate bank account, and his accounts shall be ex- amined annually, or oftener, by the auditors ap- pointed by the Board.
The Secretary and Treasurer shall annually make separate reports to the members of the Board and to each Yearly Meeting, and the Board shall make full report to the Five-Years Meeting.
Voluntary contributions for the work of the Board, or for the separate missionary work of the
122
Constitution and Discipline
Yearly Meeting, shall be annually solicited in ev- ery congregation of each Yearly Meeting, care be- ing taken to give to each member an opportunity to participate therein; and each Yearly Meeting will make the necessary arrangements therefor.
The expense of the administration of the Board, not otherwise provided for, shall be apportioned to the several Yearly Meetings uniting in the work of the Board, according to the number of their mem- bers, and each Yearly Meeting shall raise its quota thereof in such manner as it may choose.
If there shall be any Yearly Meeting that does not adopt this Constitution and Discipline, or any As- sociation within such Yearly Meeting which may yet desire to place all or any portion of its mission work under the direction and control of the Board of Missions, the Board shall be at liberty to under- take the same with such arrangements as to repre- sentation on the Board and the expense of the work as may be agreed upon.
The Board of Foreign Missions shall become in- corporated under the laws of the State of Indiana, with the title of "American Friends Board of For- eign Missions," and they shall appoint Trustees to receive, invest and administer, according to the laws of the said State, such gifts, bequests and con- tributions as may be made for the use and pur- poses of the Board. This incorporation shall in- clude provisions for holding and transferring real estate wherever necessary.
The Board of Foreign Missions may establish regulations for the admission of members into the
123
Departments of Work
Church in the various fields under it care, and for the establishment and organization of meetings of such members. These meetings shall continue un- der the care and supervision of the Board until such time as it may appear to be advisable to attach them to some existing Yearly Meeting, or until, in its judgment, a new Yearly Meeting should be es- tablished, when the Board shall report the situa- tion, with its recommendations, to the Five-Years Meeting, which body, after careful consideration, shall be at liberty to establish such Yearly Meeting in the manner directed in the section on new Yearly Meetings.
SECTION 2 .- EVANGELISTIC AND CHURCH EX- TENSION BOARD.
An Evangelistic and Church Extension Board shall be appointed by the Five-Years Meeting, to consist of two members from each Yearly Meeting, and an additional member for each eight thousand members and fractional part thereof above five thousand, to serve for five years. The committee thus appointed shall meet before the final adjourn- ment of the meeting, and appoint from among its members a Chairman, a Treasurer, and a Secretary, who, with at least two additional members appoint- ed for the purpose, shall constitute the Executive Committee. The names of these officers shall be reported to the meeting and published in its pro- ceedings.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.