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What is a book of "Faith and Practice"?
While Friends traditionally do not have creeds, most yearly meetings (regional bodies of like-minded Friends) do adopt a book of "discipline," often called "Faith and Practice." These books generally describe the practices and procedures used in the yearly meeting, offer inspirational extracts from Quaker literature, and contain "advices" and "queries" (guidance and questions to help Friends examine themselves and their lives as they strive to live more fully in the Light). Below are links to complete disciplines that are available online:
Liberal Friends
Described as: "Those who generally gather in meeting houses and practice unprogrammed, non-pastoral, silent worship within a broad theological continuum that includes folks who are very Universalist as well as some who are highly Christ-centered and scripturally based."*
- Alaska Friends Conference (in process)
- Baltimore Yearly Meeting
- Illinois Yearly Meeting (in process)
- InterMountain Yearly Meeting
- Lake Erie Yearly Meeting Policies and Procedures
- New England Yearly Meeting
- New York Yearly Meeting
- North Pacific Yearly Meeting
- Northern Yearly Meeting (in process)
- Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting
- Pacific Yearly Meeting
- Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
- Southeastern Yearly Meeting
- Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting
Conservative Friends
Described as: "Those who gather in meeting houses to practice the unprogrammed, non-pastoral, silent form of worship but are more Christ-centered theologically."*
Pastoral Friends
Described as: "Those who gather in either meeting houses or churches and are Christ-centered and have programmed, pastoral form of worship and may or may not be very evangelical."*
- Indiana Yearly Meeting
- North Carolina Yearly Meeting (FUM)
- Western Yearly Meeting
- Wilmington Yearly Meeting
Evangelical Friends
Described as: "Those who gather in churches and are very Christ-centered and very evangelical and have programmed, pastoral form of worship."*
- Alaska Yearly Meeting
- Evangelical Friends Church Southwest (available in English and Spanish)
- Northwest Yearly Meeting
- Mid-America Yearly Meeting
- Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meetings Outside the United States
- Australia Yearly Meeting
- Britain Yearly Meeting
- Canadian Yearly Meeting
- Friends United Meeting in East Africa
- Yearly Meeting of Aotearoa/New Zealand
Other Links of Interest
- Freedom Friends Church. This congregation is not affiliated with any of the yearly meetings or branches. Their Faith and Practice was published in 2009.
- North Carolina Yearly Meeting's 1823 Discipline.
- "The Old Discipline," Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's 1806 Rules of Discipline.
*These descriptions are quoted from an older (now deleted) web page of Evangelical Friends Church International.