The Life Cycle of Meetings

IN-PERSON AT POWELL HOUSE
AUGUST 23 - 25, 2024

Friends’ meetings in the United States are changing. Most (though not all) are much smaller than they used to be, with many aging Friends. This does not necessarily mean we’ve done anything wrong, as it’s a trend that we have in common with many other 21st century faith groups, but it does mean we need to adjust our structures so that we can thrive as the people we are today.

This weekend will definitely include an introduction to the life cycles of meetings, worship, free time and some reflection time. Saturday will be a choose-your-own adventure experience. We’ll have sessions on about half of the following topics, which will be chosen according to the interests of the group:

• Accompanying a meeting through life cycle work

• Forming a discernment process for life cycle work

• Grief as part of change

• Implications of being a hybrid meeting

• Initiating a conversation about life cycles of meetings

• Laying down meetings

• Merging two or more meetings

• Outreach and welcoming

• Resistance, uncertainty, and how to work with these dynamics in a group

• Restructuring meetings

• Sharing, renting, or selling buildings

• Simplifying committee structures

• Spiritual reflections on Biblical texts

• Spiritual reflections on early Friends’ writings

Emily Provance is a Quaker traveling minister from Fifteenth Street Meeting in New York City. She’s also an associate of Good News Associates, which is a Christian nonprofit ministry organization supporting individuals who are called to non-institutional ministries.