I have for many years now been a fan of Wayne Dwyer, author of the Power of Intention, among many books (and often seen on PBS) Dwyers messages is definitely spiritual, but no explicitly Christian, and so not usually spoken about in Friends Meeting - I would like however to bring part of his Light to our on going struggle to have our Meetings support the Life we want for our Meetings.
First I would say we need to have an explicit dialogue in our Meetings - what do we want? What do we intend for our communities? Do we want more young families? Do we want to keep our youth? Do we want more vital ministries? Do we want a more active and powerful social witness? Do we want a deeper sense of community? Do we want our business meetings to be truly spirit led? Do we want to know the presence of God more deeply?
Whatever the longing - first we must name it - then we must imagine it fully achieved, the spirit of it - not endlessly lamenting the "not happeningness of it" as Dwyer might joke. Then in tasting what it might taste like we must walk our selves backward from that image. What conditions would have to exist to allow or nurture that vision? Would a certain committee of the Meeting be different? Would worship be different? Would community be different? Then peel back another layer: What committees or other activities prepare us for worship or to learn our practice? What removes the obstacles in worship? Do we expect to find the Divine on the bench with us? What practices could we change that would better support our cherished intentions? What practices do we have because "we always did it this way"... or because when we had a lot of children we did x, or because of the force of personality of 1 Friend now long dead, or because we think this is how "all Quaker" do it, etc. etc?
How can we examine our practices and release those who no longer serve. A number of years sabbatical years were popular for Meetings- laying down all committees for a year and discerning what was essential and bringing back committees only with intention and renewed purpose. Do our committees match our numbers? When does a meeting grown to where Ministry and Oversite should be separated (into Ministry and Worship & Pastoral Care) And when have we shrunk to where they should be recombined into Ministry and Pastoral Care?
Sometimes this conversation becomes a little bit of a "What comes first the chicken or the egg?" conversation because we imagine we cannot do the work that it would take to make a better meeting without more people and yet we feel that without more people we cannot do that extra work. Here Friends I would remind us that it is not our work alone to do. This is where it is good to remember God! How do we invite in God's help? How do we remember that God also wants these things we want: deeper worship, greater community, etc. and in fact if we can notice that it is really arranging the practices of our Meetings to let the Light shine through then it is not simply empty form or endless meetings - it is the joyful work of the Holy One and us as the instruments.
