Quakers have this funny practice called Eldering. Even the name of it is antiquated. It comes from a time when someone very respected was called an Elder. However, from early on in Quakerism because of the value on equalatrism it was recognized that young people and women could be elders. (Rather unheard to in the 1600s). This was because it was a mark of being mature in the Spirit. The person was a spiritual elder, someone who lived a grounded, spirit inspired life. They understood Quaker practice and the underlying beliefs that went with Quaker practice.
There were many roles that Elders played. They sat on the facing bench and held the Meeting in the Light, thereby deepening the worship. They acted as anchors and mentors for Friends engaging in new ministry. They often would accompany a Friend who was in traveling ministry to help them stay true to their Light and not overshoot their leading. They would speak with and nurture those who were newly giving ministry in Friends Meeting, encouraging the development of faithful ministry.
But the practice of eldering is something slightly different. It was/is the modern day equivalent of "calling in" ( the opposite of calling someone out which is often with anger and criticism.) It was to speak to someone who was seen to be morally straying, or lost, or beyond their light, or behaving inappropriately and to lovingly call them back into the Light. A powerful example of this was when John Woolman would travel and meet with Quakers who were owning slaves and he would speak to them or the moral wrong they were doing TO THEIR OWN SOUL, and plead with them to sell their slaves. This is not to say that he did not believe in abolition or have great concern for the well being of the slaves. But since he saw slavery as a sin, he reasoned that to own a slave was a sin that corrupted and damaged the soul of the slave owner just as much as the enslaved person.
That was the power of eldering but it also got its self a bad name in the middle years of Quakerism when it became a sort of rigid litmus test of moral conformity with people being "written out of Meeting" by Meeting elders for such sins as singing, dancing, wearing lace or marrying outside of the faith. The over correction for this was Friends largely have turned their back on this practice. I regard this as too bad because from my point of view we are sadly lacking true eldering in modern Meetings. We both lack Friends who are really grounded in Quaker practice, we lack mentoring for younger friends in everything from clerking to giving faith ministry....but most importantly we lack a real accountability when things go estray.
Friends to a large degree have drifted into an American Liberalism - a desire to be open and accepting to everyone - to a point that often surrenders having an actual defined set of beliefs or boundaries. While Friends drift towards a more codified set of testimonies, calling them "SPICES", we oddly do not stand up for these truths that we have found. If Friends exhibit conspicuous and unsustainable possessions we do not even lovingly discuss Simplicity with them. When male Friends exhibit learned male privilege in our gatherings, we either sigh and turn away or attack with a Feminist critique, but we do not lovingly labor with them over how and why to change that behavior. It is rare that anyone talks about how us pacifists are all paying for war. We accept many behaviors in our committees and our business meeting which are frankly secular behaviors from our work places that are not part of Quaker Faith and Practice. (see also previous post on eldering and conflict: http://thefriendlyseeker.blogspot.com/2019/10/it-may-not-surprise-you-to-hear-me-say_30.html)
"Quakers behaving badly" is a phrase that brings a slight chuckle and smile to most long time Friends faces. Yes we know about Friends being behaving badly -we have seen it many times. This ranges from Friends who speak too often and too long. Friends who "mansplain" Quakerism (and other subjects) to the rest of us. Friends who rant and lecture about politics to the rest of us. Friends who talk about the news in Meeting for worship and who have never given a spirit filled message in their life. (Is this NPR or is this God?) Alignating young people and people of color with unconscious ageism and or racism. Letting fear about changing from "the way we have always done it" get in the way of considering what new Light might show us. Over editing minutes, hung up on Grammar rather than finding what Spirit is trying to say through us. Being attached to forms over the purpose they were intended to serve. Friends who have tantrums in business or committee meetings, who we silently allow to do this to everyone else. Refusing to talk about critical issues because we are uncomfortable with conflict and have forgotten that Light is available on all subjects. Unable to identify what we believe because we are practicing acceptance of all to the point where there is no Spiritual Center. I could go on, and feel free to add some of your own in comments below.
But the bottom line is we will continue to have Friends who are behaving badly until we again have Elders who can lovingly share Quaker practice and belief with those Friends behaving badly and loving show them another, Quakerly set of possibilities.
