British Quakers: Mission and message - Boundaries

Stuart Masters, in the third article of the series, considers the boundaries of Quakerism and looks at the experience of early Friends

by Stuart Masters 18th October 2013

The earliest Friends saw no need for a formal membership system. They wasted no time on establishing processes for receiving, assessing and recording membership applications. However, this does not mean that the maintenance of a clear Quaker identity was unimportant to them. Indeed, in terms of belonging, they drew the boundary lines very firmly, based on quite explicit expectations of belief, behaviour and appearance.