Changing hearts, or habits? G Gordon Steel on the future of Meetings

‘It is becoming urgent for us to address this issue.’

Declining membership and attendance at Quaker Meetings is a concern for us all. It is part of the general picture of religion in Britain. The proportion of people who classify themselves as Christian has fallen below fifty per cent (although it has been pointed out that people who do not call themselves religious may have a significant underlying faith). In looking for explanations for this decline, it is tempting to implicate the long-term western trend towards materialism, but there are other factors at work.

Going to church is less attractive than in the past. Work and family life have changed out of all recognition. Many of us older Friends grew up in families where father worked nine-to-five and mother kept the home. Children came home from school and went out to play or did their own things, and their parents were not much involved in their education. After the war things began to change, especially the role and expectations of women. That ‘traditional’ family lifestyle is a thing of the past.

The boundary between work and home life has become blurred. Many people do some or all of their work from home, and may be expected to be accessible ‘out of hours’. This has been made easy by relatively-cheap technology and the advent of the internet. The distinction between weekdays and weekend is less clear. Opportunities for holidays, leisure activities, extra part-time work, or voluntary service have expanded enormously. Having a deadline to get out of the house on Sunday morning may feel like one stress too many in busy lives. It is not surprising, therefore, that going to church on Sunday mornings may seem to many a quaint activity. This is not necessarily so for Quaker members, mainly because of the age structure of most of our Meetings.

How can our Meetings respond to these very real changes in modern life? No doubt we will wish to maintain Quaker fundamentals: worship, friendship, community, and our Testimonies. But do we need to look at when, and how, we meet? Are we prepared to think radically? We do have significant resources: many fine Meeting houses, with loving and caring communities, and these days the distinction between members and attenders is relaxed. Many of us have interesting and fulfilling lives outside the Meeting. We have a strong tradition of looking outwards for links.

It is becoming urgent for us to address this issue. It is sensible for this to happen at the local Meeting level, because each Meeting has its own strengths and constraints. Perhaps some have already begun to do this; it would be good for Meetings to share, via the Friend, their inspiration and ideas about practical ways of encouraging more Friends to meet together… perhaps in new ways.

G Gordon says this piece is based on an article in the Sutton Meeting newsletter by Eva Kalmus

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