How Quaker Meetings work

Bob Johnson writes about the nature of Quaker Meetings

by Bob Johnson 16th March 2018

Since I was very young, I’ve always wanted to know how things worked. What does this cog do, or that lever? So, it has long puzzled me as to what makes Quaker Meetings tick. It’s not been easy, finding a route through. What happens when a group of human beings sit together, largely in silence – what is happening, if anything? You can’t stop people chattering – they love it, especially if they know each other well – but here they are, sitting, meekly, sometimes even for as long as an hour, without emitting a single word. What gives?