Vocal ministry
Ian Kirk-Smith reports on an engaging afternoon at Friends House when four Friends considered the subject of Quaker vocal ministry. What is it and where does it come from?
Does vocal ministry come from God or from the Friend who speaks it? How does it happen? Is it distinctive from utterances made at other times? How do we recognise ‘true’ ministry? Should we treat it as having a ‘special authority’?
These were some of the questions addressed by a weighty and articulate company – Rex Ambler, Alec Davison, Janet Scott and Michael Wright – at Friends House in London on Saturday 25 April.
The event, organised by the Quaker Universalist Group, in conjunction with London Quakers, gave these four Friends an opportunity to share their different understandings of a keystone of Quaker worship: vocal ministry. Their stimulating contributions were followed by a panel discussion and a lively session of questions from the floor.
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