INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETING

The need for a book describing Intermountain Yearly Meeting rose out of the same impulse toward order as was recognized during the early years of the Religious Society of Friends. What early Friends called a “book of discipline” evolved from minutes describing guidelines that Friends found enabled them to carry out actions consistent with their faith. It described the basic framework of monthly, quarterly (or regional), and yearly meetings set up by the founder, George Fox. Not long after its founding, the Society realized that, in order to assess the health and progress of Friends, certain information was needed. Focused questions, now called queries, were formulated to gather this information. In 1791, the first advices were adopted. Together, the advices and queries reminded Friends (and still do) of the basic faith and principles held to be essential to the life and witness of the Religious Society of Friends. This collection of materials, with periodic revisions, served as both record and guide, never as rule or creed, and was open to change as times and society changed. A Quaker book of discipline, also called a faith and practice, sets forth our current understanding of how we are organized, what we believe, and how our lives bear witness to what we believe.