Toolkit for Roleholders: online discernment

For many of us, online Quaker meetings have become a fixed feature of the way our community functions. This brings with it both challenges and opportunities. In this session, we will focus on how clerking responsibilities can be sustained and supported when in a virtual space.

As you may have experienced, clerking an online or blending Meeting for Worship for Business raises new challenges alongside the usual work of clerking. Friends may feel disconnected or distracted. It can be difficult to make sure that everyone feels part of the same meeting, and that all contributions are heard equally. It can also bring benefits, such as wider participation and clearer focus.

In this session, we’ll think about the practical aspects of a clerk’s role before, during and after an online Business meeting. We will talk about what it means to centre down in worship and to uphold the discernment process. We’ll also share tips on connecting spiritually in any space.

Chris Skidmore, who has held a variety of clerking roles and is currently an AM clerk, will reflect on his experience of the ways in which discernment can be encouraged in blended Meetings for Business. Programme Co-ordinator for Quaker Service & Roles Jacquie Cole will share insights and implications from Woodbrooke’s research into online meetings for worship and Quaker decision-making processes.