About Quakers

Quakerism is a faith about a search for truth.

Quakers do not have a creed, and so individual Quakers have a variety of beliefs. Quakers will use different words for their own perceptions of the divine, and may or may not believe in God as usually defined.

The big thing that we agree on is the belief that there is “that of God in everyone”. All people have a spark of the divine in them, and it can come out through anyone who is looking for it.

We often talk about Quaker “testimonies” of Integrity, Equality, Peace, and Simplicity – these are things that Quakers try to live by, corporately and as individuals. You may also hear “Truth” (instead of Integrity) or “Sustainability” (in addition), depending on who you talk to!

Quakers’ official name is the Religious Society of Friends, and you’ll often hear us referring to ourselves as Friends (capital F).

Quaker practices vary a lot around the world. YFGM operates within Britain Yearly Meeting, and in Britain (as with most of Europe) Quaker worship is typically unprogrammed. We meet in silence, listening and waiting for a connection to the divine. Friends might feel moved to speak during the Meeting, giving “spoken ministry” based on a prompting from the Spirit.

You can find out more by following the links on our resources page.

In our explainers section we also have some detailed explanations about specific bits of Quaker process as implemented by YFGM.