Book of Discipline (Quaker) - History

History

The first Quakers showed up in the seventeenth century about the same time the English translation of the Bible was printed. Quakers were first called “Seekers” and they did not agree with the Christianity of their day. They stated “The Churches have forgotten the real Christ.” Quakers wanted to go back to the early forms of Christianity, where Christ’s words and the examples he set were what mattered most.

George Fox, a shoemaker and leather worker in England, was one of these early Seekers. He struggled to find answers and truth until one day he had a revelation. He wrote in his journal that a voice came to him and told him “There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to your condition.” George Fox became involved in the meetings of other early Seekers, and together with others, attracted more followers. Another early Quaker, Margaret Fell (later married to George Fox), tried to organise these meetings into sections, knowing that without some type of organization Quakerism would fall apart. The local meeting called is a Local meeting or Preparative Meeting, in which the members would discuss business matters. Next is a Monthly meeting, an accumulation of many local meetings. Representatives from the monthly meeting would appear at a Quarterly meeting, and lastly a Yearly meeting is held with a collection of many representatives from Quarterly meetings. These meetings not only kept organization and foundation for the Quaker faith but it kept them socially connected.