This pamphlet was written in 1992. There have been a number of changes, both to the Yearly Meeting structure and to our procedures for recording since that time. Ministry Coordinating Committee is considering revising this pamphlet. Until that revision occurs, Friends are advised to consult "Care of Ministries and Recording of Gifts in Ministry" in Faith and Practice.
This pamphlet has been prepared by the Yearly Meeting on Ministry and Counsel of New York Yearly Meeting to provide guidance for
- local meetings deciding whether to recommend one of their members for recording in ministry
- recording committees appointed by Yearly Meeting Ministry and Counsel
- individual Friends seeking to understand the recording process.
At the time of this writing, there is no single, readily available resource on recording. We have gathered material from many other yearly meetings, consulted well-known Friends historical works, and drawn on the experience of past recording committee members.
Recording is a means of recognizing and supporting the ministry of gifted individual Friends. In a minute recording the gifts of a Friend, the Yearly Meeting on Ministry and Counsel invites Friends everywhere to benefit from those gifts, and challenges that Friend to exercise those gifts more fully.
Recording is a tradition which goes back to the earliest days of Friends. Many Quaker pastors are recorded, as are a number of other "weighty Friends." Because of Friends' strong emphasis on the equality of everyone in ministry, recording has often been misunderstood. Even recording committees have not always fully understood the purpose of recording, or the details of their charge. The concern for this pamphlet rose out of our desire to make sure that the practice is well understood.
We hope that this pamphlet will be of service to Friends.