Governing Document of the Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the light of church history and comparative law

Abstract

This article analyzes the governing document of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and identifies its elements that could be useful for inclusion in the governing documents of Ukrainian Quaker religious organizations. For this purpose, methods of legal hermeneutics, comparative law, and participatory research were applied. As a result of the study, it was found that the governing document consists of definitions and 19 articles, requires collective decision-making at meetings and in committees, and provides for the management of Britain Yearly Meeting based on an internal confessional document – Quaker faith & practice, the book of Christian discipline. It also involves the application of the Quaker business method in the decision-making process, which is characterized by the absence of hierarchy and formalities that divide people, such as voting, and the special role of clerks who record the sense of the meeting to reach general unity and agreement. Furthermore, it directs the organization's activities and resources toward supporting the church, faith, and meetings for worship, promoting Quakerism and active witness, and raising awareness and deepening understanding of the fundamentals of Quaker faith and practice – such as spirituality, peace, and human rights – both within and outside the church. This allows for the conclusion that the governing document serves as an example of finding a balance between complying with legal requirements and affirming Quaker identity, adherence to Quaker faith and practice. Considering the good example of the governing document of Britain Yearly Meeting, it would be equally advisable to incorporate Quaker structures and roles (meetings, committees, clerks, etc.), the business method, and a book of discipline (for instance, Advices and Queries of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ukraine) when developing the statutes of Ukrainian Quaker religious organizations, to the extent permitted by the Law of Ukraine "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations." Given the pacifist doctrine of Quakers and the provisions of Article 35 (4) and Article 55 (6) of the Constitution of Ukraine, it seems appropriate to define the protection of the right to conscientious objection and the substitution of military duty with alternative (non-military) service as one of the areas of activity in the bylaws of Ukrainian Quaker religious organizations.