One of the most revolutionary concepts the Society of Friends has upheld is an understanding of “church” as a body of believers – not as the building (“the Methodist Church” beside the river) or the organization (“Presbyterian” or “Congregational”) or a hierarchy (“the Vatican” or even a nearby bishop I once heard quoted as saying, “I am the church.”) This sense of a gathering of the saints is the reason ours is a “meeting” of the church – of the believers – and why we gather in a meetinghouse, rather than calling the building itself the church. For that matter, early Friends typically referred to the gathering place of other denominations as a “steeplehouse,” thus emphasizing a distinction between the building and its users.
Keep your eyes and ears open, though, and you’ll observe the inevitable turns that try to fit us into those other concepts. Calling us, for instance, “the meetinghouse people” or our organization the Dover Friends Meetinghouse, rather than Meeting. While there is something quaint about referring to a “Quaker Church” down the road, it misses the point entirely. For us, a church does not burn to the ground – its martyrs may burn at the stake or we may burn with a passionate cause, but the church itself will be found everywhere, with many different individuals, and at odd moments. In fact, in this understanding, “church” even becomes a verb – something that can happen on a street corner or a field or our workplace as easily as in our historic meetinghouse. As I remember one couple saying, “We were unchurched and then we discovered Quakers.”
By extension, the Society of Friends was envisioned as being a people of God, modeled loosely on the Jewish people, with much of the teaching and practice coming down at home through generations of families. Whatever shortcomings Quakers have experienced in instilling the continued practice in their children, we remain a people of faith – one chosen freely, and experienced both personally and together. We meet, indeed, in many ways.
Jnana's Red Barn 
I admire the Society of Friends, from the many good works and inspiration I’ve seen spring from them. I haven’t had direct experience. It’s encouraging to hear about the center being the people and how they relate and not the buildings or certain persons.
Some time ago I frequented a Unitarian Universalist group north of San Diego. They also do many good works and social action, which drew me towards them. They’re also a group most choose to join versus being a sort of family habit.
Over time, I noticed this particular group shift its emphasis and identity to their little bit of land and buildings. Their works shifted to beautifying the buildings and grounds. The inward journey became less about spirit and more about how deep we could reach into our pockets for capital. Their horizon shifted from a global view if where help is needed to a nervous concern about their material image.
I suppose all groups change back and forth like all people do. Still, it feels like something is lost when a beneficent encompassing view turns to vanity.
I hope that’s not a phase your Society will dwell in for long.
Each group (like each family) goes through various shifts in focus over time. Staying on course, the “beneficent encompassing view” in your marvelous phrase, can always be tricky — for every congregation or other non-profit organization.
As a practicing Friend and a carpenter who restores stone and timber buildings….including barn raisings…. I’ve grown to appreciate the spiritual and moving aspect of a community build like a barn raising. Over the last 3 years, I’ve been reaching out to our brothers in NZ who have lost the spire of the Cathedral in Christchurch. I do understand the usefulness of such a building as a tool for spreading the Gospel.
Please have a look at the proposal at ThePeoplesSteeple.org and let me know what you think…video you tube
What a fascinating project. Living in New England, a region noted for its church spires and village greens, I’ve come to admire many of the steeples as landmarks … especially the ones with weathervanes. In many ways, they’re a lot like lighthouses, another iconic New England landmark.
Looking at the telescoping concept for raising the sections of the tower, you now have me wondering how these were built in the old days.
The telescoping steeple is THE way the old steeples were built as a rule. It’s exactly the same technology as putting up topmasts from the deck on sailing ships…and LORD knows the early settlers knew about topmasts. I have no problem explaining the steeple concept to sailors…they get it instantly.
I sail on the Gazela out of Philadelphia. When we were in Newport RI we were docked just down the hill from an Episcople church from 1723. I noticed the steeple and managed to talk my way into the steeple to tease out the secrets of it’s assembly and erection. sure enough it was full of ship’s knees and other tricks common in ship building. It was obvious wher the rops had been lead through the timbers of the different steeple sections. and you could see how they assembled the prefabricated sections inside the confined steeple space.
In my talk to the Kiwis about the potential for the method, I talked about the longevity of such steeples and how “green” they are. The steeple in RI was built 4 years before Captain Cook (who discoverd NZ) was born….and in the time since the steeple was built, you could have grown three crops of mature oaks to replace the trees cut to build it. Very sustainable.
If you would like to help save the Cathedral in NZ , please vote to “restore” at the following link:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/city-centre/10410374/Cathedral-wars-heating-up
Thank you for the explanation. I won’t view these spires quite the same again. Let’s see if this stirs up some more support for your project, too.
At the risk of over staying my welcome on this blog, I’d like to return to the original premise of the spiritual value of steeple houses. As a Friend I found that my spiritual needs were more than met in a simple meetinghouse. However, I’ve come to understand the value as an “outreach” tool that steeples have. It’s sort of like the “golden arches” at McDonalds. You instantly know what’s going on in there. Friends have done a horrible job of outreach…and as a convinced Friend, I’m comvinced that there is a wide and hungry audience for the Friend’s message.
In the case of building a steeple, the building of the steeple can be a pretext for building the community and spreading the gospel by ACTION rather than words. In the case of the Cathedral in NZ…it’s a soothing balm on a wounded soul…or at lease it could be.