Birth

A child born to parents associated with a Friends meeting becomes immediately a part of that Meeting, and every member accepts some measure of responsibility for the child's spiritual growth.

As we do not use outward forms in our worship, we do not practice outward sacraments like baptism with water, for either children or adults. Here is how Quakers in Britain explained the position on baptism:

"The Quaker conviction is that the operation of the Spirit outruns all our expectations. We acknowledge that the grace of God is experienced by many through the outward rite of baptism, but no ritual, however carefully prepared for, can be guaranteed to lead to growth in the spirit. A true spiritual experience must be accompanied by the visible transformation of the outward life. Our understanding of baptism is that it is not a single act of initiation but a continuing growth in the Holy Spirit and a commitment which must be continually renewed."

In the past a child born to parents who were members of a Friends meeting became a "birthright" member -- that is, the child was automatically recorded as a Member. Meetings associated with Pacific Yearly Meeting no longer follow this practice. A child born into one of our meetings will become a member when, and only when, he or she is ready, and will follow the same procedure as any other person who becomes a member.

Birth

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