Quakers Are Having a Moment

Every so often something happens in the world that makes people start asking questions that lead them to Quakerism. We are living through one of those moments.

How can we best be prepared for the influx of seekers distraught by the sudden shift of our culture away from values like peace, integrity, and simplicity? How can we witness to these “fruits of the spirit” that Quakers have been experiencing for nearly 400 years?

For me, the answer begins with a question: “where are seekers looking?”

Luckily, the answer to that one is simple: they are looking online. For information, for inspiration, and for connection to community. It is so important that those searching for Friends finds something more compelling than Wikipedia.

In the 17th century, the Quaker movement grew rapidly because most peoples’ first encounter with Friends was through our ministries. Whether it was hearing one of us speak on a street corner, or reading a Quaker pamphlet, it was our principle of “letting our lives preach” that opened listeners’ hearts and helped them feel solidarity in their suspicion that there was another way.

We hear nearly every day now from readers and listeners that our work on Thee Quaker touched them during a time of seeking. Just yesterday we heard from a listener in Texas who discovered Friends through our podcast and is starting a Quaker Meeting in her living room. She’s fired up.

We should be fired up, too. Just two years in, Thee Quaker has already built an audience of nearly 10,000 monthly listeners and readers, and that number is growing quickly.

Here’s a brief update on our work of lifting up our ministries and giving Quakers a platform in the 21st century.