The over correction for this was Friends largely have turned their back on this practice. I regard this as too bad because from my point of view we are sadly lacking true eldering in modern Meetings. We both lack Friends who are really grounded in Quaker practice, we lack mentoring for younger friends in everything from clerking to giving faith ministry.…but most importantly we lack a real accountability when things go estray.
Formal eldering requires a kind of connected community that I don’t see as much anymore and I can’t recall ever seeing it in the wild. In my experience eldering has happened when someone I really admire as a grounded soul questions something I’ve said or done. The weight of my respect for them makes me reconsider my surety and cockiness. It can take months for me to process just their few words of observation. It can be wonderful.
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