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Trustees & Treasurers Conference 2025

Quaker Life Conference

Quaker Life organised a one day conference for Trustees & Treasurers to come together, be inspired, learn from each other. The conference encouraged us to interact with the speakers/workshops and ‘to see one another’s faces, and open our hearts one to another.’

Sitting at a table together was a bonus. However, it was good to see that people joining online. They had similar workshops and break out rooms for small group discussions.

The conference had several different workshops and themes. Those I attended were focused on:

Resilience and readiness
Changing charities (role of trustees and treasurers)
The JustMoney Movement

The second theme was brought up in both the introduction and plenary sessions – I feel it’s such a hot topic.

Although I’m no longer living in London, I have still been following along with the plans to create the combined London Area Meeting. I’ve also worked with some other groups that are combining or restructuring. Lesley Richards gave a presentation on her work supporting Quakers. She considered how they might decide to merge or restructure. Readers may not be surprised to hear that each group are doing things slightly differently!

MBS gives clerk and trustee support across the yearly meeting (and yes, I do like to read minutes), I’ve heard various discussions. In addition, this topic was brought up at last October’s Future of British Quakerism Conference. I’ve been aware at a local level and found it fascinating to see the difference between the last T&T conference report in 2023 to now from the plenary session (map image below).

Lesley now has a generic email if you’d like to consult with her: LesleyR at Quaker dot org dot uk.

Minute 20: What it means to be a Quaker today: Trust in Trusteeship We have continued our consideration of what it means to be a Quaker today by focusing on Quaker Trusteeship. We have been reminded that our spiritual journey is about living in the world and wrestling with the tensions between living out the testimonies and dealing with practical, financial and property matters. The real test of our faith is whether we can connect with the spirit in the mess of our daily lives. Having bodies of named trustees is therefore not about giving all the power to a small group but making sure that all the difficult work gets done. Nor should we be surprised if mistakes are made, as this is where we as individuals fail as well. Both trustees and meetings need to hold each other in the light and above all to keep the lines of communication live and vibrant. We all belong to the same worshipping community, we are all working together and it is the same spirit that leads us. Community is two way. Trustees need to empower other Friends to ask questions, perhaps by making minutes more readily available, and other Friends need to talk to trustees and ask for information. This openness will in turn support trustees in their work. God has placed trust in us. We need to honour that trust in moving forward together to build the Kingdom.

Britain Yearly Meeting 2013 Minute 20 Tweet

Resilience & Readiness to Change

I found one of Sarah’s questions challenging – and think it’s one I’m going to suggest my clients (and you!) tackle as a Trustee group, or an Area Meeting:

List all networks / organisations / people / entities your trustee body has / have relationships with, and how you can nurture those relationships.

As well as the quote above from BYM 2013. The notes I brought away included the importance of diversifying our trustee and treasurer roles and bodies. Being willing to change the ways we work to include voices and experiences that we may be lacking. To look for partners as well as asking for help. To look further afield for staff, not just Yearly Meeting or Woodbrooke. Can you include other local groups in your discussions?

How can we build and nurture relationships across geographical regions to support each other?
Thinking long term to serve our communities for the next hundred years or more?
How can we learn from what is being done or has been done?
We need to have activists, children, families, marginalised groups.

Who can help you explore:

What is change needed?
What needs to change & how
who needs to be involved?
Which external partners could help?

If we are living adventurously we need to be willing to embrace failure more. To accept that change is scary and that following the Spirit is more following a compass direction on a faithful journey than a set point of arrival.

What needs to happen to ensure we build a structure that has this trust & flexibility?
Such a structure will keep us moving forward and worshipping together.

How have you found ways to build community and links?

The mind wanders and the will falters again and again… But it is foolish to allow failures in concentration to plunge us into profitless self-condemnation. ... I like to believe that God is similarly pleased with our efforts and understanding of our many failures. What matters is whether or not the will, like a compass needle when deflected, is so pivoted that it can swing back to the true direction.

Qf&p 2.49 (part)