general agreement reached by an assembled group; "no vote was taken, but after each discussion the chair summed up the sense of the meeting"
An expression of the unity of a meeting for worship for business on some issue or concern; the general recognition, articulated by the clerk or some other person, that a given decision is in accordance with the divine will.
A synonym for consensus in decision-making, with the understanding that the perception of unity comes from God's guidance and not from human compromise. In Friends business meetings the clerk tries to discern and state Òthe sense of the meetingÓ following prayerful discussion by the participants, but before calling for approval of the action.M
The Sense of the Meeting arises as a clerk leads the meeting or a committee in discussion of each business item. This Sense of the Meeting expresses the unity of those present and is recorded in a Minute.
In reaching decisions on items of business, Friends do not vote. After full consideration of a matter and allowing for the development of new insights, the collective judgment of the Meeting is gathered and expressed by the clerk for the approval of the Meeting. If there is marked divergence of judgment and no decision is reached, the matter is postponed until a later date.