Eldering is a process of assisting one another, from a centered place, to stay true and faithful to the Spirit in all aspects of our lives. Eldering is a component in the life of a spiritual community that was well known among early Friends, came to be misunderstood, and to a great extent has fallen out of practice. Today Margery Mears Larrabee, author of this essay, and other Friends are urging us to rediscover eldering as a valuable practice that can nurture the spiritual lives of individual Friends and of Friends meetings. Decades of experience, wisdom, and deep reflection are contained in these pages.

Eldering is a process of assisting one another, from a centered place, to stay true and faithful to the Spirit in all aspects of our lives. Eldering is a component in the life of a spiritual community that was well known among early Friends, came to be misunderstood, and to a great extent has fallen out of practice. The author is urging us to rediscover eldering as a valuable practice that can nurture the spiritual lives of individual Friends and meetings. Decades of experience, wisdom, and deep reflection are contained in these pages.

An exploraton of the role of eldering as a nurturing and guiding influence in Friends meetings today. ( )

This pamphlet is an important resource for the revival of the Friendly practice of Spirit-led eldering, which in turn can be an important resource for the deepening of the spiritual life of Friends meetings. Larrabee emphasizes the adjective Spirit-led, to distinguish this practice from the kind of scolding and judgmentalism that gave the practice a bad name in the 19th century. She explains carefully that this eldering offers compassionate and loving encouragement, challenge, guidance, accountability, presence, discernment, engagement, listening, questioning, always led by the Spirit. She offers queries on eldering and preparation for eldering. She is clear and thoughtful on what such eldering can offer a Friends meeting. ( )

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