Friends
developed their way of making decisions in the late 1660’s
in response to the sufferings of Friends in prison and the crucial
needs of their families. A crisis of leadership had arisen within the
Quaker movement. It became clear to George Fox — himself in
prison at the time — that Friends needed to take collective
responsibility for decisions, rather than depend on a few
outstanding leaders. Fox worked out a system of Monthly, Quarterly
and Yearly Meetings through which Friends could deal with matters
of corporate concern and responsibility.