Opening a New Work. A new work may be started by the elders of a local church, by several churches, or by the Yearly Meeting Board of Evangelism. When a person or a group desires to initiate a work, the authorization of one of these bodies should first be secured.

Mission Points. Unless organized by a substantial group of Friends from a local church (see below), a religious work that is duly authorized and carried on by Friends leadership is designated in its first phase as a mission point. It may consist of a Sunday school, a prayer meeting, a Bible study class, or a preaching point. It may meet in a home or any other convenient building. Very little local organization is required, inasmuch as all of its affairs are administered by the body under whose leadership it has been initiated.

Extension Churches. When a mission has developed sufficiently so that in the judgment of the initiating body it could become a local church, its sponsoring group petitions the Yearly Meeting Board of Evangelism to organize it as an extension church. The Board, at its discretion, may do so by guiding the mission congregation into a simple but functional organization, appointing one or more of its own members to handle local affairs.

Several families of Friends from established churches who live in a region where there is no Friends work may wish to form a new congregation. They may petition a conveniently situated local church or the Board of Evangelism and follow the procedure as outlined above. The Yearly Meeting Board of Evangelism, after consultation with the local congregation and the general superintendent, will select and secure pastoral leadership, as well as provide general supervision of the extension church. Such supervision implies no financial obligation on its part other than that which it may voluntarily assume. The Board may petition a local church, preferably the initiating one, to share in the sponsorship of the congregation, with or without financial obligation. Friends and others may become members of the extension church through regular procedures (membership). They are then listed separately as dual nonresident members by the parent church (but not included in its statistical report) and as resident members by the extension church (which includes them in its statistical report). The clerk of the extension church notifies the clerk of the parent church concerning the reception and transfer of members to other churches.

Once established in accordance with the procedures outlined above, the extension church thereafter appoints its own officers and committees annually, subject to the approval of the Yearly Meeting Board of Evangelism. The extension church appoints annually one member to the Area Nominating Committee, reporting its appointment to the Area Superintendent; and one member to the Yearly Meeting Council of Representatives, reporting its appointment to the Yearly Meeting clerk. A standard statistical report is prepared annually.

An extension church is responsible for contributing toward the financial support of the Yearly Meeting programs. Its proportionate share of the Yearly Meeting budget is on the same terms as those of a local church. All property rights involved in connection with an extension church are vested in the Yearly Meeting through its Trustees, or, at the discretion of the Board of Evangelism, in some incorporated Friends church within the same state. Projects for buying, building, and remodeling are to be submitted to the proper agencies of the Yearly Meeting and their approval secured before action is taken (Board of Evangelism).

New Local Churches. An extension church may request the sponsoring body to take proper steps toward its establishment as a new local church. Likewise the sponsoring church may take the initiative, making sure to secure the concurrence of the extension church. When such action has been approved by the local church, the extension church petitions the Yearly Meeting Board of Evangelism, proposing time and place for business sessions and Area affinity. Upon receiving notification of Board approval, the extension church is authorized to proceed with full organization as a local church.

Merger of Churches. When two or more local or extension churches propose to unite into one new local church, each church must give careful consideration to the merger. After they have consulted the general superintendent and after each has taken official action to approve the merger, the general superintendent carries their request to the Council of Elders. When sanction by this Council has been secured, the churches proceed to unify their business sessions, their officers and committees, their services, and their holdings. They consult the Yearly Meeting Trustees about proper handling of real estate and other assets. The united church selects its official name and chooses the site and facilities appropriate to its need. Membership of merging churches is transferred en masse to the new church. If the constituent churches are located in different Areas, the new church petitions the Yearly Meeting for affiliation with the Area of its choice.

Discontinuance of Churches. When irregularity of procedure or deterioration of status appears in a local or extension church, the Council of Elders has authority to make careful investigation through its officers or the Board of Evangelism. It advises in cases of difficulty, endeavoring to help the church to maintain its active relationship with the Yearly Meeting and with the community. If the Council of Elders judges the church to be ineffective or out of unity with Friends Faith and Practice, the Board of Evangelism, acting for the Yearly Meeting, may discontinue the church, or it may effect a union with another Friends church. It will then transfer the membership en masse. Alternatively, the local church experiencing difficulty may be given the status of an extension church.

Return to Extension Church Status. The Yearly Meeting Board of Evangelism or the local church that is involved may initiate action to consider whether the church should return to the status of an extension church. The Board appoints a committee to assess the situation, in cooperation with the local church or a committee appointed by it. If by common agreement and official action of the local church the change appears to be in order, the Board of Evangelism then assumes supervision of the church as outlined above. The new status continues until action to change the status is again appropriate.

Nomenclature. The word “Friends” is to be included in the name of a Friends group in any stage of its development; for example, Pennville Friends Mission Point, Pennville Friends Extension Church, or Pennville Friends Church.