Quakers

===Organisational government and polity===
<!-- [[Meeting for Business]] redirects to this section -->
{{Main|Quaker decision-making}}
[[File:Meeting in York.JPG|alt=|thumb|Quaker business meeting in [[York]]]]
[[Ecclesiastical polity|Governance]] and decision-making are conducted at a special meeting for worship – often called a ''meeting for worship with a concern for business'' or ''meeting for worship for church affairs'', where all members can attend, as in a [[Congregationalist polity|Congregational]] church. Quakers consider this a form of worship, conducted in the manner of meeting for worship. They believe it is a gathering of believers who ''wait upon the Lord'' to discover God's will, believing they are not making their own decisions. They seek to understand God's will for the religious community, via the actions of the Holy Spirit within the meeting.<ref name=QuakersinScotland/>

As in a meeting for worship, each member is expected to listen to God, and if led by Him, stand up and contribute. In some business meetings, Friends wait for the [[Clerk (Quaker)|clerk]] to acknowledge them before speaking. Direct replies to someone's contribution are not permitted, with an aim of seeking truth rather than debate. A decision is reached when the meeting as a whole feels that the "way forward" has been discerned (also called "coming to unity"). There is no voting. On some occasions Friends may delay a decision because they feel the meeting is not following God's will. Others (especially non-Friends) may describe this as [[consensus decision-making]]; however, Friends in general continue to seek God's will. It is assumed that if everyone is attuned to God's spirit, the way forward becomes clear.