Some Quaker FAQS-Part 5: Creeds & “Consensus”
Most Progressive/Liberal Quakers today agree that they want their worship to be based on silence, conducted by the Spirit rather than leaders like pastors. The “sense of the meeting” is that they can listen for God better in quiet waiting.
They also agree that in business meetings they will make decisions without taking votes; here they write down the “sense of the meeting” on concrete decisions, and reach this usually (but not always) by unanimous consent.
(The “not always” part opens a big can of worms, which we can’t go into in detail here; it deserves its own book, and more than one has already been written about it.)
These Friends know this decision making method can take longer; but they believe it gets them closer to what God (or whatever they call it) wants the group to do. And the patience (or endurance) involved can also be a valuable spiritual discipline.
The “sense of the meeting” also takes the form of what Quakers call “Testimonies.” You’ve likely heard about some of these (most likely peace and equality). They represent pieces of the “sense/consensus” that are ongoing actions or priorities, which are supposed to be of concern to all the members of the group that formulated them.