Friends General Conference

Friends General Conference
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Hicksite (Liberal)
Theology	Quaker
Polity	Unprogrammed
General Secretary	Barry Crossno
Distinct fellowships	Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Associations	World Council of Churches, Friends World Committee for Consultation
Region	Worldwide
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Origin	1900
Congregations	382 in US (2010)
Members	22,192 in US (2010) Approximately 32,000
Official website	www.fgcquaker.org

Friends General Conference (FGC) is an association of Quakers in the United States and Canada made up of 16 yearly meetings and 12 autonomous monthly meetings.^[1] "Monthly meetings" are what Quakers call congregations; "yearly meetings" are organizations of monthly meetings within a geographic region. FGC was founded in 1900.^[2]

FGC-affiliated meetings are typically in the "unprogrammed" Quaker tradition, though there are some Friends churches with pastors. "Unprogrammed" means that worship is based on silent waiting for the Spirit's inspiration, without a pastor or a prepared order of worship. As of 2022, there are approximately 32,000 members in over 650 congregations (called meetings or churches).

Friends (Quakers) affiliated with FGC tend to be theologically liberal and more socially progressive than Friends in other branches of Quakerism in North America, though FGC welcomes Friends with diverse experiences and points of view.

FGC's programs include an annual week-long conference called "The Gathering," on-line retreats and worship opportunities, resources for meetings in becoming anti-racist spiritual communities, spiritual mentorship for youth and young adults, book publishing and sales, religious education materials, interfaith relations, and websites for meetings.

Along with the Friends United Meeting, the FGC is a member of the interdenominational World Council of Churches. The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) is primarily affiliated with the FGC^[3] and the main offices are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.