Mission with Prophetic Power: The Journal of John Woolman (SRSC 12)

Chapter 4 The Ministry of Visitation to Individuals (1757–1759)

Chapter Summary Woolman discusses his mission to meetings and individuals in his account of the years 1757–1759. We will consider his visits with individuals and families here. Quaker itinerant ministers did a lot of “pastoral visitation”: checking up on widows, contacting those who were sick, performing funerals, and performing other pastoral duties. Quaker ministers, whether traveling alone or with a companion, attended to whatever was at hand. Sometimes—Woolman discusses these meetings more fully in his Journal —ministers were sent to discuss a concerning issue. Such was the case regarding Woolman’s visits with slave owners. The Society* itself was coming to believe that mistreating, owning, or trading slaves was problematic. The Philadelphia Meeting released a few Friends in 1758 to visit slave owners, a decision which reflected the growing concerns of the

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