The Care and Concerns Committee attends to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of members and attenders. This work can be accomplished in various ways, one of which is the clearness committee.*
Additionally, the Care and Concerns committee is responsible for maintaining the membership records, a task usually assigned to one member of the Care and Concerns committee.
*From NYPM Faith and Practice, 2017
From early times, Friends have appointed small groups to work with potential new members or with couples requesting marriage under the care of the meeting to test whether the way is “clear” – meaning that there are no impediments or unresolved issues – before the matter comes before the meeting for business. Gradually these clearness committees came to operate as pastoral counseling before approval of marriage or membership. … Friends now use clearness committees for other purposes, for example in making a life-changing decision or in testing a leading. Seeking clearness in this way is a spiritual discipline both for the Friend making the decision or testing the leading and for those serving on the committee. Committee members listen deeply and ask open-ended questions to help the seeker focus and turn to the inner guide for direction, without offering their own advice or solutions.