A Ministry of Restorative Quaker Design and Faithful Growth
Rashid Darden is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and carries a ministry focused on healing, faithful decision-making, and the growth of Quaker communities.
Through Friends General Conference and in his independent ministry, Rashid works with Friends who are wrestling with change, conflict, identity, and the future of our meetings. His work is grounded in worship, listening, and a deep love for the Religious Society of Friends.
In Spring 2026, Rashid serves as Friend in Residence at Haverford College. This residency reflects the trust of the wider Quaker community and provides a model for how Friends can invite thoughtful, Spirit-led engagement around faith, belonging, and institutional life.
Restorative Quaker Design
Rashid is the creator of Restorative Quaker Design (RQD), a Spirit-led process for helping Quaker communities work through complex challenges.
RQD brings together:
- Quaker decision-making
- Restorative practices
- Design thinking
- Anti-racist practice
This approach helps meetings and organizations face difficult issues with honesty, care, and structure. It creates space for truth-telling, relationship repair, and Spirit-led movement forward.
Meetings often reach out to Rashid when they are facing:
- Ongoing conflict or stuck decision-making
- Questions about identity and inclusion
- Leadership transitions
- Declining participation or burnout
- Tension around race, power, or belonging
- The need for clearer, more faithful processes
Rashid can work with meetings, committees, and yearly meetings to guide a Restorative Quaker Design process that is shaped to your community’s needs.
If your meeting feels led to explore RQD, Rashid welcomes conversation about how this work might support your faith community.
Learn more about Restorative Quaker Design.
Faith, Growth, and the Future of Friends
In addition to RQD, Rashid is available to visit Quaker communities to speak, listen, and reflect on the growth and future of the Religious Society of Friends.
These visits may include:
- Meeting-wide conversations about faith and identity
- Worship-sharing and spiritual reflection
- Conversations about outreach and welcoming newcomers
- Honest dialogue about race, culture, and belonging in Friends spaces
- Support for Friends who are carrying multiple identities
- Reflection on how Quakerism can remain faithful and alive in changing times
Rashid’s ministry is rooted in the belief that Friends are strongest when we are honest about where we are, faithful to our leadings, and willing to be transformed.
How Friends Can Invite Rashid
Rashid is available to work with:
- Monthly Meetings
- Quarterly Meetings
- Yearly Meetings
- Committees and working groups
- Friends schools and Quaker-related organizations
Visits may include:
- One-day or weekend programs
- Multi-session processes
- Short-term residencies
- Workshops, retreats, and called meetings
Each visit is shaped in partnership with the host community, with care for the spiritual, emotional, and practical needs of Friends.
Rashid’s ministry work is part of his vocational calling. Meetings are asked to provide appropriate financial support, along with travel and lodging, so that this ministry can be sustained with integrity and care.
Rashid’s Experience in the Quaker Community
Rashid is deeply rooted in Quaker life and service, including:
- Member, Friends Meeting of Washington
- Clerk, Fellowship of Friends of African Descent
- Associate Secretary for Communications and Outreach, Friends General Conference
- Trustee, Friends Meeting of Washington
- Growing Diverse Leadership Committee, Baltimore Yearly Meeting
- Workshop Facilitator, Friends General Conference Gatherings
His work as Friend in Residence at Haverford College reflects his ongoing commitment to helping Friends live more fully into our testimonies and our future.
An Invitation to Conversation
If your meeting, committee, or organization is feeling led to explore Restorative Quaker Design, faithful growth, or deeper community life, Rashid welcomes conversation.
You do not need to have everything figured out. Often, the first step is simply to listen together for what the Spirit is asking of your community.
To begin a conversation, please contact: rashid@rashiddarden.com.
Rashid’s Ministry in the World
- Writing in Vitality, the weekly newsletter of Friends General Conference.
