A clearness committee is a process for discernment within the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
It is often used when a member of the meeting seeks to reach clarity on how to respond to a concern or dilemma.
The process thus is one of aiding the person seeking clearness in finding the answer within, rather than offering outside advice or guidance.
In these cases, the committee serves the dual purpose of helping the person or couple find clearness that this is the proper step and ensuring that the meeting is ready to take the member or couple under their care.
Clearness committees were frequently used by the Quaker-influenced Movement for a New Society and occasionally show up in other progressive organizations in the Philadelphia area, especially those with pacifist or nonviolence orientations.