Is it appropriate to conduct member meeting activities inside the worship service?

The New Testament gives the local congregation final authority in matters of discipline (Matt. 18:17; 2 Cor. 2:6) and doctrine (Gal. 1). This means that there are times when the church as a whole should welcome in new members, remove members who move away, carry out church discipline, elect elders and deacons, and decide on other serious matters.

There are a couple reasons why this business should not be done in the context of a regular worship service.

1. Non-members and hopefully non-Christians will almost always be present in worship services and yet only church members have the right and responsibility to act on these matters.
2. Much of the information discussed in members meetings will be sensitive and somewhat private. Therefore, only the church’s members should be a part of the discussions that will occur in this kind of meeting.