Jennifer Rothnie Supporter Housewife, Artist, Perpetually Curious

Both church business meetings and Bible Studies are meeting of the Church (Ecclesia).

Business meetings deal primarily with the practical needs and duties of the church while on earth (helping widows and orphans, administration, future goals, giving, etc.) They often touch on the spiritual by addressing ministry needs.

Bible Studies primarily focus on the spiritual needs and duties of the church while on Earth (fellowship, growing in the Lord, accountability, prayer, etc).

It would be easy to say the spiritual takes precedence over the practical, since this is in fact a point often made in scripture (Luke 10:41-42, Matt 6:20, II Pet 1:3-11), the practical does matter as well. The spiritual often bears fruit in the practical (I Cor 9:10-12), and the church should have a real and practical presence while on this world (Matt 5:14).

In Acts 6:1-4 we see that deacons were appointed precisely so that they could run ministries regarding practical things, so that the teachers would be free to focus on "prayer and ministry of the word".

As such, there is not going to be a yes or no answer to this question. It is going to depend on circumstance, method, etc.

Here are a few things to consider:

1) Was the business meeting an emergency, in which no other time/place was readily available?

If so, then the Bible Study group would be right to graciously give up their meeting place so that an urgent need in the church could be addressed.
This follows from how the disciples, upon realizing there was a need, called a meeting to discuss the urgent issue of the widows (Acts 6:1-4). Only after the practical need had been addressed, by appointing others, did they return to prayer and evangelism.

2) Was this a regular, non-emergency business meeting that for some reason needed the Bible Study space?

If so, then my personal view is that the scheduled Bible Study group takes precedence, as they have in effect been given the time slot and there is an expectation of regular meeting (Heb 10:24-25). That said, the church leaders can ask the group about sharing the space, or sharing the time slot, and ideally the Bible Study group will be open to working something out. The two groups could pray together, for example, and then split to different sides of the room. Or, each could work with a shorter period of time so that each group could still meet, and still have time to discuss the essentials. The Bible study group should have respect for the business leaders to, as they were likely in charge or at least contributed to the organization and operation of the Bible study group.

3) Was it a non-emergency meeting that just took over without permission or apology?

If so, then the church business group should probably be attending the Bible study group instead of pulling imaginary rank. While it may be tempting for church administrators to put practical needs first, it is even more important for them to remember that the practical is meant to serve spiritual goals.

[I add this because I have seen several Bible Study Groups displaced or disbanded because there was a 'practical' need].

4) Is this meant to be a regular displacement? If so, the Bible Study group should be invited to the business meeting to discuss options.


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In case this question is actually asking 'should someone go to a business meeting instead of a Bible study', then the answer is spiritual intake is essential if someone is going to do any ministry. Both spiritual intake and outflow are important. If you are not in the word and in fellowship with others, do not sign up to be a deacon or administrator. For example, if one had minimal spiritual intake and fellowship beyond a weekly Bible Study group, than it would be better to stay in the group than drop it for an administrative meeting. If one has a lot of spiritual in-take and fellowship besides the Bible Study, then it should be fine to replace it with a meeting.

January 23 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report