The membership of a local meeting consists of those on the area meeting list of members who are attached to that meeting. Meetings for church affairs should be held when most people can attend, non-members attending by permission of the clerk. Most meetings will encourage regular attenders at meeting for worship to participate in meetings for worship for church affairs on suitable occasions. Friends in membership of other meetings may be present, but should notify their presence to the clerk before the meeting begins, and, if drawn to speak, should be sensitive to the fact that it is not their own meeting. However, any Friends who have been accepted as sojourning members of the area meeting (11.27) are expected to share as fully as they are able in the life of their local meeting.

Local meetings are at all times subordinate to their area meeting.

Much helpful advice and experience in exercising the care of the worshipping community is found in chapter 10 Belonging to a Quaker meeting and in chapter 12 Caring for one another. All members should be familiar both with these parts of our discipline and with chapter 3 General counsel on church affairs.