All of these required structures for settling issues. Thus a new member had to have certification of good standing. The notion that the bishops had to be involved in the consecration of new bishops was an expression of, or the basis for, the image that the bishops formed a kind of association which had responsibility for the overall good of the Christian communities. To meet these responsibilities, they developed administrative structures, particularly a system of regular meetings or synods. The system is well developed by the middle of the third century and perhaps grew up much earlier.
Bishops tend to meet regularly according to the organization of the Roman provinces.
Metropolitan bishops emerge as the leaders of these conferences. The conferences serve as disciplinary places for bishops and appeals for the clergy and people. A bishop who had been found wanting by his people or colleagues would be called before a provincial synod. He might be removed from office and a successor chosen in his place. Until the empire began enforcing these decisions, the bishops did not always have the power to carry out the expulsion and replacement.