A local church __________ withdrawal from the International General Assembly.

• A. Cannot
• B. May not
• C. Will not
• D. Should not

Answer: (A)

Authority and governance within the denomination determine what a local church can and cannot do. The International General Assembly is the global governing body that represents the entire church, and its membership and participation are defined by the denomination’s polity rather than by any single local congregation. Because a local church does not possess the authority to sever its affiliation with the worldwide body on its own, it cannot withdraw from the International General Assembly. The other options would imply that the local church has the power or option to decide independently, which doesn’t align with how the denomination’s structure assigns authority to the higher governing bodies. In this polity, withdrawal from the IGA is not within the local church’s unilateral powers.