All major local church disbursements must be approved by the church in what?

• A. council meeting
• B. conference
• C. congregational vote
• D. annual general meeting

Answer: (B)

Major financial decisions for a local church are handled through a conference, the formal gathering that provides official oversight and binding authorization for significant disbursements. This setting brings together representatives and leaders to review the budget, align spending with policy, and approve large financial commitments in a structured, accountable way.

A council meeting tends to address ongoing or interim matters and may not carry the same level of authorized fiscal decision-making as a conference. A congregational vote is common in some denominations for certain decisions, but the standard practice here is to route major disbursements through the conference to ensure consistency with the church’s established policies and regional oversight. An annual general meeting is not the typical forum used for approving local church expenditures in this governance framework.