Which groups may sit in the International General Council?

• A. Exhorters
• B. Laity
• C. Exhorters, Laity, and Ordained Ministers
• D. Bishops, Evangelists, and Deacons

Answer: (C)

The idea at work is inclusive representation in the church’s highest deliberative body. The International General Council is described as comprising those who preach and minister (exhorters), the general church membership (laity), and those who have been formally ordained to ministry (ordained ministers). This mix ensures decisions reflect both practical church life and established ministerial leadership, giving voice to everyday members, those actively preaching, and those who have received ordination authority.

Exhorters bring front-line preaching and church outreach perspective; laity represents the broader membership and lay concerns; ordained ministers contribute established spiritual authority and governance experience. Together, they form a balanced council that can address doctrinal, administrative, and pastoral matters in a way that single groups alone could not.

Other groupings focus on particular offices or exclude one of these essential voices, which is why they don’t fit as the council’s composition.