Bible, Leadership

What Is the Role of Women In Today’s Church Leadership?

Posted December 5, 2012

Our culture is changing rapidly. A major change is regarding equality within the sexes. In most Christian circles, we try to make a concrete separation between males and females. Western culture is ever blurring the lines on sex and gender. Unfortunately, little by little, church culture is following suit, gradually shifting opinion and conviction.

For example, I recently heard about a major evangelical denomination that voted to have female pastors. To the unbelieving world, this isn’t a big thing. To most of the Main Line (liturgical) world, this isn’t a big deal either. However, within conservative evangelical circles, it has definitely stirred things up a bit.

In provinces like British Columbia and Ontario, it seemed like the obvious move to align with the culture. Throughout the central, more conservative provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, initial reports are not as promising.

Who’s right? Who’s wrong? And who gets to decide?

The question from the more conservative viewpoint is, “What about Biblical instruction on women submitting to male authority?” You may or may not like the question but it is a valid one.

For example, 1 Peter 3:1-7 states the following:

1 Peter 3:1-7 (ESV) 1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Under personal conviction, believing in the authority of Scripture, I agree with and stand by passages like 1 Peter 3 that emphasize male authority in the home and the church. That being said, as someone who makes a strong effort to connect with today’s culture, I can see the conflict.

It must be absolutely offensive for an unchurched woman to read these types of passages. Moreover, it must sound completely abstract when brought into the realm of cultural relevance. Consider the entrance of a new female believer into the church. It could be a tough transition!

  • What are her initial thoughts as she reads these passages for the first time?
  • What are her feelings about being able to serve in some roles, but not others?

Western culture has tried desperately hard to strip away gender roles in every aspect of life. The Christian may be tempted to dismiss these types of passages to make her feel more comfortable, but we can’t pick and choose Scripture based on our cultural moment.

Each local church is forced to choose.

The concept that God specifically created women as the “weaker partner” (1 Peter 3:7) sounds downright abusive. Nevertheless, it appears in Scripture. And, from at least, a physical perspective, biology backs up Peter’s teaching.

Again, coming back to my personal convictions, I believe God led Peter to write something that is true, but I wrestle with where the entirety of the weakness lies.

  • Does he mean weakness in physical strength alone?
  • Are there struggles with mental, emotional, and spiritual fortitude as well?
  • Am I allowed to even ask that?

I’m definitely inching my way toward being cancelled by even contemplating these outcomes. I might as well go for broke now.

  • What about management and leadership ability; is equality more than situational or cultural?
  • How do we fit these Biblical concepts within our leadership structures today?
  • Where’s the balance between commitment to Scripture and cultural relevance?

I must admit, I don’t have concrete answers to any of these questions, but I think there’s validity in asking them. Whether men or women, we should be striving to adhere to Biblical principles, and not just the comfortable ones.

Join the Conversation; Share Your Thoughts

  • Why do women belong in today’s church leadership?
  • In what capacity should women serve?
  • What are the differences between men and women within the leadership structure?

9 thoughts on “What Is the Role of Women In Today’s Church Leadership?

  1. David Ferguson says:

    I don’t want to research it or do a paper on it .. that’s you young men’s job … but I feel that much of our church attitude toward women in leadership has nothing to do with scriptural teaching at all but is rooted in pre-victorian, even dark ages mentality that women were worth less than cattle … they had no vote, they had no say and they had no influence in any part of their life. Scripture I believe puts a very high value on women in leadership … I challenge those who still feel women should be seen and not heard to do two things … honestly look at scripture, especially the old testament where women were even used by God to provide leadership to Kings … even to the point of delivering direct revelation to them , direct instruction from God (leadership) and secondly, if you feel women should not be in leadership in the church then recall from the field all the single women missionaries who are planting and growing and pastoring churches all over the world…… look forward to your response

    1. Thanks for your comment Dave. I struggle a lot with the concept of female leadership. I have experienced elders and pastors making decisions without consulting any females to see their perspective. I believe this is an error that has led to many errors that could have been prevented.

      Yet, when I try to go down the mental-road of women in elder and pastor roles; Scripture gets in the way for me. If I were to dismiss the passages that state male authority in the home and the church, I would have to dismiss other teachings that would be detrimental to the church as a whole.

      So, on one hand, I see the place where female leadership is beneficial; but I get nervous about where it would eventually lead us in regards to the inherency of the Bible.

      Thanks again for your comment and support!

  2. Considering the topic I find it somewhat humorous that only males have shared on this topic. So, as a women gifted with leadership, I can tell you there is nothing less discouraging than reading 1 Timothy 2: 11-15. I struggles with this contradiction in my life literally on a daily basis; and yet lack the knowledge and understanding to fully grasp scripture. So most often I am left with the advice a close friend and mentor of mine gave me several years ago. “Love the Lord God with all your heard, soul, mind and strength…. and do what the heck you want!”

    I constantly find myself in mental debates of what submission looks like, what was the original audience of these type of texts, what is the intended meaning, what does this mean for my life on this side of heaven, what does this mean for my relationship with Christ, and how do I live a life of submission, but then I simply try to rest in Christ and remember that we are all called to lives of peace and quiet humility (James 3:13-18) in submission to Christ. There is a ton I still have to learn about my place in the world, just who Christ wants me to be, and where He wants me to go, but for now I find peace in loving and serving an awe-some God and do my best to follow scripture each day. If you are truly loving God and living scripture, the rest will work itself out.

    Thanks for your all of your thoughts, I always find it interesting reading peoples opinions on this topic in particular.

    1. Thanks Morgan. Regardless of any struggle with authority roles, I think you’re on the right track. Those people who neglect their daily experiences with God, lack the connection with the Spirit that is needed for discernment.

      In my life, I seem to have very little struggle following women who don’t need to force their authority. Alternately, I have met women who seem to have an axe to grind and feel the need to constantly remind me of our leadership equality. Personally, I have no desire to follow any kind of leader who has to convince me of their leadership, regardless of gender.

      You have been given leadership abilities for a reason. Just remember to let your abilities prove that leadership. Save the convincing for God, since He’ll be the one giving you the opportunities in the first place.

      Thanks again,
      Jeremy

  3. Reblogged this on Found and commented:
    As a women gifted with leadership, I can tell you there is nothing less discouraging than reading 1 Timothy 2: 11-15 that states the submissive roles women are to hace. I struggles with this contradiction in my life literally on a daily basis; and yet lack the knowledge and understanding to fully grasp scripture. So most often I am left with the advice a close friend and mentor of mine gave me several years ago. “Love the Lord God with all your heard, soul, mind and strength…. and do what the heck you want!”

    I constantly find myself in mental debates of what submission looks like, what was the original audience of these type of texts, what is the intended meaning, what does this mean for my life on this side of heaven, what does this mean for my relationship with Christ, and how do I live a life of submission, but then I simply try to rest in Christ and remember that we are all called to lives of peace and quiet humility (James 3:13-18) in submission to Christ. There is a ton I still have to learn about my place in the world, just who Christ wants me to be, and where He wants me to go, but for now I find peace in loving and serving an awe-some God and do my best to follow scripture each day. If you are truly loving God and living scripture, the rest will work itself out.

    The following is a post by a friend of mine on the topic of women in leadership, what do you think?

  4. Chris Swaffield says:

    I believe women bring much needed compassion,empathy, and understanding to the Body of Christ. The more obvious areas are working with children, single mothers and so on, but women also have a way of making us men stop and think again before making decisions from a male perspective only. I believe those scripture passages that the new female christian believer would find difficult to accept are to be received as God’s truth, yet fully taking into account exhortations such as ” Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her….”

    1. Thanks for your insight Chris. Your thoughts regarding men seeking a women’s perspective before making a decision is key. I have talked with numerous men who pitch every idea to their wives before it ever hits a board room table. If we do it informally, why not formally? Thanks for supporting LeadBiblically.com.

  5. Don Garratt says:

    Wow. Dare I ‘weigh in’ on this one? Just for the sake of one more perspective perhaps. For me this issue has been an ongoing journey. I agree with your Scriptural concerns wholeheartedly. As a Baby Boomer raised in a non-Christian environment and a more or less female dominated household, it was hard for me to accept some of the seemingly harsh passages in the Bible that seemed to exclude women from leadership roles in the Church.

    That was when I was younger and less experienced in Church ministry and leadership roles myself. Through my involvement in Men’s ministry over the years as well as having been a deacon and (technically) filling an elder’s role as well in the past, I have come to see two things that move me to endorse Paul’s (and other) teaching on the matter. The first is when, during a church leadership crisis some years ago, the women in our own congregation were crying where are the men to lead us? The second is in reading several Christian authors noting the crisis of male abdication of responsibility both in the Church and the home in past 60 to 70 years especially.

    Having said that, I do agree with Dave’s comments that there has often been an imbalance in the way women have been treated in both society and the Church throughout history. I think that what God has shown us in His Word is that indeed women were created both equal and yet to be in submission in a way quite similar to what we see within the Triinity itself. It’s clear (for those who believe in the Deity of Christ) that Jesus is co-equal with God the Father in essence, yet He Himself made it clear that He is still the Son and, as the Son, in subjection to the Father at all times.

    So what does this mean for women in leadership? We are at a critical crossroads in this area (as with a number of others) where society is diverging more and more from the Biblical worldview. I believe the Word is clear that women may serve as deaconesses in the church but not as elders. Argue as we may against this that is scripturally quite clear in my mind. But that does not exclude them from many other areas of leadership. Obviously one is to learn from and to honor one’s mother as much as one’s father. Can she then be a teacher of children (who eventually grow to become adults)? Of course.

    Women are also shown to have been judges (at least in Deborah’s case). Also prophetesses in both Testaments. We are never told that it was wrong for the Queen of Sheba to be a Queen. Indeed there are countless examples that can be found throughout Scripture of women’s godly influence and leadership. The key, I believe lies in looking carefully at each of these and noting that often (if not always) there is to be an element of submission / subjection to some form of male eldership or leadership. This seems to be especially true in the area of Spiritual leadership. Hence there was never a female Hight Priest (or even priestesses) yet women we are told did serve at the tabernacle at least and, apparently even as temple servants.

    Nor are we given the example of female elder / shepherds (pastors) in the New Testament. If I understand correctly this matter in terms of Paul’s statement regarding not ‘suffer[ing] a woman to teach or usurp authority over a man’, I believe, again, it is simply a matter of subjection (in a positive sense; not subservience). That is, she is not to teach a man / men in a general sense but that does not mean she cannot teach at all or hold a leadership role (eg. deaconness for example) in the church. Working this out in terms of paid ministry, I tend to agree with those churches that have hired women to be on staff say in the role of an Christian Ed director or perhaps head of women’s or even family ministries. These I could see as working under what could be called a deasonness role.

    Even as far as teaching goes, I think some women have shown themselves to be favored by God in this role so long as they were openly and clearly doing so under the auspices of male leadership. Two examples which come to mind are Anne Grahm Lotz and Joy Dawson (the latter was a long time teacher with YWAM in the 70’s & 80’s). Both, so far as I know held themselves to under the authority of male leaders even within their given ministries.

    The only proviso I would make regarding leadership in the church is that I do not believe God gives us leave in His word to appoint women to be elders in the church and hence to hold such a position as say a pastor’s role or at least as the lead pastor. That, to my mind, would be putting her in authority both over her husband (assuming she’s married & he attends the same church) as well as the other elders and the deacons, etc. This, I think, is where God, for His own good reasons (which we may never fully understand this side of heaven) has drawn the line.

    So, as far as the new female (or male for that matter) believer coming into the Church from our increasingly non-Christian culture goes. While I would never want to set up any unnecessary or arbitrary barrier to them feeling at home in the family of God, I believe this is one area in which we need to be very, very careful not to compromise the Word simply in order to make the Gospel / Church more amenable. Let’s face the fact that we can never make the Gospel 100% attractive to the World, otherwise it ceases to be the Gospel. Paul speaks of the offense of the Gospel for a specific reason. That offense includes our holding even to the culturally unacceptable (ie. different) aspects that arise when you adopt a lifestyle consistent with what Jesus taught. Whether you are talking about the role of women in society today or matters related to dress, sexual orientation, pornography or whatever; those who choose to follow Christ will always be called to be counter-cultural to a greater or lesser degree.

    That is my take on this one, at least. Hopefully, if you’ve had the patience to read through it all, it’s turned out to be a little helpful at least.

    1. Thanks for your thoughts Don! Although, your content seems to be a blog post in itself. Not putting it down at all. Just stating that if you haven’t started blogging yet, you should. This is good stuff!

      I specifically like two statements that your comment carried: (1) We are at a critical crossroads in this area (as with a number of others) where society is diverging more and more from the Biblical worldview. (2) Let’s face the fact that we can never make the Gospel 100% attractive to the World, otherwise it ceases to be the Gospel.

      Thanks again Don, for your support!

      Jeremy

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