Can women hold office in the church even pastors

[Bluelion]

I'll answer that challenge brother least.

his whole argument is on Paul, but Paul said this Romans 16 NLT.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.

3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. 5 Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ. 6 Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia,[a] my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.[c] Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. 12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.

14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters[d] who meet with them. 15 Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers[e] who meet with them. 16 Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.

This passage clearly shows women were in ministry Paul even refers to some as His coworkers, That means equal to Paul.

So twin you want to tell me more about how I don't believe the Bible, because i believe you misunderstand Paul.

Here is a thought the south used the Bible to justice why black men and women should be slaves, they refer to Jesus telling slaves to submit to there masters. Now anyone can see slavery is wrong, and God did not support it as they claim, why else would He free Israel if He supported it. The women issue is no different than the slavery issue, people miss understand the Bible and commit great offenses in God's name.

A woman Mary was appointed to go tell the disciples Jesus was alive and back as He said He would be. A woman was given charge to spread and preach fulfillment of Jesus purpose here on earth, Not a man but a woman. I think that shows they can minister and did as Paul names his friends and Fellow "coworkers".


Adam and eve had been brought up,... and he created them both man and woman in his image. Equal.

 

[twin1954]

I'll answer that challenge brother least.

his whole argument is on Paul, but Paul said this Romans 16 NLT.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.

3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. 5 Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ. 6 Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia,[a] my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.[c] Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. 12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.

14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters[d] who meet with them. 15 Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers[e] who meet with them. 16 Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.

This passage clearly shows women were in ministry Paul even refers to some as His coworkers, That means equal to Paul.

So twin you want to tell me more about how I don't believe the Bible, because i believe you misunderstand Paul.

Here is a thought the south used the Bible to justice why black men and women should be slaves, they refer to Jesus telling slaves to submit to there masters. Now anyone can see slavery is wrong, and God did not support it as they claim, why else would He free Israel if He supported it. The women issue is no different than the slavery issue, people miss understand the Bible and commit great offenses in God's name.

A woman Mary was appointed to go tell the disciples Jesus was alive and back as He said He would be. A woman was given charge to spread and preach fulfillment of Jesus purpose here on earth, Not a man but a woman. I think that shows they can minister and did as Paul names his friends and Fellow "coworkers".


Adam and eve had been brought up,... and he created them both man and woman in his image. Equal.

Equality has nothing to do with it. What does the Bible say? That is the answer to this question. Either you bow to the Scriptures or you don't. Either it is to be believed and bowed to in all matters of faith and practice(even if we do not like what it says) or we can just make up our own ideas and practices and everyone does that which is right in his own eyes.

 

[Bluelion]

Equality has nothing to do with it. What does the Bible say? That is the answer to this question. Either you bow to the Scriptures or you don't. Either it is to be believed and bowed to in all matters of faith and practice(even if we do not like what it says) or we can just make up our own ideas and practices and everyone does that which is right in his own eyes.

so you ignore the Scripture I posted? Least ask you to post Bible verse stating your case, but you have still not address what I posted. You give a lecture about obey the Word when you did not quote one thing from God's word. I must say that is a bit confusing.

 

[now faith]

Paul did not contradict his own teaching,so it is for us to rightly divide The Word.

In the book of Timothy Paul was addressing a proprietary set of circumstances.
At Ephesus there occurred the Worship of the Goddess Diana.
Supposing the idealism behind Diana in sexual promiscuity had corrupted women in the congregation,Paul forbid them to have authority over the men,or teach.

At Corinth were similar circumstances except the issue there was gossip among the women.

If we look at Paul's logic at Ephesus by saying eve was deceived,then we can surmise that Diana being a female false idol that promoted sexual promiscuity,having women influenced in this way would corrupt men they had authority over.

1 Timothy: 2. 14. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

To reason and understand the Epistles we sometimes need to know what Paul was addressing in contextual intent.

Paul had a lot of critics,Gnostic Jews would try to undermine his teaching,he addressed this in Colossians.

Colossians: 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 20. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21. (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22. Which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men?

 

[Blue Wren]

so you ignore the Scripture I posted? Least ask you to post Bible verse stating your case, but you have still not address what I posted. You give a lecture about obey the Word when you did not quote one thing from God's word. I must say that is a bit confusing.

Of course women can hold leadership positions in the church, including being pastors. Thank you for your scriptures.

 

[Blue Wren]

Blue Lion, I just shared this in another thread. I wanted to post it here for you:

Christian Ethics Today

I thought this was a good article. It made me feel more encouraged after the other thread. I will post it here:

Myth: Baptists Don't Believe In Women Pastors
By Sheri Adams, Professor of Church History and Theology
School of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University, NC

Without a guiding principle, the Bible's teachings on women may appear to be confusing to some people. Only husbands of one wife should be deacons (1 Tim. 3:12), yet Phoebe is a deaconess (Rom. 16:1). Women are not to speak in the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 15:34), yet they are given instructions about praying and prophesying in worship (1 Cor. 11:5ff.). Women are told not to teach or be in authority over men (1 Tim. 2:12), yet women did teach, and at least one woman Priscilla, along with her husband, Aquila, taught a man (Acts 18:26).

Egalitarian or Submissive

Baptists, as most other denominations, are divided in their approach to the Bible on the role of women in the church. Some follow a literal interpretation of certain biblical passages and make a case for the submission of women to men in the church. While these Baptists usually insist that women are equal in the sight of God, they believe that God has given men and women different roles in the home and in the church. They interpret Genesis 2 to mean that Eve was created to be Adam's helper and that ancient cultural pattern is applied universally to the present. For these Baptists, Jesus was not overly radical in his treatment of women (notably that he did not select a woman to be an apostle), and Paul taught a clear division of roles that is an inherent part of nature.

Other Baptists follow an egalitarian perspective. In Galatians 3:27-28, Paul wrote, "As many of you as are baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus " (NRSV).1 The "Address to the Public," adopted on May 9, 1991, by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, asserted:

We take Galatians as a clue to the way the Church should be ordered. We interpret the reference to women the same way we interpret the reference to slaves. If we have submissive roles for women, we must also have a place for slaves in the Church. In Galatians Paul follows the spirit of Jesus who courageously challenged the conventional wisdom of his day. It was a wisdom with rigid boundaries between men and women in religion and in public life. Jesus deliberately broke those barriers. He called women to follow him; he treated women as equally capable of dealing with sacred issues. Our model for the role of women in matters of faith is the Lord Jesus.2

Women in Early Baptist Life

Rosemary Radford Ruether suggests that the acceptance of women in non-traditional roles is often determined by need. For example, in the old West, every pair of hands was needed and valued. Women in that setting had more freedom than their counterparts in the old South. A similar pattern is evident in the New Testament. In Acts, women were disciples of Jesus and active in positions of leadership.3 While doors began to close before the end of the New Testament era, women still were active in public ministry. The subsequent history of the church, however, is a history of women becoming more and more powerless within the developing official hierarchy.

Baptist beginnings in early seventeenth-century England also illustrate the truth of Ruether's thesis. Baptists drew many of their members from the lower classes. General Baptists especially allowed women deacons. One particularly influential woman was Dorothy Hazzard, who helped form the Broadmead Baptist Church and occasionally preached. Another preacher was a Mrs. Attaway. Richer, established religious groups ridiculed General Baptists for giving women positions of authority. Still, women were actively involved in ministries of all kinds and suffered persecution, imprisonment, and death, just like the men.4

Particular Baptists were never as open as the General Baptists to the role of women in ministry. As the Baptist faith institutionalized in the late seventeenth century, the views of leaders like John Bunyan prevailed. Because men were made in the image of God, he said, women should not lead worship.

Baptist Women in America

In colonial America, Baptists gave no appearance that they were going to take the New World by storm until the First Great Awakening proved to be the catalyst they needed. American Congregationalism divided over the benefits of revival. Some New Light Congregationalists, supporters of revival methods, embraced believer's baptism and entered into Baptist life. Some of these new Baptists, called Separate Baptists, were open to the ministry of women, even women preachers.

The most famous of these women was Martha Stearns Marshall, sister of Shubal Stearns and wife of Daniel Marshall. Stearns and Marshall were the leaders of the Separate Baptist movement that brought significant growth to Baptists in the South during the late eighteenth century. Martha Stearns was regarded as a powerful preacher. Another Separate Baptist woman, Margaret Clay, was sentenced, but spared the whip, for preaching without a license. Unfortunately, history has forgotten the names of most other women exhorters.5

Once again, as Baptist work became more official, women's roles diminished. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, women found their greatest avenue for ministry in foreign missions. At first, mission agencies felt that a single woman could manage on a foreign field only with a male counterpart; but once that hurdle was cleared, single women poured out of America to live and work all over the world. For most Baptists, it was a case of "out of sight, out of mind," and they were largely unaware that women performed ministries of all kinds abroad, even planting churches and preaching. According to a popular story, Lottie Moon was once criticized for preaching the gospel to the Chinese. Her retort was that if the mission board wanted to send men to preach, they were welcome to do so, and if the men came, she would stop preaching.

Ordination

Northern Baptist records contain evidence of the ordination of women by the late 1880s. Since that time, American Baptist women have served as pastors of churches. A 1985 study revealed that 3 percent of American Baptist pastors and 16 percent of the associate and assistant pastors were women. By 2002, the numbers had continued to increase. American Baptists had 1,049 ordained women (14 percent of the total number of ordained ministers) with 923 serving in local church ministries. Eight percent of American Baptist pastors (373) were women. The role of associate pastor was especially open to women, with 33 percent (207) serving in that capacity.6

Southern Baptists were much slower to ordain a woman. On August 9, 1964, at Watts Street Baptist Church, Durham, North Carolina, Addie Davis was the first Southern Baptist woman ordained to the pastoral ministry. Throughout the twentieth century, Southern Baptist women were involved in ministries of all kinds, often unpaid and unnoticed. They did, however, run a major mission entity, the Woman's Missionary Union, and discovered there was not a great deal of difference in speaking before hundreds of people and preaching before the same people.

Close to 2,000 Southern Baptist women (or women with Southern Baptist roots) have been ordained. The majority of these women serve in chaplaincy roles, but many are also associate pastors and even senior pastors. Others are missionaries, teachers, denominational workers, campus ministers, or associational workers.

Some of these women have found a home with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). This is especially true since the Southern Baptist Convention defines ministry for women in increasingly narrow terms and rejects women for pastoral ministry. In 2002, the CBF had 40 women on staff. The CBF also had 85 women field personnel, both single and married. Some CBF women are involved in church planting and/or pastoring.7 Other Baptist groups have encouraged women who feel called to the pastorate, including the Alliance of Baptists, Baptist General Conference, and Progressive National Baptists.

The Future

The Baptist heritage gives evidence to the call of God upon women for pastoral ministry. While some women saw little or no way to act upon their call, others channeled their pastoral gifts into missions or other kinds of service. A precious few have found churches willing to accept them as pastors.

The Baptist past reveals that pastoral ministry is often determined more by need than by theology. Churches hesitant to acknowledge the validity of women pastors, but in need of ministerial leadership, have let women speak, but not preach; they have let them deliver a message, but not a sermon; and they have let them plant churches, but not pastor churches. But churches that have experienced the pastoral leadership of dedicated Christian women can attest the truth of the declaration, "in Christ there is neither male nor female."

Is it true that Baptists do not support women in pastoral ministry? Of course, some Baptists do not, but the Baptist tradition of freedom dispels the myth. Denying and stifling a strong sense of call is as difficult for a woman as it is for a man. Women have preached and served as Baptist pastors, and they will persevere in spite of the opposition as they are called.

 

[Bluelion]

Paul did not contradict his own teaching,so it is for us to rightly divide The Word.

In the book of Timothy Paul was addressing a proprietary set of circumstances.
At Ephesus there occurred the Worship of the Goddess Diana.
Supposing the idealism behind Diana in sexual promiscuity had corrupted women in the congregation,Paul forbid them to have authority over the men,or teach.

At Corinth were similar circumstances except the issue there was gossip among the women.

If we look at Paul's logic at Ephesus by saying eve was deceived,then we can surmise that Diana being a female false idol that promoted sexual promiscuity,having women influenced in this way would corrupt men they had authority over.

1 Timothy: 2. 14. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

To reason and understand the Epistles we sometimes need to know what Paul was addressing in contextual intent.

Paul had a lot of critics,Gnostic Jews would try to undermine his teaching,he addressed this in Colossians.

Colossians: 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 20. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21. (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22. Which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men?

Isn't that the truth if I have ever heard it. We sometime forget the issues that Paul was addressing and when we put the issues and then read Paul it becomes clear. Refreshing now faith, Like taking a shower, just awesome.

 

[Bluelion]

Blue Lion, I just shared this in another thread. I wanted to post it here for you:

Christian Ethics Today

I thought this was a good article. It made me feel more encouraged after the other thread. I will post it here:

thank you for your post. I would add that those who use the woman as man's helper excuse God is also referred to as mans helper and no one would suggest God is less than man.

very enlightening thank you

 

[Blue Wren]

Paul did not contradict his own teaching,so it is for us to rightly divide The Word.

In the book of Timothy Paul was addressing a proprietary set of circumstances.
At Ephesus there occurred the Worship of the Goddess Diana.
Supposing the idealism behind Diana in sexual promiscuity had corrupted women in the congregation,Paul forbid them to have authority over the men,or teach.

At Corinth were similar circumstances except the issue there was gossip among the women.

If we look at Paul's logic at Ephesus by saying eve was deceived,then we can surmise that Diana being a female false idol that promoted sexual promiscuity,having women influenced in this way would corrupt men they had authority over.

1 Timothy: 2. 14. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

To reason and understand the Epistles we sometimes need to know what Paul was addressing in contextual intent.

Paul had a lot of critics,Gnostic Jews would try to undermine his teaching,he addressed this in Colossians.

Colossians: 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 20. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21. (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22. Which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men?

I had overlooked this post earlier. It's very informative. Thank you for teaching about Diana. I knew the letters were very much based on specific context at that time but I hadn't known all the specifics of that context.

 

[Ringo84]

Of course they can.
Ringo

 

[Bluelion]

Of course they can.
Ringo

 

[Daniel1611]

The Bible says pastors should be the husband of one wife. If we want to be true to the Bible, I'd say women (and single men for that matter) should not be pastors. I don't see why they couldn't be soul-winners and evangelists though.

 

[Bluelion]

The Bible says pastors should be the husband of one wife. If we want to be true to the Bible, I'd say women (and single men for that matter) should not be pastors. I don't see why they couldn't be soul-winners and evangelists though.

you must be forgetting that Paul said it was better not to marry if being the servant of the Lord.

 

[least]

After reading the many responses in both of the threads regarding women in Pastoral roles, I thought I would add my interpretation to the mix. The following is an essay I wrote for a class I took a couple years ago. While I hope my writing skills have improved since then, I certainly haven't changed in position. To give the bottom line up front, I do not believe biblical teaching permits women to be Overseers/Pastors over a congregation. However, that does not negate the many wonderful things women have done for the glory of our Master.

Least
THEO202_B15_201240
Short Essay # 2

The Role of Women in the Church

The role of women in church leadership has long been the object of much attention. In light of this discussion, definitions of leadership roles such as elders and deacons and their respective qualifications need to be identified. Does the Bible permit women to be either elders or deacons? What are the arguments against or for women filling these roles and what is the Biblical evidence? Lastly, what are the limitations on women, if any, and what contributions can they make to theology, leadership, and church management?

The New Testament lists two fundamental offices for the church: elders and deacons. The idea of elders carried over from the synagogue model of leadership, which was the governing body of the church. It was Paul’s tradition to set up elders in churches he established and he instructed others to do the same (Acts 14:23; Tit. 1:5). Paul lists the qualifications for elders: above reproach, have one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, manages household well, children are believers, not a recent convert, and have a good reputation with outsiders, and hold firmly to the Word (1 Tim. 3:2-7; Tit. 1:6-9). The term deacon is from the Greek word meaning “server”. The formal office of deacon, or diaconate, was introduced in Acts 6 when the Apostles realized a leadership need in the area of service. The qualifications for deacons were much the same as elders (1 Tim. 3:8-13), though a great distinction is made in that elders were expected to be able to teach and give instruction.

The New Testament shows that women may be deacons, or deaconesses (Rom. 16:1). Paul instructs that women should “adorn themselves…with good works”, which implies service (1 Tim. 2:9-10). However, the office of elder has the function of government within the church; a role which Paul says is not permitted for women (1 Tim. 2:12). The two distinctions made for the office of elder are church government and the ability to teach.
The argument that women cannot be elders because they do not represent the “maleness” of Christ is not supported by Scripture. Equally invalid is that gender does not matter in relation to certain roles because all believers are priests with direct access to God. Neither should the issue of a woman’s “style, voice, and appearance” be a factor. Church tradition is an area of concern, mainly because Jesus often warned and spoke out against traditions. To say that a woman not being qualified for eldership is “subjecting” and evil misrepresents God’s word. The argument that the Bible has “inherited Greek gender ideals” only restrains the teaching that “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” (2 Tim. 3:16). However, if Scripture limits the role of elder to the male gender, it must be accepted with the rest of its teachings.

The New Testament is revolutionary in its teaching on the status of women. To say that the office of eldership is limited to the male gender in no way limits the equal value of women to men. Neither should it reflect a limitation, but rather it frees her to perform as God directs. What about offices outside the church? The Bible is silent about the issue specifically, but there are examples of women in the workplace, such as Lydia and Priscilla (Acts 16:14; 18:2).

Women had a very “significant ministry in the presence” of the Lord. There were some who followed his ministry faithfully and provided for his needs (Luke 8:2-3). They witnessed closely his crucifixion and were the first to see him resurrected (Matt. 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-7; John 20:11-18). They were present when the Holy Spirit was poured out and they prophesied alongside their male counterparts (Acts 1:14; 2:18). Women continued faithfully to support the church throughout the first century (Acts 12:12; 16:1, 3, 6). Theologically, the New Testament places a great emphasis on the equality of women. Today, women serve in various leadership roles and they are just as important for church now as they were in its infancy.

The office of the elder is a governing function in the church, whereas the deacon performs in a servant-leader role. The Bible says women are not permitted to have authority over men in the church in this capacity; however, they may serve as deaconesses. While many will argue that this places unfair limitations upon women, this is the biblical mandate. However, this shouldn’t be viewed as limiting, but enabling them to pursue God’s greater purpose for their lives. Finally, women have contributed to the work of Christ since before he established the church. Their role in ministry, while not always equal in function, is always equal in value in God’s sight.

Bibliography
Burge, G.M., “Deacon, Deaconess.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, 2nd ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001.

Kroeger, C.C. and Kroeger, R.C., “Women in the Church.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, 2nd ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001.

Nicole, R., “Woman, Biblical Concept of.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, 2nd ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001.

Hoggard-Creegan, N., “Woman, Ordination of.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, 2nd ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001.

Wallace, R.S., “Elder.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, 2nd ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001.

 

[Ringo84]

Well written, and I appreciate the research you did on the subject.

However, as I said in other threads on this subject: what are the reasons for prohibiting women from holding leadership positions? Yes, I know what Paul says on the subject, but if he's going to take such a strong stance, there must be a good reason for it.

I'd just like a better rationale than "God's ways are not our ways" or "because God said so". If we say that God is not the author of confusion, and we say "come, let's reason together" when it comes to Christianity, it's a bit odd that we would have a certain belief that didn't have a good reason for it.
Ringo

 

[least]

There are a lot of things in God's word in which we may not understand why he says it, but nonetheless, he says it. But isn't it enough that we simply trust that God has a reason for what he says or does? Some people do not like the idea of hell, but God's word teaches it. Some argue that homosexuality is okay with God; but God's word says otherwise. The Bible teaches a lot that is against our nature, but isn't that the point? Our nature is corrupt! We are sinners! God (Jesus) says, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink" (John 7:37). One may say, "I don't like the way that water looks!" That's well and good, but if one doesn't drink one will continue being thirsty.

 

[Ringo84]

What are the reasons why women are unfit for leadership positions in the church?

This should not be a difficult question to answer if there are good reasons for barring women from being pastors.
Ringo

 

[Saricharity]

What are the reasons why women are unfit for leadership positions in the church?

This should not be a difficult question to answer if there are good reasons for barring women from being pastors.
Ringo

Woman are not 'unfit' for leadership positions within the church. God never said women were unfit for anything. Men and women were created in Gods Image. They were created equal. However, men and women have been created with different roles. God assigned these roles for our benefit. God in his soveignity knew how men and women were created...strengths and weaknesses. He created us so obviously He had an idea as to what he intended us to do. Our roles may be different but each is equally important.

 

[Ringo84]

If God created an equal helpmate, who are we to deny that helpmate leadership in the church?

Thank you for at least answering my question.
Ringo

 

[now faith]

you must be forgetting that Paul said it was better not to marry if being the servant of the Lord.

And you must remember my friend Paul also said it is better to marry than to burn.

1 Corinthians: 7. 9. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.