Assemblies of God teaching on Woman's Ministry

quietbloke · Dec 30, 2017

This is what the Assemblies of God teaches about the role of women in ministry.'Supernatural manifestations and gifts of the Holy Spirit have played a distinctive role in the origin,development and growth of the Assemblies of God. Since the earliest days of our Fellowship,spiritual gifting has been evident in the ministries of many outstanding women who pioneered and directed a wide spectrum of ministries. It was not uncommon for a married woman to minister in partnership with her husband. Occasionally,husbands worked at secular professions to support the active ministries of wives. Many women chose to forego marriage to better fulfil the ministries to which the Lord had called them. Courageous women served on missions frontiers,at home and abroad,as missionaries,evangelists,church planters,pastors,educators and in other roles'

quietbloke · Dec 30, 2017

'Pentecostals believe that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the early twentieth century is a true fulfilment of prophecy,'Your sons and daughters will prophesy...even on my servants,both men and women,I will pour out my Spirit in those days' (Joel 2:28-29 cf. (Acts 2:16-18) That women and men are to prophesy is indicative of their inclusion in the ministries of the new covenant age (AOG USA website)

rocknanchor · Dec 30, 2017

Thank you for that diligence QB!

musicalpilgrim · Dec 30, 2017

rocknanchor said:
Thank you for that diligence QB!

Brilliant! Thank you quietbloke...Corrie ten Boom comes to mind and her wonderful ministry...though not AGO...an amazing Christian worker

quietbloke · Dec 30, 2017

THE BIBLE AS FINAL AUTHORITY. While the history and practice of the Assemblies of God appears to demonstrate that God blesses the public ministry of women,debate continues as to the proper call of women in spiritual leadership. Since the Bible is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice,it is importent to do a fresh study of its teachings and ensure that our approach is not merely subjective and pragmatic. It is our intention to examine the biblical text as carefully and objectively as possible,using established rules of exegesis and interpretation. We will note both historical and theological guidance. We will also carefully evaluate texts traditionally used to limit or deny the ministries of women. Although it is our intention to be faithful to the teachings of the Bible,God's inspired and infallible Word to humankind. At the same time we want to be Christlike towards those of other traditions who sincerely may disagree with our findings. We recognise that occasionally practical compromises on non essential aspects of ministry practice may be in order to most effectively plant the church in traditionally patriarchal contexts' (AOG USA website)

com7fy8 · Dec 30, 2017

Hi, Quiet Bloke and everyone

God bless you

The issue about women and gifts can decoy our attention away from other things of scripture. Yes, I think a woman can minister. And 1 Timothy 3:1-10 to me means a man needs to be married and mature in how to be with God and care for people in our Father's family caring and sharing way. And his wife helps him to get so real with God and learn how to relate in love. So, they together are pastoring, then. He with his wife who so helped him are the example leading God's people.

But people decoy from this by bringing up issues about if women can preach and if seminary for young unmarried men and women is enough to prepare them for ministry. We need senior and mature examples, which I understand are described in 1 Timothy 3:1-10 and 1 Peter 5:3. But, of course, God is able to use any of us; but He uses mature example seniors to feed all of us

And I keep noticing how various people give so much attention elsewhere to various issues, but not to all which is basic to qualifying someone to "take care of the church of God" > 1 Timothy 3:1-10.

To me, it is clear that Peter means that every spiritual gift ministers God's own grace > 1 Peter 4:9-10. So, every real gift is so important. And grace includes how God effects our nature so we become more and more like Jesus and how He can not sin and how Jesus perfectly submits at every moment to our Father and relates as family with God and His people while also loving those who do not love. So, a gift is not only for performing outward miracles and ministry outward, but deeper it is the Holy Spirit ministering the effect of God's own love in our character.

And we have scripture for this > in Ephesians 4:15, our Apostle Paul says that we in Jesus "speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head---Christ---". As we grow in Jesus as our new inner Person > Galatians 4:19 > we grow in all the ability > "all things" > of His love. So, we do not linger with some one gift, if we are growing in Christ who has all capabilities!!!

However, a gift is already "good" and "perfect" (James 1:17); but this is the Holy Spirit in us . . . changing us with grace so we become more and more good and perfect like a gift of the Holy Spirit. So, each true gift is leavening the person who has the gift . . . while also leavening others, deeper than however that gift might make an appearance.

So, in case people are giving a lot of attention to the outward showing of a gift and making endless issues only or mainly about outward appearance of some gift or ministry by women . . . this could be decoying attention from all which gifts really are about . . . deeper . . . how gifts minister grace which changes us to become like Jesus. And as Jesus grows in us, all His ability more and more maturely grows in us all who are really growing in Jesus.

So we need, then, to have pastors who meet the maturity requirements of 1 Timothy 3:1-10. Yes, there is the pastoring gift, and ones are gifted to preach, but we need our seniors who have matured "in all things", to feed us their example of how Jesus has a mature person become in God's love. And ones less mature but gifted and seminary trained do help, but they need to keep feeding on ones who have grown in Jesus who in us is the real meaning of all of God's word . . . since Jesus is "the Word of God".

quietbloke · Dec 30, 2017

HISTORICAL AND GLOBAL PRECEDENT. Historians have observed that in the early days of most revivals,when spiritual fervour is high and the Lord's return is expected at anytime,there is often ready acceptance of dynamic,pioneering women ministers. Over time however,as young churches move towards a more structured ministry and concerns come to the forefront,the spiritual leadership of women is less readily accepted and church leadership tends to be predominantly male. The experience of the Assemblies of God has been no exception. Notable women ministers among the early Pentecostals included Maria B Woodworth-Etter,Aimee Semple McPhearson,Alice Reynolds Flower,Anne Ziese, and Marie Burgess Brown. But even though women had great freedom to minister in the early days of the Fellowship,the proportion of women in leadership dropped dramatically,beginning in the early 1920's. More recently the trend is again upward and the number of credentialed women is growing. Throughout their history,Pentecostals around the world have struggled to apply biblical truth in widely divergent culteral contexts. In some settings,female spiritual leadership is readily accepted. In others where women have limited ministry,leadership posts are withheld from them. In times there is inconsistency between the leadership a female missionary,for example,has at home and that which she has on the field. There may also be a difference between her ministry opportunities on the field and those of women in the culture she serves. Without doubt,particular cultures have influenced and continue to influence the nature and extent of female leadership. While the church must always be sensitive to cultural concerns it must,nevertheless consistently look to scripture for principles and directions that rise above particular contextual practices (AOG UK website)

quietbloke · Dec 30, 2017

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY. Old Testament history includes accounts of strong female leadership in many roles. The following are striking examples:- MIRIAM was a prophet to Israel during the Exodus,alongside her brothers Moses and Aaron (Exodus 15:20) DEBORAH,both a prophet and a judge,directed Barak to lead the army of Israel into successful combat against Israel's oppressors (Judges 4 and 5) HULDAH,a prophet,authenticated the scroll of the Law,found in the temple and helped spark religious reform in the days of Josiah (2 Kings 22:14-20) (2 Chronicles 34:22-28) The New Testament also shows that women filled importent ministry roles in the early church. TABITHA (Dorcas) initiated an effective benevolence ministry (Acts 9:36) Philips four unmarried daughters were recognised prophets (Acts 2:8-9) Paul singled out two women,EUODIA and SYNTYCHE as 'women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel,along with CLEMENT and the rest of my fellow workers' (Philippians 4:2-3) PRISCILLA was another of Paul's exemplary 'fellow workers in Christ Jesus' (Romans 16:3-4) In (Romans 16) Paul greets numerous ministry colleagues,a large number of them women. In these greetings,the word Paul uses to speak of the work (kopiao) or 'labour' of MARY,TRYPHENA,TRYPHOSA and PERSIS (Romans16:6,12) is one he uses extensively for the labour of the ministry (1 Corinthians 16:16) (1 Thessalonians 5:12) (1 Timothy 5:17) PHEOBE,a leader in the church in Cenchrea was highly commended in the church in Rome,by Paul (Romans 16:1-2) Unfortunately,translation biases have often obscured PHEOBE'S position of leadership,calling her a 'servant' (NIV,NASB,ESV) Yet Pheobe was 'diakonos' of the church in Cenchrea. Paul regularly used this term for a 'minister' or 'leader' of a congregation and applied it specifically to Jesus Christ. Tychicus,Epaphras,Timothy and to his own ministry Depending on the context,'diakonos' is usually translated 'deacon' or 'minister'. Though some translators have chosen the word,'deaconess' (eg. RSV because Pheobe was female) The Greek,'diakonos' is a masculine noun. Therefore it seems likely that 'diakonos' was the designation for an official leadership position in the Early Church and the proper translation for Pheobe's role is 'deacon' (TNIV,NLT,NRSV) or 'minister'. Moreover,a number of translators reflect similar biases by referring to Pheobe as having been 'a great help' (NIV) or 'helper' (NASB) of many,including Paul himself (Romans 16:2) The Greek term here is 'prostatis',better translated by the NRSV as 'benefactor' with its overtone of equality and leadership. JUNIA was identified by Paul as an apostle (Romans 16:7) Beginning in the thirteenth century,a number of scholars and translators musculinised her name to Junias,apparently unwilling to admit that there was a female apostle. Howver,the name,'Junia' is found more than 250 times in Rome alone,while the masculine form 'Junias is unknown in any Greco-Roman source. Paul,clearly was a strong advocate of women in ministry. These instances of women filling leadership roles in the Bible should be taken as a divinely approved pattern,not as exceptions to divine decrees. Even a limited number of women with scriptually commended leadership roles affirm that God does indeed call women to spiritual leadership (AOG USA website)

quietbloke · Dec 30, 2017

PAUL'S EMPHASIS ON CHARISMATIC MINISTRY. Ministry in the New Testament is charismatic. in nature it is made possible and energised by the Holy Spirit,sovereignly distributing spiritual gifts (charismata) to each member of the body of Christ (Romans 12:6-8) (1 Corinthians 12:7,11,27,28) (Ephesians 4:7) (1 Peter 4:10-11) While some gifts are a spontaneous working of the Spirit and others are recognised minstry gifts to the body,all are given for service,with no regard for gender differentiation. For example the gift of prophecy is explicitly for both men and women. 'Your sons and your daughters will prophesy' (Acts 2:17) The New Testament confirms that women received and and excercised this gift of the Spirit (Acts 21:9) (1 Corinthians11:5) If Peter found certain statements by Paul hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16) It is no surprise that we,removed by nearly two thousand additional years of history,would share his struggles in interpreting some Pauline passages. While the original audiences wete familiar with the places that Paul addressed,we are left to reconstruct them and apply his perscriptions as best we can in light of the larger context of his letters and biblical revelation. (2 Peter 3:15) We must respect and love our brothers and sisters who hold alternative interpretations on issues that are not critical to our salvation or standing before God. We only request that those interpretations be expressed and practiced in love and consideration for all of God's children,both men and women' (1 Corinthians 11:3-12) The statement that the man is'the head of the woman' has for centuries been used to justify the practice of male superiority and to exclude women from spiritual leadership. Two alternative translations for 'kephale' 'head',debated widely by contemporary evangelical scholars are 1) 'authority over' and 2) 'source' or 'origin'. Both meanings are found in in literature of Paul's time. Taking the passage as a whole,the second meaning fits as well,or better than the first meaning,leading to the summary statement of v.12 'As woman comes from man,so also is man born of woman,but everything comes from God'. Even the relationship between the Eternal Son and the Father-'the Head of Christ is God' (11:3) fits better as 'service' than 'authority over' (cf.John 8:42) Without attempting definitively to resolve this debate we do not find sufficient evidence in 'kephale' to deny leadership roles to women (In light of biblcal examples of women in positions of spiritual authority and in sight of the whole counsel of scripture.

1stcenturylady · Dec 30, 2017

@quietbloke, thank you for all your encouraging words. I am a Christian non-fiction writer - a teacher. And a woman. Some men on the forum have called me out for teaching on the forums, and say I should remain silent, they won't accept anything the Lord has shown me. So, God bless you, brother.

rocknanchor · Dec 30, 2017

Women of the 'Spirit', SALUTE!

Citizen of the Kingdom · Dec 31, 2017

For any Christian to think that anyone having a God-ordained gift is outranked by anyone with a set of jingle bells is blasphemous no matter what the human reasoning anyway. It's good to see the tide turning in God's favour against such ridicule of His word to mean that half the human race are under law while the other half have His word spiritually applied.

quietbloke · Dec 31, 2017

Good to be part of a good Bible based Fellowship!

Assemblies of God teaching on Woman's Ministry

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