I would really like to hear the nonargumentative points of view on this, it is something that I have struggled with for a very long time because I want very much to go into ministry and God created me as a natural born leader, but I am unsure of what my place in ministry is.
I have so many aspirations for ministries that I want to start and ideas for reaching the unreached, yet where is my place in all of this?
I would really like to hear the nonargumentative points of view on this, it is something that I have struggled with for a very long time because I want very much to go into ministry and God created me as a natural born leader, but I am unsure of what my place in ministry is.
I have so many aspirations for ministries that I want to start and ideas for reaching the unreached, yet where is my place in all of this?
I would like to attempt to share a few nonargumentative (or rather, non-combative) points on this subject, which I have discovered in my own studies and struggles. Before I do though, I'd like to encourage you in your calling to ministry. Your place in ministry is where God has put a passion in your heart for others. Don't let anyone tell you you can't, because with God all things are possible and if God has called you He will make a way for you no matter what. I truly believe this, because God has referred me again and again to His promises in the Bible where He empowers everyone who desires to serve Him. I am a female minister. I have encountered opposition and have been blessed with support and encouragement as well. I have heard all the arguments, and I have studied in depth for myself. You are right to seek non-combative explanations and understandings, because a lot of this conflict of opinion is emotionally fueled and if you allow it to, it can cause bitterness. So when you meet opposition on this subject, take a minute to pray and let God put you in a gracious and loving frame of mind. It's easy to just fight back in anger, but it takes courage to rise to love even those who would set themselves against the work God has trusted you with. Show them by who you are and what you and God accomplish together what is right. Even the most reasonable arguments will not change the minds of those who refuse to see God's call in your life. If all else fails, simply ignore them and do what you know is right, because it is right. God will take care of you and it's really His ministry anyway, not yours, so refer those who oppose your call to the God who called you. Tell them to take it up with Him, because you are too busy doing what God told you to do. With that, I will now outline some points that I have found from the Bible to help me understand my calling and place as a woman who ministers.
Most people who oppose female ministers do so with the basic philosophy of "if the Bible says it, I do it." They don't allow for doubt or question in their theology. They typically will say there is no need for interpretation because the texts they cite are "so clear." Most ignore context completely and cite only verses that support their view. Some will concede that context matters but for whatever reason do not include the context of the entire Bible in their definition. Maybe they simply forget or never knew about some examples of women leaders explicitly mentioned and even more implied throughout Scripture. I don't know. Anyway, knowing this can help you understand their view and know how to speak to them on the subject. Some will ignore what you have to say no matter what. So don't worry about them. Those who truly want to understand, will be more able to hear you when you approach the subject in a respectful manner, listening to them first and then responding directly from Scripture. The most commonly used texts cited to oppose female ministers are 1 Timothy 2:11-14, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 12, and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. To begin sharing my understanding of this subject from Scripture I will directly address these passages.
1 Timothy 2:11-14 says, [BIBLE]"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner."[/BIBLE]
Some say that of course this text is as plain as day and means a woman cannot be a pastor. This reasoning completely ignores the allowance made for women to teach male children in Sunday School, Day Care, at home, or at a Christian primary or secondary school. What about female professors teaching men at the college, post-grad, or doctorate levels in Christian Universities? But even more to focus on the text within its context, I read on to the next verse. 1 Timothy 2:15 says, [BIBLE]"But women will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety."[/BIBLE] If you take a "the Bible says, I do" approach to this verse it would completely undermine the work of Christ in salvation, because women would be excluded from salvation by Grace and instead would need to work for it. Beyond that, it would mean that every woman who is not a mother would not be saved. This would include all women who have yet to bear a child because they are too young, all women who have been unable to bear a child due to complications with getting pregnant, all single women who may never have children, and even women who have children but do not continuously behave in a faithful, loving, holy and proprietous manner (propriety is completely subjective btw, as it is dependent upon cultural views). Most will not agree to this application of verse 15 but are okay with applying the same philosophy to verses 11-14. But lets expand the context even further to include the next chapter, as it also speaks to church leadership and is also cited against female ministers.
1 Timothy 3 speaks to the requirements of church leaders. It starts by describing desirable characteristics to be recognized in a good leader - deacon (deacon is Greek for servant and is in every case in Paul's letters used in reference to ministers within the faith community). Some say that because the pronouns used are masculine (he/his/him) it means that women cannot be deacons or pastors or church leaders. But if you continue to read the chapter it starts with [BIBLE]"Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task"[/BIBLE] (1 Tim. 3:1), it continues in verse 8 saying [BIBLE]"In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect..."[/BIBLE] describes more character traits a deacon should have, then says in verse 10 [BIBLE]"They must first be tested, and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons."[/BIBLE] Verse 11 says, [BIBLE]"In the same way, women are to be worthy of respect..."[/BIBLE]. In the same way as the male leaders women leaders are to be worthy of respect and held to the same requirements of character traits and leadership skills. Both are deacons/ministers. Both are to be held to the same standards of leadership and both are to be treated with respect.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 says, [BIBLE]"Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."[/BIBLE] People who oppose female ministers use this especially to say that since women shouldn't speak in church, they can't be pastors, because a primary role of a pastor is to preach publicly. Again, context matters in understanding Paul's intent in this verse. If you read the entire chapter, the theme is spiritual gifts - skills God's Spirit gives each member of the congregation to contribute to spreading the good news about Jesus. Paul is especially fond of the gift of prophesy - which includes not only the gift of relating future events, but also of public speaking about a message God gives the prophet. Even though some are uncomfortable with this understanding of prophesy, all the prophets of the Bible were leaders and public speakers of a message laid on their hearts by God - in the same way today's pastors are called to do. Whenever Paul speaks of prophesy, he seems to be referring to public speaking about the Gospel message. Throughout this chapter, Paul addresses the brothers and sisters of the congregation - meaning the entire congregation inclusively. A problem arises for understanding when we come to verses 34 and 35, because they seem to interrupt the flow of the spiritual gifts theme. However, upon closer inspection this is not an interruption apart from the theme, but is included in the overall message. Women are supposedly silenced in verses 34 and 35, but in verse 39 Paul includes women in the gift of prophesy - public speaking in and out of church setting to spread the Gospel - [BIBLE]"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy..."[/BIBLE]. Do these verses seem to contradict one another? I used to think so, but as part of my training in pastoral studies I learned a basic knowledge of the biblical Greek language the texts were originally written in. This helped me tremendously, because English has punctuation to denote meaning, while Greek did not. Greek lettering was without things like commas, exclamation points, and question marks. Meaning was read from context of the situation being addressed. But there is one marker in Greek that is shown in the Greek texts that suggests verses 34 and 35 may be a quotation. Since Paul was writing a letter, he may have quoted a concern or opinion he had been presented with which he was directly meaning to speak to. I have done the same in this post by first explaining what those who oppose female ministers say and then sharing what I say in contrast. Paul may have been quoting a group of men who were quoting Jewish custom or oral law and then rebutting their opinion. The Greek word that clued me (and more qualified scholars before me) into this can be translated emphatically (with exclamation points and strong meaning) and means in English, "WHAT?!?" Knowing this information the entire passage could be translated as the following:
[BIBLE]"26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, or a revelation, a tongue or interpretation (notice that all people in the congregation have a gift to share publicly). Everything must be done so that the church may be built up...34 Women should be remain silent in the churches... 35... it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church. 36
WHAT?!? Did the word of God originate with you?!? Are you the only people it has reached?!? If ANYONE thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you IS the Lord's command. But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored. Therefore, my brothers AND SISTERS, be eager to prophesy."[/BIBLE] I believe that Paul was quoting a group within the Corinthian congregation who were trying to keep women "in their place" as their custom dictated, and Paul was emphatically telling them they were wrong to do so. The reasoning I see Paul giving in the text is that no human being has the authority to control what God does, so if God wants to call a woman to public ministry, He will call a woman to public ministry. Let her minister as God has called her. And anyone - the group wanting to keep women submissive and silent - who ignores her calling or contribution to building up the church (defined in today's terms as evangelism) will themselves be ignore by her as she does what God has called her to do. Because in Paul's view, everyone should be eager to speak of Jesus publicly (prophesy).
In addition to the immediate context of the passages in question, which I have explained as I understand them, there are multiple other examples in the general context of the entire Bible which lend toward support of female leadership within the faith community. Paul - the one whose letters are used to say women can't be pastors - worked directly with multiple female ministers and makes special mention of them in his letters so as to give them credibility in the churches. Jesus treated women as equal disciples with the men who followed Him, and women were first trusted with the news of His resurrection (which was an incredible honor, because women were not typically allowed to testify of anything). In the Old Testament also, God raised up great female leaders to guide, protect, and encourage His people. For being an ancient middle eastern collection of documents, the Bible is overwhelmingly supportive of women in various roles. Women are made special mention of in the Bible stories, because their stories were counter-cultural, and on-par with their male contemporaries. It didn't make much cultural sense, because women were valued as property of men, but God empowered them and gave them the authority to speak on His behalf and to do great things too.
I have run out of space in this post, so I will include in a second post some examples of women in the Bible who were called by God to leadership roles within their faith community.