Women in the Church

PLUS

Acts Chapters 1 and 2 make it clear that both men and women were present at PENTECOST when the HOLY SPIRIT descended upon Jesus’ disciples to empower them. Peter quoted the prophet Joel, who stated that God would pour out His Holy Spirit on both men and women and that both sons and daughters would prophesy (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:16-18). There were many women prophets in the Old Testament (Exodus 15:20; Judges 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; Nehemiah 6:14; Isaiah 8:3). In the New Testament, Philip the evangelist had four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:8-9).

In 1 Corinthians 12:11, Paul also agreed that the Holy Spirit will give His gifts to all, not just to men. And in 1 Corinthians 11:5, Paul talked about women who were praying and prophesying in the church service in Corinth. When Paul said that women who prayed and prophesied in the church service must wear a veil on their head, he clearly implied that it was proper for women to pray and prophesy in the service. Paul said that all may participate and share in the church meeting (1 Corinthians 14:26), and this certainly included women.

Many people believe that women can be deacons in the church. In 1 Timothy 3:813, Paul wrote about men and husbands. Verse 11 also mentions women. There are two possible kinds of women referred to in verse 11, either “wives” or “women deacons,” and it is not certain which kind Paul meant. We do know that in Romans 16:1, Paul praised a woman named Phoebe and called her a servant or “deaconess.” (The word is translated as “servant,” but in the Greek1 it is the same word as “deacon.”)

In Romans 16:3,6,12 and Philippians 4:2-3, Paul greeted many other “fellow workers” who were women. Priscilla and her husband Aquila are always mentioned together and appear to have shared a teaching ministry (Acts 18:18,26). In addition, many scholars believe that in Romans 16:7 Paul is referring to “Junia,” a woman, not to “Junius,” a man. (The Greek word can be either masculine or feminine.) If the word refers to a woman, then Paul called a woman an “APOSTLE.”

Even if women maybe deacons, the question remains whether or not women may lead the church in a pastoral role. The Bible does not give a completely clear answer to this question, and as a result, different churches today follow different customs. Many Christians point to 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 and to 1 Timothy 2:11-15, where women are told to be silent and not to teach or to have authority over a man. These verses say this very clearly, and many churches allow women to teach children and other women, but do not allow them to teach men. Almost all of these churches allow women to pray or share testimonies in church meetings, and most allow women missionaries to preach and to teach men in new churches.

Other Christians interpret these same Bible verses differently. They point out that at the same time Paul wrote these verses to the Corinthians saying that women must be silent, he also in the same letter wrote that when women pray and prophesy they must cover their heads (1 Corinthians 11:5). Therefore, these Christians believe that the meaning of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 cannot be “complete silence”; rather it must mean “disturbance” or “speaking out loud” during the church service. In Paul’s day it is possible that many women were accustomed to ask questions or call out to their husbands right in the middle of the service (see panel: A Corinthian Rule or Paul’s Own?).

Similarly, in 1 Timothy 2:11-15, this second group of Christians believe that Paul is telling Timothy that untaught women should not take authority away from men, but be submissive and learn. They believe that the church may decide to give authority to a woman who has herself been taught and is a good teacher. Deborah in the Old Testament book of Judges was an example of a prophetess who led the Jews by God’s will (Judges 4:4).

A third group of Christians believe that Paul’s words were intended only for Timothy and the Corinthian and Ephesian churches of the first century. These Christians believe that Paul never intended his rules to apply to churches of today with their markedly different cultures. They point to the example of Paul who sent back a slave to his master but surely did not approve of slavery, since he implied that Philemon should free his slave (Philemon 17-21). Paul commanded everyone to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, not that women only should do so (Ephesians 5:21). These Christians point out that Jesus broke down cultural barriers and brought freedom to all. Unbelievers will not take offense at women leaders if their particular society has already given freedom to women. Therefore, these Christians believe that the church also should give leadership positions to women.

The matter is not as clear as it may seem at first when looking at only two or three verses. Whatever we decide, we should not allow our own custom to separate us from our brother and sister who may follow a different custom. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

 

1 The New Testament was originally written in the Greek language.