There are two specific Bible passages that people use to limit what women can do in a church, especially in leadership in the congregation – 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15. We will use them as examples to apply the principles of interpreting Scripture outlined in the FAQ: How do we read the Bible to decide what to do today? The question of what women should do in the church is often discussed in terms of their moral nature. So the starting point before we look at the New...

The Book of Acts is our primary source for learning about some of the roles women filled in the early church. The list of women in Acts includes Dorcas, Mary the mother of John Mark, Lydia, Prisca (Pricilla) and Philip the evangelist’s four prophesying daughters (21:8-9). Paul mentions others in his letter to churches – Phoebe, Junia, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus’ mother, Julia, another Mary, Syntyche and Euodia as being among those he had worked with in ministry. The list in Romans 16 of...

A disciple is an apprentice who learns from the master, and Jesus had women among the many who hung on his every word in his three years of earthly ministry, welcoming his teaching them in a new way about God. Luke 8 tells us there were women among those who travelled from Galilee with Jesus. Most of these female disciples were drawn from families of fishermen or subsistence farmers in the north of Palestine, but others such as Joanna and Susanna came from households with more resources and...

There are two main passages in the New Testament where the Apostle Paul in his letters describes the church as the Body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:1-13 he says that the church is to function and grow as Christ’s Body through each person using the spiritual gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit. This is in fulfilment of Joel’s prophesy quoted by Peter in his Pentecost sermon: ‘In these last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit on all people . . . sons and daughters . . ....

Pastor Eugene Cho makes this powerful point about the role that men play in supporting women in church leadership: ‘Power, voice, and influence are not easily pursued and obtained. It must be distributed and shared by those who have that very power, voice, and influence. And because it is so counter-cultural, we have to be that much more intentional. As a male, I am embarrassed at times at the manner in which we [men] directly, indirectly or systematically oppress our sisters.’ If you are a...

Women who are gifted and called to preaching and teaching ministry are a great blessing to the church! The Christian faith is built on the good news that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Who was the first person to bring this message of good news? A woman! In John 20 we learn that Mary Magdalene is the first to see the risen Christ. Verse 18 tells us, ‘Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her.’ Theologian...

Sometimes God gives us a sense of holy discontent because he wants us to be an agent for change. Perhaps God is prompting you to be an agent of change in your church community. Discerning whether this is the case is important and you should spend some time praying about it. Next, you could consider chatting with your church leadership about the church’s position on women in ministry. You might find that: A. The church does not have an official position on the role of women in ministry. While...