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Women Pastors, in Charge and Out of Order: From The Theologian’s Corner

There has been much debate in the church on whether or not a woman is suppose to hold the office of Pastor. We will attempt to get to the bottom of this recent ministry question, as to if a woman is out of order or not in the pulpit. let us examine scriptures and real life examples to come to a conclusion.
Tags: Apostle Paul, Bible, Bishops, faith and gender, preaching women, women in ministry, women pastors, women preachers
icon1 Published by Clafleur in Christianity on October 9, 2009 | 19 responses

The debate on whether or not a woman is suppose to be pastoring will not end because I have written this article. This is another subject that I am long winded on, and can write a 200 page book with no problem. That being said, I am going to stick to a few core scriptures and arguments to get a view of the overall position of pastor, and the person who is suppose to occupy the office.

What is the requirement for this office?

Applying for any secular position requires that you meet certain requirements and standards. I recall seeing an ad in the paper for a sales position, and one of the requirements was to be clean shaving and no long hair. I had a friend of mines with a long pony tail and he said, ” I ain’t cutting my hair for anyone.” The bible also has very strict requirements for the office of a bishop. Man has elevated this office to a supervisor of pastors within a district, however when the bible said bishop, it meant the Sheppard of the flock. To truly examine this, we must go to 1 Timothy 3 NKJV, and observe what the job description is. The very first requirement is 1 Tim 3:1, If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. Take notice the word man is used in the description, followed by he. This should leave no doubt in the mind of the believer of what gender is mandated by scripture to hold this office. The NIV uses a bad synonym for a man, and has re-interpreted it as anyone. This has added fuel to the debate. The NIV is a great layman’s term bible, but should not be used to x out the King James translations. This version was written so that a sixth grader could understand it. However the decision of the church overseer is not left up to sixth grade theology, and opinions of the un-churched. The next verse affirms the statement in verse one. 1 Timothy 3:2 states, the husband of one wife. It is clear that this position is reserved for a husband. As hard as it may be for the feminist agenda to observe, the bible is not an equal opportunity employer, and if one has a problem with the scripture, they should get on their knees and take it up with the author. There are several more references to he in the rest of 1 Timothy 3, but we need to examine other areas of this topic.

Take this church for example

The church of Thyatira mentioned in the book of Revelations 2:18, is a church that Christ has a few things against. What is the Lord’s charge against this assembly of believers. I was left with the impression after reading this chapter so many times, that he is not happy with the elders of the church who are men. Notice how He addresses them in Revelations 2:20. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach. There will be a lot of people who will read this article and say, ” God never said a woman cant teach.” However, I have provided the scripture where the Lord has a problem with it. Jezebel is the worst name you can call a woman in the bible, as Judas is the worst for a man. The state of the church is that the men have become so weak or absent, that the women have began to step up and fill the positions. I have personally witnessed women out of control involved in the business of running the church, or running the Pastor. It may be controversial to ask where are their husbands, but it would not be out of line to say they are out of order to say the least. The worst thing about the men in Thyatira, is they allowed the woman to be out of order. It is far past the time for men to step up and full fill their priestly duties in the modern church.

What was the Apostle Paul’s position

Eye opening is the statement Paul made in 1 Timothy 2:12 to say the least. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. The reason for this is women are weaker in spiritual matters, which is revealed in the verses that follow. I have found in my personal circle of ministers, the men in training have an issue with sitting under the tutorship of a female pastor, until they have learned enough to become an overseer of a church themselves. Some would argue that it’s the male ea-go and testosterone getting in the way of their decision of serving under a woman. I personally would not serve under a woman because I feel if a woman cant teach a boy to be a man, which is in the natural confines of nature, then it would be reasonable to conclude that learning to be a pastor from some one who was not given the blessing in the bible to take the office, is not in the order of how God wants His church to operate. Many women will make the case that God has used women in the bible, and there is no doubt about that. Lydia was the Apostle Paul’s first convert in Thyatira, and theologians believe that she gave her testimony, and as a result of it the church of Thyatira was planted. In the modern church, women were given the solemn duties in the early pentecostal churches for planting churches, although they did not oversee them. Their duties fell in line with many of the duties you will recall in the new testament. The women who Paul encountered evangelized, prophesied and did missionary work. The women who followed Christ were recorded with him on his short journeys, as He and his disciples evangelized. It is not certain if they did any work, but it is for sure they were present. Many women take the position that God can use anyone, anyplace he chooses, and they are correct. He is God the Almighty, but He is not a respecter of men, but He respects His word. I recall a Pastor and His wife visiting my church, and when the Pastor came to sit in the pulpit, his wife followed him. This being a Pentecostal church, it was a no no. I can only imagine what rules are being violated by the women in his congregation.

Conclusion

This article was not an attack on the rights of women in society. There is a difference between the world and the church, and we must be careful to keep the two separate. That being said, we recognize the contributions that women have made to ministry, like Annie Semple Mc Phereson. There is no reason to shut women out of the ministry, but the office of the Bishop is reserved for men. This is what the scriptures say, and we must be obedient. There were no women on the counsel of Jerusalem, and there are no women in the Vatican. Liberalism is not a civic of the church, and should not be in the churches. God is not a democracy, He has not asked for your opinion. He dictates the terms and they are not negotiable. Christian’s are really going to have to pay closer attention to the seven churches of Revelations, because we are in a time, when what the Lord was counseling those churches on, is happening all over again. Let me encourage the women who read this article to continue to work hard for the Lord and their churches. This may be controversial, but it needs to be examined by the assembly of believers.

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From Karen Gross
See: Matthew 16: 13-20 where Jesus asked the disciples "Who do people say I am?";

John 6:35 "I am the Bread of Life";

John 8:12 "I am the Light of the world";

John 8:28 ""You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." 25 "Who are you?" they asked. "Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied.;

John 8:58 ""I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

John 10:7 "Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep."

John 10:11 ""I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;"

John 14:6 "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 15:5 ""I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

John 6:35 "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."