Rico Tenor
Religion, It’s Not Just For Men Anymore
In the Bible in the book of Ephesians 4: 11-12 it says, “(11) and he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. Some interpreters have understood the phrase pastors and teachers to refer to one and the same group. This would mean that all pastors are teachers and that all teachers are pastors. This position is often taken because it is recognized that both nouns (i.e., pastors and teachers) are governed by one article in Greek. But because the nouns are plural, it is extremely unlikely that they refer to the same group, but only that the author is linking them closely together. It is better to regard the pastors as a subset of teachers. In other words, all pastors are teachers, but not all teachers are pastors. So here’s the 64 thousand dollar question, “Should women be minister’s or Pastors?” The answer is resounding yes, so here are ranges of foundation.
Seeing that in the Bible it appears that there are many verses about women in ministry. For example, answer to the question about women’s role in the church; is able to cover a clear-cut decision to make. It is obvious that in the book of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-12 as definitive statements on the issue and then have to distort, twist, and try to explain many, many other statements and accounts throughout the Old and New Testaments that are at variance with those statements, or definitely it can take the entire scriptural context which supports the full equality of men and women in the church as being the norm and look upon these two passages as intended for some local situations, the details of which are not known to people in modern times.
It is part of the entire holiness movement, of which the church is a part, has tended to accept the full equality of the sexes and to view the Corinthians and Timothy references as special, localized situations. In view of the fact that full equality of male and female in the governance of this world is clearly stated prior to the Fall (Gen. 1:27-28–dominion was given to them both). This is when God delegated some of his authority to the human race. Full equality is restated as a basic principle of a personal relationship “in Christ” (Gal. 3:28). The responsibility of women was enhanced by Christianity. In the Old Testament, there were quite a few women who were prophetesses, serving as the voice of God in instruction and leading men: Miriam, Deborah, Huldah. The prophet Joel predicted that in the coming age the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon men and women alike, and they would prophesy (Joel 2:28-29). God’s Spirit is obtainable now to anyone who calls upon the Lord. On the day of Pentecost, Peter declared that this was now being fulfilled (Acts 2:16-18). Peter was to say publicly at Pentecost the Holy Spirit was released throughout the entire world, to men and women, sons and daughters, Jews and Gentiles, whoever believed that Jesus is the Son of God.
- For example, women prophetesses (a definition of a prophetess is, one regarded by a group of followers as the final authoritative revealer of God’s will) (Merriam ebster.com). Obviously the gift of prophecy was given to certain women. They spoke the Word of the Lord in the early church (Acts 21:9), by reading this passage of scripture. It talks about the gift of prophecy was give to both men and women. Women actively participated in God’s work, and Paul himself speaks of women prophesying and praying publicly in the church services as a normal thing (1 Cor. 11:5). Here Paul talks that masculinity and femininity should be clearly visible in the self presentation of men and women. In public worship, women’s voices were heard in both “praying” and ‘prophesying”.
In addition, throughout the gospel record, prominence is given to women as the more faithful of Jesus followers. In the oldest and most reliable Greek manuscripts, Priscilla is mentioned ahead of her husband, Aquila, five times out of seven references to this couple, and she took the lead in instructing Apollos, one of the most prominent preachers of the New Testament age (Acts 18:26). It is the oldest Greek manuscripts put her first in this passage. It also showed harmony in a marriage. In addition, there are talks about the works in the ministry that they did.
Paul refers to Phoebe as a “deacon,” not a “deaconess” (Rom. 16:1). Bible versions differ on whether to translate this term as “servant” or minister. The term “deacon” means “one of the laymen elected by a church with congregational polity to serve in worship, in pastoral care, and on administrative committees” (Merriam-Webster.com.). Not only was she a servant, she was wealthy also. Phoebe apparently supported Paul in his ministry. She was highly looked upon in the church; this scripture also provides confirmation that women had important roles in the early church.
- After that the holy kiss (Rom. 16:16, 1 Cor. 16:20). Kissing and embracing was the normal way of greeting one another in those Biblical times. It was a way that the Apostle Paul encourages Christians to meet. There is no other logical way to deal with the Corinthians and Timothy passages on women in the ministry.
There is no way to ignore this pervasive picture of women as sharing in the leadership and ministry of the church. John Wesley an English evangelical clergyman, preacher, and writer John Wesley (1703-1791) was the founder of Methodism. The term Methodism began as a renewal movement within the Church of England. Its beginnings are associated with the work of John and Charles Wesley, sons of an Anglican clergyman. Both men studied at Oxford University and were very diligent in their religious life, so much so that those who derided them gave them the nickname “Methodists”, a reference to the methodical and systematic way they sliced up the day and gave themselves to its various activities.
He used some women as class leaders and, apparently, one or two as preachers. Luther Lee, one of the founders of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, preached the ordination sermon of the first woman ordained in America (1853), using the Galatians 3:28 texts. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, fully supported women’s right to preach and lead. His wife, Catherine, shared fully in his ministry and his daughter, Evangeline, was later one of the top leaders of the Salvation Army. B.T. Roberts, founder of the Free Methodist Church, wrote one of the best books on this subject, fully supporting the right of women to be ordained and to serve in the ministry. Martin Wells Knapp and Seth C. Rees, cofounders of the Pilgrim Holiness Church, were both married to preachers, and both strongly supported the right of women to preach. At one point, forty percent of the ministers in the Pilgrim Holiness Church were women.
It has also been obvious that some women have the gifts of leadership and preaching, being empowered by the Holy Spirit for such a ministry. As a result, The Wesleyan Church has taken an unequivocal position on the matter. Its Constitution declares that any member may be elected to any office that any other member can be elected to (Discipline 302:3), and it makes it clear that this means a woman can be elected to any office in the church by declaring that there shall be no discrimination against any member or minister on account of sex (Discipline 360:3d).
The Wesleyan Church, on the basis of the total content of Scripture, believes that a woman is fully equal to man in terms of her right (as directed by the Holy Spirit and authorized by the Church) to teach, preach, lead or govern (including supervisory roles and board memberships), lead worship or serve in any other office or ministry of the Church. They have some women pastors, a woman district superintendent in Puerto Rico, and have had some general officers in our overseas church who were women. There are women who serve on Local Boards of Administration, District Boards of Administration, College Boards of Trustees, and the General Board of Administration. Since the Scriptures do not explicitly provide for a ritual such as ordination for anyone, but do support the full equality of men and women in church work and leadership, The Wesleyan Church believes that its pattern of ordination should be available to both men and women.
Recruiting/Developing Women in Ministry in the Wesleyan Church, indeed; the right of women to respond to the call of God to serve both in lay office and leadership and in ministerial office and leadership is a matter that appeared at one time to have been forever settled in the churches of the holiness movement, including women. But in recent years, while some denominations that for centuries closed their doors to women leaders and ministers are now eagerly opening those doors to them, in The Wesleyan Church have in practice almost slammed the doors shut, even while they have strengthened statements in every respect on equal rights as to gender. Why are there people, including women who recognize God’s call upon them, so confused at this point? Many in congregations believe that the Scriptures “prohibit women from pursuing and filling pastoral positions in the church.” They have not “heard one sermon which would condone it” or “seen or read a book or an article condoning or affirming it.” Few have known a female pastor and are thus without any exemplary role model. Few “have been exposed to responsible principles of biblical interpretation on the controversial passages about women, such as studying the statements in context; understanding the difference between descriptive and prescriptive passages, and carefully examining the general tenor or direction of Scripture in order to arrive at the meaning or principles to be applied to the specifics.”[1]
This outline of course leaves us with two other passages that seem to be diverse from, even contradictory to all that which were cited: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15. In theses passages of Scriptures, this would point out that it would be impossible for Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to have written these verses as a universal, permanent forbidding of women to preach, lead, and minister, since the same Holy Spirit had inspired Joel to say it would happen in the age of the Spirit, had inspired Peter to say at Pentecost that that had come to pass, and had inspired Paul to speak of women as prophesying and praying in public as a normal occurrence.
In no doubt that even Theologians cannot satisfy all of our questions about these verses. They may refer to local situations or temporary cultural factors as do other difficult passages, such as the prayer veils or women’s head coverings in 1 Corinthians 11, the short and long hair references in the same passage, and some four commands by Paul and one by Peter that we are to greet one another with a holy kiss, as composed obvious earlier. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is in a chapter on tongues-speaking, is concerned about order in worship rather than confusion, may have been forbidding women from disturbing the service by talking among themselves. It is interesting to note that women are not the only ones in that chapter that Paul tells to be still under certain circumstances. 1 Timothy 2:11-15 ends with a verse that no one has been able to interpret “women will be saved through childbearing.” If part of the passage defies our exegesis, humility should deter us from being dogmatically literal about the rest. People cannot set aside all the rest of Scripture because of two brief obscure passages.
Some Christians have noted a strange inconsistency in part as soon as they shy away from our historic position on women in the ministry. They have moved away from former literalistic and legalistic interpretation of the passages in 1 Corinthians 11 about long hair for women and short hair for men, but have tended to adopt a literalistic and legalistic interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14 on women in ministry, and have moved away from former literalistic and legalistic interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:9-10 dealing with women’s dress, but have tended to adopt a literalistic and legalistic interpretation of the verses immediately following on women in ministry. How can we justify this? Or, can take the entire scriptural context which supports the full equality of men and women in the church as being the norm and look upon these two passages as intended for some local situations, the details of which are not known to us in modern times.
The entire holiness movement, of which The Wesleyan Church is a part, has tended to accept the full equality of the sexes and to view the Corinthians and Timothy references as special, localized situations. Women were very influential in the founding and subsequent growth of the early Pentecostal movements, black as well as white. The first person in the movement’s genesis to have the experience of the “baptism in the Holy Spirit,” as evidenced by glossolalia (speaking in tongue) was a woman. Women founded separate denominations and served the movement in a variety of religious roles: as teachers, ministers, associate ministers, evangelists, and missionaries. Though best remembered for their roles in healing evangelism and missionary endeavors, many women were founders and pastors of the largest Pentecostal churches. Some important historical roots for these roles existed in earlier religious and social forces, but the uniqueness of the Pentecostal experience and theological importance of “a calling” were most responsible for the multiplicity of female roles in early Pentecostal expression.
It’s understandable that people have all kinds of ideas about the role of women in the church. Can women teach the Bible? Can women teach men? Can women hold leadership offices in the church? Can women serve as Pastors? Can women serve as Senior Pastors? Are women only allowed to teach other women? Aren’t women supposed to be silent in the church? Once more, let’s look to scriptures for the answers “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.” Acts 2:17-18. Peter quoted this passage on the day of Pentecost. The word “Pentecost” is the English word for one of the annual Holy Days outlined in the Bible in Leviticus 23. The word means “fiftieth,” as the proper day for the observance is determined by counting fifty days from a Sabbath during the earlier Feast of Unleavened Bread. In Acts 2 in the New Testament, the disciples of Jesus were gathered together on this annual Holy Day in Jerusalem when they first received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ resurrection. The most noticeable feature of this occasion was that each of the disciples “spoke with other tongues,” and those in the audience, who were from many other nations, were surprised to hear them speak in their own native languages.
The term Pentecostal, when applied to religious groups, a teacher, or customs, usually implies that the participants believe that all Christians should expect to experience the same empowerment of the Holy Spirit, particularly evidenced by the gift of speaking in tongues. Many Pentecostals believe this empowerment to happen at a time separate from conversion or water baptism. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit predicated by Joel occurred on Pentecost” also; “…Phillip the evangelist…had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy (which means to proclaim or give inspired utterances – speaking, preaching).”Acts 21:8-9, in 1Corinthians 14:3-4, 31: The Bible states as a matter of fact and common practices that women would prophesy, preach, teach and speak to men and to the church for the purpose of edification, exhortation and comfort, but suffice it to say women were not held in high esteem in the Jewish or secular culture of the day. Fortunately, when Jesus came on the scene He set everyone free, men and women!
What Did Jesus Say About Women Preachers? Jesus Himself told a woman, Mary, to go preach the gospel to men. Did He disobey His own command? No. Jesus didn’t seem to have a problem with women preaching, and specifically preaching to men! Jesus said, “…go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and your God.” John 20:17 (Did Jesus violate His own command that women must be silent and not teach men?) No. Jesus ministered to the woman at the well and she preached to all the men in her city… “Left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, ‘Come see a man, which told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ?’” John 4:28-29. Talk about a lady preacher? When this woman opened her mouth the entire city got saved! These women are mentioned as church leaders in: Romans 16 – Phebe, Priscilla, but here are some others like, Mary, Tryphena, Tryhosa, Persis, and Julia, Philippians 4:2 – Euodias and Syntyche. Obviously, the Bible does not contradict itself. On one hand we see two verses that tell us that women must be silent in the church and they may not teach men. On the other hand, we see several verses that tell us that God would pour out His Spirit and women would not be silent, and in fact Jesus had women preaching to men the moment after He arose from the dead! That’s good enough for me.
[1] quoted by Janet M. Peifer
About the Author
Evangelist Andre Dillard
Biblical Education Director
www.shekinahinc.org/evangelist_corner
Evangelist Dillard is a licensed evangelist for Christ working in outreach ministries since 2001 and has a heart for the unsaved in the world. Evangelist Dillard attended New Life Bible School in Philadelphia, PA in the year of 2006 and was trained in Evangelism at First Baptist Church of Darby in Darby, PA. He is also a part of th Minsterial Allience of Fort Madsion,Iowa
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