Women in Ministry
Selected Texts
Language is an important part of communication. But in order to communicate we must have a common understanding of word meanings. For example, “What comes to your mind when you hear the words, women in ministry? Do you automatically think of women being ordained as pastors? If so, you’re defining ministry as a position, or perhaps even as a title.
But someone else may define ministry as any kind of service for the Lord. They think of the multitude of possibilities women have to serve in the home, the church, and society. Both understandings of the phrase are valid, but one is limited to a single expression, the pulpit ministry, while the other is wide open! The difference is one of focus.
Some women are like Mother Eve; they focus on the one thing God’s Word says they’re NOT permitted to have; authority over men in the church. They could enjoy all the wonderful service opportunities God has designed for their fulfillment and enjoyment. Yet the prohibition frustrates them so much that it creates negative feelings toward God and His good gifts.
The push for women as ordained leaders in the church is only several decades old. In my childhood (40+ years ago), a women pastor was almost unheard of, except among some fringe denominations that didn’t embrace the authority of Scripture. But today, it’s a different story.
The question is “Why is this acceptable now when it wasn’t acceptable then?” Has God’s Word changed? Why has much of the church rejected the centuries old understanding and teaching of the Scripture? Have we received some new enlightenment our predecessors didn’t have? If so, where did that enlightenment come from and why was it hidden so long?
Those who know me and know about the ministry of Heralds of Hope also know that we believe God’s Word speaks clearly on this issue. The truth is not hidden from us. The language of the New Testament is very precise. The reason women were not permitted to hold the office of ordained leadership in the church for centuries is because that’s what the Word clearly states!
Our problem is – we don’t like the truth as it has been revealed. In our western culture, choice trumps everything. We do not want anyone to tell us that there are things that are off-limits to us. We reserve to ourselves the right to make those kinds of decisions. This mindset has infected many who claim to follow Christ. But really, genuine followers of Christ have surrendered their rights to make any decision outside the parameters of His Word and will.
In First Timothy chapter two and verses 9-15 Paul clearly sets forth the prohibition of women being in a position of authority over men in the church. In this teaching today it is not my intention to rehearse that prohibition. Instead, I will highlight some of the other ministries that are available to women.
Of these, we have already looked at motherhood which according to Scripture is, if not the highest, one of the highest ministries a woman can have. As I was praying and asking God how to approach this subject of “Women in Ministry” He directed my thoughts to some of the women of the New Testament, none of whom served in an ordained leadership position.
So, we will take a brief walk through the New Testament and highlight some of the ways women served the Lord Jesus and the early church. That means this will be more of a topical teaching rather than expositional, but we will be careful to make it scripturally accurate.
The Ministry of Prayer
One of the first women we encounter in the New Testament is Anna. The Scripture says about her in Luke 2:36-38, “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of...
