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The author's thinking appears to be unduly colored by feminist ideology. In fact, every article on her website is about oppressed women, abused women, and women who have broke free of the patriarchy.
I should say going in that I favor women deaconesses, because the Bible talks about them. Thus, this is not written as an anti-woman-leader piece. I am more interested in the failures of the author's thinking processes.
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I once heard the story (That is, she has it second hand, and therefore doesn't even know if it's true.)
of a professional woman who came to Christ later in life. Elated about her newfound faith, she started going to church. The first Sunday, (That is, this new Christian walks into her first church service...)
it struck her how many men were playing instruments and leading worship while one woman harmonized in the background. A man announced the week’s schedule and prayed. Another man stepped up to the podium and preached. The church bulletin described a large number of small group Bible studies, all led by men. One woman coordinated a handful of women’s Bible studies and volunteer opportunities involving children’s ministry and hospitality. The pastor reminded the “guys” not to forget the mid-week prayer breakfast. Having spent most of her adult life in a medical practice with male partners, the woman wondered, Why aren’t more women in church leadership? (This is known as an Anecdotal Fallacy. The author takes an isolated example and attempts to make it a universally applicable situation.
And we note that the woman in the story is a new Christian who has absolutely no qualifications to make determinations as to the proper way a church should be arranged, yet she walks in and starts counting and categorizing people according to her own preconceptions. She makes no effort to determine if the worship team is skillful or spiritually aware, if the Bible studies are valuable and life affirming, or if the mid-week prayer breakfast yields spiritual growth or answers to prayer. Because, in actual fact, she is not qualified to do so.
No, she counts by gender.
Note also that the woman in the story marginalizes the woman who "...coordinated a handful of women’s Bible studies and volunteer opportunities involving children’s ministry and hospitality" as if these somehow don't count or aren't valuable.
In fact, this probably-fictional professional woman doesn't even know the composition of the church leadership. Clearly she is ill-equipped to judge this church. Yet somehow she instantly knows exactly what's wrong.
But for some reason the author cites this case, mostly likely apocryphal, as evidence for her thesis. Thus we are supposed to conclude that there is a huge problem in all churches today. That is, churches needs more women in leadership.
Astonishing.)
According to a Barna study, the majority of Christian women believe they are making the most of their gifts and potential at church. However, not all women are thriving. Many are “frustrated by their lack of opportunities at church and feel misunderstood and undervalued by their church leaders.” One in five feel under-utilized. (Hmm, only 20% feel under-utilized? That's actually better than I expected, especially considering the thesis of the author.
What I find interesting in this line of thinking is that the author focuses on women as if it were the most pressing matter, and something only putting women in leadership will solve. However, men are avoiding church in droves. In my opinion, we don't have a women-leadership-in-church problem, we have a men-not-in-church problem.
I happen to think that women are generally happier in church than men are, since men are staying away and women are coming. In many congregations, women dominate the attendees. I would go so far as to say that in a church where women predominate, those churches are certainly catering to them, and men would naturally stay away.
We can surmise from my suppositions that church is already feminized and comfortable to women, which makes it an uncomfortable, if not a hostile environment for men.)
Thirty-seven percent of women believe their church would have more effective ministry if women were given more opportunities to lead. (Note the leap in logic. We were talking about women's satisfaction in church, but now the word "lead" is substituted. Apparently, happiness and fulfillment are synonymous with leadership.)
And 41% of women say they have more opportunities to lead outside of their church. (So we are supposed to conclude that the church needs to be more like the world, it seems.
There are many churches that have women pastors and/or lay leaders. There are also many that have male pastors and/or lay leaders. If it is so intolerable to have male leadership, it seems like an easy choice to attend a congregation more suited to one's tastes, rather than cause dissension and acrimony in a church that doesn't conform to one's sensibilities.)
The numbers point at important realities and questions—Is Christ’s body missing out on a treasure trove of gifts? Why don’t more churches ask women to lead? What can we do to cultivate the leadership gifts of women?
Women Leaders of the Bible
Stories of strong women leaders reel across the pages of the Bible. Miriam led the Israelites in powerful worship of their Creator, protector and provider. Rahab put her neck on the line to rescue the spies, knowing it would benefit God’s people and save her family. Barak recognized God speaking to Deborah of the Israelite’s victory in battle—and they won. Abigail, Ruth, Esther, Huldah, Naomi, the Proverbs 31 woman—all made judgment calls and acted to benefit God’s purposes. New Testament passages endorse the ministry, teaching and leadership of Lydia, Dorcas, Priscilla, Tryphena, Euodia, Syntyche, Junia (among others). God endowed biblical women with unique gifts for handling what came their way as they built God’s Realm. Biblical womanhood reveals a broader spectrum than we often see in churches. (The author seems to have confused the idea of women leaders with notable biblical women. But only one in the author's list is an actual leader, Deborah, and she was a leader of the Jews, not a church leader.
Left out of the author's presentation is Phoebe, a deaconess. Also absent from the author's presentation is anything at all about eldership.)
Has God Barred Women From Leadership In Churches?
The most common objection to women taking up leadership in churches stems from a plain reading of 1 Timothy 2:11-12: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” At face value, it seems an open and shut case. Actually, a lot more was going on when Paul wrote the instructions.
In her book I Suffer Not A Woman, Catherine Clark Kroeger explains the culture context and historical context of verses. Paul was addressing cultic practices creeping into the newly birthed church from the nearby Temple of Artemis. Evidently, some arguments among men and women over false doctrine were disturbing worship services. In that situation, Paul felt the best course of action was to silence women whose behavior resembled the cultic temple practices. (This is a bit of a stretch. Carl B. Jones writes, "However, the book of 1 Timothy doesn't mention Artemis, nor does Paul mention Artemis' worship as a reason for the restrictions in 1Timothy 2:11-12."
In addition, why were only the women so susceptible to error? Why not the men? Shouldn't the men have been similarly deceived and similarly silenced? Or are men immune to things women are not?)
What most of us don’t know is that Paul actually instructs women to learn; he uses a Greek imperative form that doesn’t come across in written English. References to silence and full submission match words used to describe foundational religious learning of the day, similar to confirmation or catechism.
What’s also interesting is that the Greek word for authority (exousia) does not appear in this passage. Instead Paul uses an obscure word (authentein) that scholars have struggled to translate because it only appears once in the New Testament. (The author implies that there is something so unique about this word that the proper meaning has never been explained. Its meaning is so elusive it has puzzled scholars for centuries, apparently.
However, all one has to do is consult Strong's. The word is adequately defined and the meaning is clear. A woman is not to usurp/use/exercise authority over a man.)
In that time, the word was associated with cultic practices of women priestesses using their sexuality to dominate men for selfish gain, which applied to specifically this church, in this location at this time. Some well-respected evangelical scholars think this means Paul did not permit a woman of that particular community to teach and dominate a man for selfish gain resulting in licentiousness.
It’s important to recognize that Paul does not say “to every one of you” or “to all persons,” his usual phrases when speaking to the universal church. Philip Payne fleshes out other important nuances of this passage in his book Man And Woman: One In Christ. (It seems the author is attempting to isolate this passage, while ignoring what follows: 1Ti. 2:13-14 "For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner." Does it sound to you like Paul is specifically dealing with Artemis worship, or is he making a universal statement?
It is a thin case to be made from what Scripture does not say. Frankly, nothing at all can be inferred from what isn't said. One cannot argue from silence. In fact, it is the fundamental error of biblical interpretation to say, "this doesn't apply to me." And it's worth noting that Paul wrote a second letter to Timothy were he says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." 2Ti. 3:16
Now, we must say that a woman can freely obey this and every Scripture and still be a leader in the church. A woman does not give up anything by being properly submissive and not usurping authority. A submissive and teachable leader is an asset to a church. This of course grates on the ears of those who have been influenced by the world's way of thinking, and thus they work overtime to find ways around what Scripture so plainly says.
If a woman truly feels unfulfilled, she ought to wonder if she is more interested in her feelings or in being a godly woman. Is her own well-being [as she interprets it] the most important thing? Does she have to have her way? Is she teachable, or is she obstinate?
Now, of course all of these questions also apply to men, but since the topic is women, I am asking them of women.)
Why Some Women Pull Back From Using Their Gifts
Is it any wonder that there is confusion about women and church leadership? Many who value scripture, and want to practice it, struggle to reconcile women leaders of the Bible with passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11-15. The good news is that truth never conflicts with truth. God does not dangle images of strong women leaders across the pages of the Bible before telling them to cork their bottles.
I’ve seen more than a few women wrestle and pull back from development of their gifts because they didn’t want to step into territory supposedly set apart for men. It seems to happen a lot among women with ministry, teaching and leadership gifts. And I can’t help but wonder if they are “frustrated by their lack of opportunities at church and feel misunderstood and undervalued by their church leaders.” Are they the one in five who feel under-utilized? Are they the 37% who believe their church would have more effective ministry if women were given more opportunities to lead? Are they the 41 percent of Christian women finding more opportunities to use their gifts outside churches? (Again the author conflates gifts and value with occupying a leadership position.)
What We Can Do to Cultivate Leadership of Women
Numerous Christian leaders have studied this issue and changed their minds. Prominent biblical scholar Dallas Willard (This man is somewhat controversial, and is viewed as heterodox by some. I personally find some of his positions questionable.)
describes his journey in the foreword of How I Changed My Mind about Women in Leadership:
There is no suggestion whatsoever in Scripture or the history of Christ's people that the gifts of the Spirit are distributed along gender lines. (Again conflating gifts with leadership.)
It is clearly something that does not even appear on the mental horizon of the inspired writers. ... The exclusion of women from official ministry positions leaves women generally under the impression that there is something wrong with them.
It is no small thing to take a 180 degree turn on this issue. Those who have changed their minds have gone through a process of soul-searching and prayerful study. Seeing the fruits of women’s leadership gifts often spurs the process. Those who are compelled to cultivate the leadership of women do so in a variety of ways:
· Conducting a community study followed by an official church statement on women in leadershipWe do not know when Jesus will return for his Bride. But God has said, “In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy" (Acts 2:18). God wants us to be ready. May we as men and women step into the fullness of all that’s written in the Book of Life.
· Training pastoral staff to recognize, encourage and mobilize women’s leadership gifts in layperson and professional ministries
· Educating congregants to recognize, encourage and utilize women’s leadership potential (through small groups, conferences, etc.)
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