Should Women Teach & Lead in Church?

Kensington Church holds to an egalitarian belief that women are equally called and gifted to teach and to lead in the Church.

If you’re new to church, this may not seem at all surprising; if you’ve grown up in church, this position may rub against some ideas and traditions you’ve believed or experienced.

Although it is beyond the scope of this blog to do full justice to addressing this issue, I’d like to share with you some insights – because men and women both equally reflect and reveal the nature of God, and it is terribly important that we get this right.

The Church vs. The World

Some may argue that the church should not adapt to the ‘progressive trends of the world.’ They tend to be zoomed in on the present – on this generation, on hot topics, on current events. They see traditional roles as the different way, the age-old way. But if you zoom out to look at all of human history, this very same argument for the church to be counter-cultural would insist on elevating women – as Jesus did – in the face of patriarchalism. 

Without a doubt, this word is descriptive of most of human history – controlled by men. At all times and in nearly all places, men have been in charge of families, of organizations and corporations, of governments, and of churches. While we are now seeing seeds of change, women’s roles for the most part have been subservient to men. Even now, women remain underrepresented in leadership pretty much across the board, and perhaps no more so than in the Church.

What Does The Bible Say?

Here’s the thing with the Bible. As soon as we do more than just read it, as soon as we speak words about what we have read, we are interpreting it. 

And so, humility is necessary and certainty may be…unwise. There are thousands of protestant denominations – using the same Bible and holding to its inspiration and authority – that come away with a different understanding about many things.

The Bible is a wonderful, beautiful, captivating story of God and his people. It is also complex, mysterious, and if I am honest, frustrating at times. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years by 40 human authors, who varied from fishermen to doctors to shepherds, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents, and in the context of a myriad of cultures. All of these things must be taken into account when attempting to understand what has been written.

Examples of Interpretation

I was raised in a church environment where women could not serve in a leadership position over men and could not teach if men were present.

As I look back at those years, I find it amusing that women could sing from the platform songs that contained plenty of Scripture and theology when men were present. (I guess if there was music accompanying their words, then it was permissible?) And then there were the missionaries. Time and again, women who were missionaries were allowed to “share” in a church service, and as someone sitting in the pews, what they had to say sounded a great deal like a sermon.

I recently grabbed a cup of coffee with a man who was questioning why Kensington Church had women as elders and teaching pastors. He began our conversation with this question: “Why don’t we just simply follow the teachings of the Bible? It’s not complicated.” He cited this verse:

I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. – 1 Timothy 2:12

I asked my friend if he also put into practice the teachings from just three verses before that, “…women should adorn themselves…not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire…”  No. He did not put these teachings on the same par as those about women’s roles.

Consider my explanation of this verse:

Maybe 1 Timothy 2:12 made perfect sense in the first century when, due to centuries of patriarchalism, women were not generally allowed to be educated. Sadly, the overwhelming majority were illiterate. All of this is due to the oppression and subjugation of women, causing them to be ill-equipped to lead at that time. Jesus liberated women to equal standing with men, but it would take time for them to grow and learn so they could lead and teach others.

Egalitarianism vs. Complementarianism

There are currently two primary views about the role of women in the Church. The Complementarian View describes women and men as having equal value as image bearers of God, but having been assigned different roles by God in life and within the church, complementing each other in these roles. This view holds to men having ultimate authority, a role assigned by God.

While we, at Kensington, agree that men and women complement one another, there is a sticking point in Complementarianism: this hierarchy mandates that women, even the extremely gifted and called, would be limited and restricted in their work for the Kingdom of God because of their fellow humans. As in, “Go and teach for God’s glory alone, but cease doing so when a fellow created being is present.” Suddenly the focus has been taken from God and His lofty, holy “otherness” and been fixed instead on the “otherness” of the other gender.

This feels especially incongruous when we remember that heaven – where sin and pain cannot exist – will be devoid of power imbalances and earthly hierarchies. Shouldn’t we aim to bring heaven to earth in the here and now?

The Egalitarian View, as held by Kensington Church, takes the position that leadership, teaching, and pastoring in the church is based not on gender, but solely on gifting and calling. Here are a few scriptural observations to consider and investigate:

• God created male and female to both equally reflect his image. Patriarchalism and the dominance of men over women was not part of the created order but resulted from human rebellion against God.
• The Old Testament, which reflected strong patriarchalism, describes exceptions in which women led and had authority over men. In Judges 5, Deborah is described as a judge, prophetess, and military leader. God appointed her to this role. If it is inherently wrong for women to be in authority over men, how can we explain Deborah’s role as leader over all of Israel, including the army?
• Jesus elevated women throughout his ministry. They were among his disciples, sat as his feet as he taught, and in the first century, filled roles as elders, prophets and teachers, as described in the book of Acts and in some of Paul’s letters – women such as Priscilla, who taught and led a church, and Junia, who was described as an apostle.

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:28-29

Since the first century, history continues to tell the story of ongoing patriarchalism, with exceptions along the way. This has come at a great cost to our world, and to our faith. With men and women both equally reflecting and revealing the nature of God, silencing and limiting women has narrowed our view of God. Thankfully, hopefully, a better understanding of Biblical teaching about women’s roles in its cultural context is beginning to turn the tide allowing men and women to equally serve the Church as leaders and teachers – something that should not be based on gender, but based on gifts and God’s calling.

Join us Sunday for a teaching on this topic! And consider a deeper dive by reading, The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr.