WOMEN AND CHURCH LEADERSHIP

We live in the midst of the Feminist Revolution. The champions of this social/political movement have challenged every traditional concept about the role of women in the home, society and the church. Without doubt some of the old ideas needed challenging. Some of the changes have been wholesome and beneficial. In two areas however, the goals of the feminists are in direct conflict with the will of God as revealed in the Bible. This poses no problem for most feminists since many of them reject God and Christ, and refuse to recognize the Scriptures as having any authority in their lives. However, to those women who fear God and follow Jesus, who order their lives by the New Testament and hope to spend eternity in heaven, their liberties must conform to the divine plan.

In the realm of the family: God ordained that "wives be in subjection unto (their) own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church..." (Eph. 5:22-23). Husbands are expected to "love (their) wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it."

For the church God declares: "As in all the churches of the saints, let the women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law." (I Cor. 14:33-34). "Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection. But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness" (I Tim. 2:11-12).

From these injunctions we learn that women are not allowed to fill leadership roles over men in the administration and public teaching of the church. Men are to be selected as elders (I Tim. 3:1-2). Men are to be the preachers, evangelists and teachers of the congregation.

This does not means that women have no role to fill in the life and teaching of the church. A woman can teach women and children (Tit. 2:4-5). She can be a leader among the women in their activities. But men teach mixed classes of men and women and men conduct public worship. In rare cases where no men are present, then women could do anything that needed to be done since they would not be exercising authority over men by so doing.

Such doctrine is anathema to committed feminists, but to women of God, it is truth and righteousness and must be accepted. Tragically, most of the denominations about us have capitulated to the noisy demands of the feminists. May God grant all of us the courage to stand faithful to his revealed will, even if the whole world rejects it.