The Ministry of Women

Imagine, a women President of the United States of America. It will happen, as it has in the corporate world with women CEO’s and in the professional arena with chief officers. While in the military I served under a Chief Nurse that was the most decorated woman soldier in the Army.

What has happened in the church and denominational forum concerning women in leadership? I wonder! Who are the women leaders in the churches today? Is there a record of the past and who might have happen in leadership?

Look at the early church:
Romans 16:1-2, “ I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.” and Romans 16:7 “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.” Of Junia, an early church father John Chrysostom said, “How great is the devotion of this woman that she should be counted worthy of the name of an apostle!” Homily on Romans.

Consider the leadership of Priscilla with her husband Aquila in Acts.
Acts 18:24-27 “Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.”

I may recite the great ministry of these grand ladies, but there is reluctance to allow women into leadership ministry today. Currently the parameters of women’s ministry stand in question in the church and denominational arenas. Today there are two schools of Biblical thought on the subject of “the ministry of women”. The more accepted position can be found in Wayne Grudem’s, excellent book Systematic Theology and the less accepted in A.J. Gordon’s article, The Ministry of Women.
http://www.cbeinternational.org/new/free_articles/ministry_of_women.pdf

A.J. Gordon made an observation in 1894, “…that the plain reading of the New Testament makes a different impression on the mind. That may be so on two grounds; first, on that of traditional bias; and second, on that of unfair translation. Concerning the latter point, it would seem as though the translators of our common version wrought (continue to point out), at every point where this question (women’s ministry) occurs, under the shadow of Paul’s imperative, “Let your women keep silence in the churches”.” It seems to me the bias is not by the Scriptures but by the translations and the mindsets behind the translations. With the gender religious social issues today, especially today, where does this relegate the women’s ministry issue? Where does this relegate women?


As a solution, I would propose the starting point offered by A.J. Gordon:
Acts 2:17-21, “AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LAST DAYS, GOD SAYS, THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT UPON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL HAVE DREAMS; AND EVEN UPON MY BONDSERVANTS, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, AT THAT TIME, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT, AND THEY SHALL PROPHESY. I WILL DISPLAY MARVELS IN THE SKY ABOVE, AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD AND FIRE, AND PILLARS OF SMOKE.THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, TO USHER IN THE DAY OF THE LORD-- THAT GREAT AND ILLUSTRIOUS DAY; AND EVERY ONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”
The Scriptures just mentioned are from the prophet Joel, and are realized at Pentecost and noted as the Magna Charta of the Christian Church.

Let the conversation continue.