“But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man,
but to be in silence.”
1 Timothy 2:12 [KJV]
I recently googled the subject “most controversial Christian topics”. High on the list was the topic of whether women should be preachers and pastors. Personally, I don’t find this subject particularly controversial. I believe the Bible clearly states that women are not amongst the small number of people God appoints to be preachers or pastors. This is also the position held by the Independent Baptist church I attend.
However, this is not the position held by much of Christendom. Near where I worship are a Uniting Church, a Seventh Day Adventist group, and a Lutheran church. These all have female preachers and pastoral leaders. I also know of some groups that say church leaders should be male, but preachers can be either male or female.
I’ve also found myself asking other questions. In our age, there many female bloggers, YouTubers, speakers and authors who produce theological content. Does the Bible place any limitations on these sorts of teaching ministries? I run this blog. Could it be wrong for me to say something from a church pulpit, but fine for me to say the same message to the same group of people in a different setting?
So, in part one of this blog series on women and ministry, let’s jump straight in and look at what the Bible says about women and teaching ministries.
In the books of Timothy, the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy, a young pastor, on how churches and church services should be organised. In 1 Timothy 2:12, we find this verse, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” At face value, the verse appears to ban women from teaching men about spiritual matters, or being in a position of authority over a man. And, surprise, surprise, that’s exactly what the verse means. Contrary to what other Christians, denominations or society might say, God does not authorise women to be pastoral leaders or preachers.
Let’s look at the role of pastor first. A pastor – also referred to in scripture as a bishop, elder or shepherd (1 Timothy 3:2, 1 Peter 5:1-2) – is the leader of a local church. They have three main functions: they are a preacher/teacher (1 Timothy 3:2), a shepherd of the flock and the authority responsible for ensuring the church and its members function Biblically. Since 1 Timothy 2:12 bans a woman from teaching men, or being in authority over them, then a woman cannot Biblically fulfil the office of a pastor. Additionally, 1 Timothy 3:2a states that a “bishop must be …the husband of one wife.” A woman cannot be a husband, so she doesn’t meet this eligibility criteria either. Male church leadership is also consistent with Biblical teaching on leadership in general. The verse after 1 Timothy 2:12 explains the command; “For Adam was first formed, and then Eve”. The man is the head of the home (Ephesians 5:23, Genesis 3:16). It wouldn’t make sense for a man to be the leader of his household, but the moment he steps into a church, his wife, a female ‘pastor’ becomes his head. In the Old Testament, the priests were all men, often called the ‘sons of Aaron’ (e.g. Leviticus 21:1), and God appointed Kings, not Queens, as the rulers of his people. Interestingly, the only recorded female judge in Israel’s history, Deborah, occurred when ‘In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes’ (Judges 21:25). Deborah herself acknowledged that God had not called her to lead Israel against their enemies but instead had appointed Barak to this leadership role (Judges 4:6). And lastly, Jesus only appointed men as disciples and apostles (Matthew 10:2-4).
Women should also not be giving sermons. According to a book I borrowed off my dad, sermons are a blend of teaching (educating people on facts) and preaching (‘heralding’/ speaking with God’s authority). Oh wait, we’re back to those earlier points about the Bible not permitting women to teach or exercise authority over men.
However, even if you agreed that the Bible says women should not preach or pastor, you might still have questions.
Does the Bible put any limitations on a woman’s audience if she publishes theological teaching content through YouTube channels, podcasts, blogs, books or radio? I have had to think deeply about this question myself. While this blog is largely an encouragement ministry, some posts do include teaching content. Because of this, I’m upfront on the home page and the header of each email that the blog is “Christ-centred, honest & practical encouragement for ladies”. Yes, the occasional male will read a post. Perhaps they are curious about a woman’s perspective, want to see if the blog is worth recommending to a woman they know, or they are a ‘theology checker’ who is keeping me accountable. They aren’t (or better not be) seeing this blog as a ministry teaching them. My conclusion is that if a woman is producing theological teaching content, whatever the media, she should be doing it for women or children, not men. This is consistent with older women being told to teach younger women (Titus 2:3-5), and Paul praising Eunice and Loise for their teaching of Timothy as a child (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15).
What about biographies, hymn writing, histories or salvation stories? Examples of these could include writing the life story of a missionary, a baptismal candidate describing how they became a Christian, or a woman sharing with a man about something the Lord has done in her life. These are all types of testimonies. Their primary purpose is not to teach theology, but rather (hopefully in a theologically accurate way!) to share an example of God working in an individual’s life to bring glory to His name. Accordingly, a woman is free to share her testimony with anybody – a practice Jesus Himself encouraged. There are several notable examples of Jesus commissioning women to share their testimonies with men. One is found in John 4:16b, where Jesus told the Samaritan woman he met at the well, “Go, call thy husband, and come hither”. After a discussion, the lady hurries off, saying to the men “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29). She didn’t preach a sermon, she simply described her encounter, told them she was convinced Jesus was the Christ and brought them to see Jesus for themselves. Another example is when Jesus met Mary Magdalene after He had risen from the dead. He told her, “go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17b). It might sound obvious, but Jesus didn’t tell Mary to preach a sermon. He told her to testify of him, just as He had earlier told the disciples of John the Baptist, “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard” (Luke 7:22b).
What does the Bible say about witnessing or sharing in an informal setting? This could include witnessing to men during outreach, group discussions about a sermon, or even just general conversations. Again, so long as a woman steers clear of teaching or claiming authority over a man, she is free to share. We have the example of Priscilla, who, along with her husband Aquila, shared “the way of God” with a man called Apollos who knew “only the baptism of John” (Acts 18:24-26). 1 Peter 3:15b says all of us – male or female – should, “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”.
In summary, women are not restricted from – in fact, they are encouraged to – teach other women and children. We’ll be talking more about these topics in upcoming blog posts, so stay tuned! In the meantime, press on in ministry for the Lord!
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