Parishioner's Picks: Women’s Role in Ministry - Manuscript

Parishioner's Picks: Women’s Role in Ministry

Dismiss Kids /Elders Prayer

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Today I will wrap up this round of Parishioner's Picks, and today I will address a submission that I have been anxiously expecting for years. Let's get right to it.

The Passage

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1 Corinthians 14:34–35 (NIV) — "Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."

The Comment

"I am not in conflict with this section of Paul's teachings, but I do honestly need a refresher on why this is in the Bible, why it was relevant to preach this at that moment in history, and I need help with this with my daughters. So going over this and understanding that women are just as important as men and having the understanding of this passage is something that I need, and I have a feeling a lot of other women need this information. It is difficult to have someone throw this scripture in your face and say that Christians think less of women."

Why This Topic Matters

This is a controversial topic, and I have skillfully avoided it for years—but that's one reason we do Parishioner's Picks: to force me to address some topics I would prefer to avoid. I've hesitated because I have seen in many churches that this topic has the potential to be divisive or offensive, and in some cases both. My goal is neither to be divisive nor offensive—I hope those who know me know that already. My goal is to uncover biblical truth.

And sometimes that is difficult because we are taking an ancient text and first trying to understand what it meant in its original context—which in and of itself is a challenge, especially with this verse and related verses—and then to bridge centuries of cultural change to make an application here in Texoma in 2025.

Our Approach Today

We will not in a sermon be able to address all the particulars. Here is what I want to do:

Look at a couple of relevant passages

Try to understand what might be going on that led Paul to write these words

Make application to our time and place

Specifically address how PACOC applies these passages and the principles we find within

And finally, affirm the valuable role that women play in ministry

So let's go.

Additional Related Scripture

In addition to the passage submitted from 1 Corinthians, let me also share this related scripture:

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1 Timothy 2:11–14 (NIV) — "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. 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."

Naturally there are many more passages that need to be considered to get a full understanding of the issue, but let's at least today get a bird's eye view of the two primary responses to these passages. For further study I recommend the book Two Views on Women in Ministry edited by Stanley Gundry and James Beck.

Two Primary Interpretations

There are two primary lines of interpretation when it comes to the matter of women in ministry.

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The Egalitarian View

One is called Egalitarianism, which proposes that there are no restrictions on women in any area of ministry, even in public worship. Whatever a man is permitted to do, a woman is permitted to do. Now you may be thinking, "How can anyone come to that conclusion given these two passages?"

The rationale for the egalitarian is to understand these passages in their particular and unique contexts, which may call for limitations on women in these situations but are in no way prescriptive for every church in every age. Paul's instructions weren't written in a vacuum. They addressed real situations that were damaging the church's witness in those communities. When you dive into the context, it seems clear that in Corinth and Ephesus there were some women who were being disruptive and bringing some degree of shame on the church or in particular upon their husbands. When some women began disrupting worship services—perhaps asking questions loudly or challenging their husbands publicly—it brought shame on the church and hindered the gospel's spread. Therefore, these passages address only the situations in Corinth and in Ephesus, where Timothy is ministering. Agree or disagree, we do certainly need to understand to the best of our ability what was actually the problem here that Paul is addressing, so let's not simply dismiss this approach.

The egalitarian would also call us to understand these passages in light of the first-century cultural setting where a woman's participation in public arenas was limited by the understanding of gender roles in that time and those places. We live in a different culture and in a different place, so to impose these commands on the modern US church would be an irresponsible approach to biblical interpretation. “Modern culture doesn't require these specific restrictions”, they would say. Again, agree or disagree, cultural considerations are important in applying the ancient biblical text to our modern world, so we do have to take this issue seriously, as we do with other commands in scripture. So, let’s not dismiss this consideration as it applies to biblical interpretation.

Egalitarians would also appeal to some New Testament passages that affirm equal standing of men and women and imply equal roles. Such passages are:

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1 Corinthians 11:2–5 (NIV) — "I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved."

Especially note verse 5 where women are praying and prophesying. Paul does not forbid that; he is only correcting the manner in which they are praying and prophesying. Egalitarians would make the claim that these prayers and prophecies are being given in the public worship. A claim that is possible but not conclusive.

Another passage critical to the egalitarian view is:

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Galatians 3:28 (NIV) — "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

“The cross has broken down any role distinctions,” is their argument.

So, in an egalitarian church you would see equal participation in public worship between men and women. You would see equal participation in leadership roles. Women and men could serve in every office of the church including preaching, serving as deacons, and serving as elders. In a nutshell, there are no distinctions of roles in the church.

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The Complementarian View

A second line of interpretation is referred to as Complementarianism. This view affirms that these passages and others do limit the role of women in ministry, especially limiting them from leadership roles not only in Corinth and Ephesus but for the church in all times and in all places. These passages from 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy do address a particular situation and are written in a particular cultural moment, but there is a critical phrase in the Timothy passage which indicates that these instructions are not only to be understood culturally and contextually but do indeed provide instructions that transcend culture and context. Let's look again at the passage in 1 Timothy:

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1 Timothy 2:11–14 (NIV) — "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. 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."

Especially note that Paul in his setting limitations on women appeals to creation itself! The principle of male spiritual leadership reflects God's design from the beginning. These instructions reflect grounded-in-creation realities.

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Complementarians are arguing that there are contextual indicators (the order of creation in 1 Corinthians 11: 8-9 and 1 Timothy 2:13) that the principles in these passages are transcultural. Male leadership in the church is grounded in creation itself.

Two Views on Women in Ministry edited by Stanley Gundry and James Beck.

Therefore these passages are applicable to all times and all places, including Texoma in 2025. Complementarians seem to understand and even appreciate the fact that men and women are different, particularly when it comes to leadership in the church.

Now, does this mean women are less important than men as is the concern mentioned in today's Parishioner's Pick

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Here's what's crucial to understand: role distinction never means value distinction.

Consider these examples:

At work, you may report to a supervisor, but that doesn't make you less valuable as a person

In the Trinity, the Son submits to the Father, yet both are equally divine

In marriage, different roles don't imply different worth

The same principle applies here. Whether you hold an egalitarian or complementarian view, both affirm that men and women are equally created in God's image, equally redeemed by Christ, and equally valuable to the kingdom.

Now granted, these different roles can be used to exert dominion over another and can be abused to demean and belittle one another. But we know when reading the Bible that this is a devil-inspired misunderstanding of roles and that misapplication of authority and submission is swiftly condemned!

So, in complementarian churches you will see that certain leadership roles in the church are reserved for men. At the very least that normally extends to the eldership and preaching minister—those roles are only filled by men. In some complementarian churches the leadership may conclude that in the public assembly, that is Sunday worship, leading prayers, reading scriptures, and leading communion are not in violation of Paul's instructions.

What About PACOC?

What about here at PACOC? It only takes one visit for someone to notice that women do not participate in any leadership roles in Sunday worship. Why is that our practice? The leadership here believes that these roles in our Sunday assemblies—in particular, leading prayer, leading communion, reading scripture—these roles carry with them a weight of spiritual leadership that should be exercised only by men, and by having men lead in this way this reinforces and encourages the grounded-in-creation call on men to be spiritual leaders.

Even with that said, someone might say that PACOC therefore does not value the role of ministry that women have. I believe that would be an uninformed and unjust accusation. Here's what's equally important: These distinctions in roles do not diminish women's value or contribution to our church.

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What I would say to any who makes the claim that we don’t value women is take a broader view of the life of this church and you will see without doubt that women are indeed valuable and indispensable to the work and mission here at PACOC. This church would limp along without the women who serve so passionately and faithfully. Nearly every ministry carried out by God through this church is in part if not fully powered by Spirit-gifted women. We will see that in full display next week as we celebrate Ministry Sunday. You will see that many of our ministry leaders are women.

You cannot know PACOC and conclude that we believe that women are in any way ancillary to the mission of this church.

On a personal note, I owe so much of my personal faith and understanding of God to the women God has placed in my life—from the Sunday school teachers of my youth, to my mother who so passionately lived out her faith, to my wife who time and time again gives me insights into God that have eluded me, to my daughters who in their womanhood reveal to me attributes of our God that as a man I am oblivious to, to all the women here at PACOC who over and over prove their dedication to the kingdom in the many ways they love and serve and minister to all of us and our community. These women haven't been silenced—they've been empowered to use their gifts in countless ways that build up the body of Christ.

To the person who submitted this question and to every parent explaining these passages to their children: You can confidently say that Christianity values women immensely. The gospel elevated women's status dramatically in the ancient world, and continues to do so today.

Different churches may apply these passages differently, but faithful Christians everywhere affirm that women are created in God's image, redeemed by Christ's blood, gifted by the Spirit, and essential to the church's mission.

Together—men and women, each using our God-given gifts—we are the body of Christ, called to love God and serve others until Jesus returns.