This is, no doubt, one of the hottest debates in the Church today. There are people who believe women should not be allowed to preach in Church and should be restricted only to women’s ministry (sometimes only to handle welfare), while there are others who believe women should be allowed to preach just as men. With the rise in feminism and increase in equality, the latter thought seems to be taking prevalence in today’s world.
Those who object women in pastoral ministry often quote 1Timothy 2:11-12 (NIV) where Paul the Apostle wrote this – 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. They believe God wanted things this way and assigned different roles to men and women. Women should not have spiritual authority over men, just as they do not have physical authority.
On the other hand, those who believe in women participation argue that Paul said those words because women at that time were uneducated and not enlightened like the women of today. Also, they use examples of women-leaders in the Bible like Deborah and Miriam who stood as spiritual leaders over both men and women during their time. Also, women across the globe handling pastoral duties today are influencing lives positively for the Kingdom of God. Participation in the work of God, they say, should not be based on gender.
What is your opinion about this? Should women be allowed to take up pastoral duties? Remember this is not a man versus woman issue. Let’s discuss objectively.
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