Pastor Jane Doe?
This week, I received an e-mail from a friend of mine who is a pastor. She had an encounter with a visitor at her church who was incredulous that she, a woman, “dared” to pastor a church. In response to this encounter my friend asked a small group of her friends if we had a relatively short response to the question, “Should women be pastors?” She didn’t want a twenty page dissertation; she didn’t want an historical overview of the issue; she didn’t want a fight. She wanted a gentle and fair response to a genuine question for many within the Church.
Ugh.
I didn’t know what to say. I carry this question as a source of relatively uneasy tension in my own understanding of God. I can see valid points of view from both sides of the argument. As a leader in our church, I’ve grappled with this issue. As a good friend of a female seminary student who will probably go into full time pastoral ministry upon graduation, I’ve watched her wrestle with some of the same issues.
Those against women in pastoral roles say, quite correctly, that Paul is clear on the issue. In 1 Timothy 2:11 he wrote, “I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent.” Women should not teach or have authority over a man. That’s really quite clear, right? But, our buddy Paul also wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” in Galatians 3:28. So, if there is no male or female, then the issue is a moot point. That’s quite clear, right?
Some say Paul was addressing a very specific problem within the first century church when he wrote to Timothy. They say he wasn’t writing a long term prescription for church leadership. Others say that, while we’re all one in Christ, that means we’re all of One Spirit, but that doesn’t preclude the idea that we might have different roles.
Oh, well, that clears it right up, huh?
One friend responded to the e-mail question with,” You’ll know them by their fruits.” In other words, if women pastors lead churches who glorify God, who grow in their relationship with Him, then they were meant to be there. If they cripple the Church, then God isn’t endorsing them. I can agree with that principle, but…
A friend of mine pointed out that the ordination of women in the contemporary Church has often been an early step to sliding down the slippery slope of apostasy. First, they ordain women, then gays, then they support gay marriage, etc. That causes schisms in the denominations, the church is destabilized, unity is lost and the Church suffers. In looking at the history of the denominations which have allowed the ordination of women, that perspective is not completely without merit. So, it could be that individual churches may thrive, but the Church as a whole is being damaged.
So, what’s a woman to do? Or, for that matter, what’s a man to do?
My decision making process has been just that, a process. Ask me about this a year from now and my point of view may change. But, for now, it seems like both sides can make a decent argument. Since that’s the case, if I’m going to err, I’d rather err on the side of freedom to serve Christ. I think the radical freedom God offers us in Christ, some have called it scandalous, has to be more than just freedom from… Yes, we have freedom from sin, freedom from rules, freedom from fear. But, we also have freedom to… We are free to serve, free to worship without fear of God’s rejection, free to love God and other people in wild and extravagant ways. For me, that’s the heart of pastoral ministry. Pastors are on the front lines of service, worship and loving those who are sometimes the hardest to love. They have devoted their lives to helping people find better ways to know and love God. They help us learn to ask hard questions, think through the difficult issues and face what scares us. Day after day, week after week, year after year, they offer themselves as living sacrifices. I’m not about to tell God He can’t accept a sacrifice. I may have pride issues, but I’m not crazy.
I may be completely wrong in this. The fact is, I just can’t say, “I know what God would say.” I’m sure I’ve blown it on many issues, so if I’m wrong here, it won’t be the first time. And, assuming I wake up tomorrow morning, I’m sure I’ll be wrong about other things before I die. But, if God is going to tell me, “Child, you blew it here,” I’d much rather blow it on the side of grace and freedom than judgment and limiting His kids.
What about you? What would you say to my friend? Would you/do you go to a church with a female pastor? Are you ok with following the authority of the fairer sex? How do you respond to the valid concerns of those who disagree with your point of view?
- Written by Alicia Hemphill
March 19th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
I love the freedom response you have here. Great perspective on the issue!
Regarding the idea that ordaining women has resulted in ordaining gays, schism, and other fun landmarks on the slide to apostasy, I’m suspicious. I suspect that this opinion is based on the media paying attention to recent schisms in major denominations. In fact, the Assemblies of God, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and all the Baptists which do ordain women, along with many independent Pentecostal/Charismatic churches which ordain women, have not started down the slippery slope of apostasy. I would love to see statistics on this, as I think that serious research would deny that theory.
But of course, I’m biased - I believe God is calling me into ministry, in part because I am a woman. And I’m going to stand in your argument about Freedom TO serve and act!
March 19th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
It is difficult to address the questions posed without making arguments in the issue itself, but I will try to do so.
Additionally, I’m afraid of anybody who would claim to “know” what God would say on this. That scares me.
I agree that in the face of doubt on the issue, we must side with the freedom we have in Christ. I think the the whole “WWJD?” line is hachneyed and commercialized, but I get the point, so I convert it into terms of “resonance”, ie. given what I know about Christ, does (insert issue here) resonate with his message, actions, and what he was all about?”
To exclude anyone on the basis of physical attributes (gender, race, etc) from clergy or church leadership does not resonate with Christ’s message to me, which would likely be my response to anyone in disagreement. I’m not claiming to be right, just stating what I feel about the issue.
I would encourage your friend, and reinforce the idea that Christ never guaranteed any of his followers an “easy” journey. In fact, he almost exclusively guaranteed the opposite. If she feels the calling to be a pastor, she must find ways to cope with and to learn and grow from the criticism.
I would have no problem following the authority of a female pastor, but I was also raised in a church where I had more female than male pastors over the years, so this has never been a foreign concept to me.
March 21st, 2007 at 8:54 am
As a new believer, I find this to be an interesting subject. While discussing this with (what I consider to be) an amazing group of women, I realized that I had never given the subject an incling of thought. I will give you a simple answer, from a simple person.
The real question here (to me) is “what is this person’s relationship with God?” Does the message have less meaning coming from a woman than from a man?
As someone who searched for years, my real questions is this… “Is this person talking to me, or at me?”
Male… female… gay… straight… black… white… who cares?? I always ask myself, “what have I learned here? What am I taking away? Do I feel closer to God by having this experience?” These are the questions that we should ask ourselves, rather than if it matters what body parts the person has/is lacking who does the speaking.
March 26th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Great post Alicia. You deal with a compelling and difficult issue. For many years growing up in the Catholic church and then at a more conservative Protestant denomination, I never would have asked the question about whether women should be pastors. For many believers, this also expands into women not being allowed to be deacons, or elders, or even teachers of the opposite sex (unless they are children). I find it incomprehensible that God would create women, half of his creation, and then exclude them from using their gifts–which includes teaching, preaching, leadership, etc. Other Protestant churches have no problem with the issue, and don’t even seriously doubt that women should be preachers–although denominations like PC-USA have only ordained women for the past 50 years.
It seems to me that this issue is far bigger than should women preach. It seems that many question if women should have much say in any “matter of importance.” We’ve never had a female president, we have just recently had representation in Congress, there are currently no women on the Supreme Court, there are few female CEO’s, and list could go on and on.
I think many don’t even bother to ask the question about women in leadership positions. It’s threatening, it’s “complicated,” it’s not popular to bring up sensitive subjects, etc. As a woman who has attended seminary, but not to pursue a Master of Divinty (usually required for pastors), I’ve grappled intensely with this issue. My seminary was/is inter-denominational, so they support women in leadership/pastoral positions, but then say, “It’s up to you to find someone to ordain you.” Okay, I get that. But still, it puts up obstacles and barriers for women in ministry. Men don’t even have to deal with the issue of will a certain church ordain them. Clearly, there are other issues with ordination including theological issues. But women still have tons more barriers than women.
So, yes. Women should be pastors, and in fact, we need more female pastors, and deacons and elders, and teachers, and leaders. So, I ask the women out there, “Have you ever thought about leading/serving but were afraid you’d be rejected because of your gender?” “Were you ever encouraged to speak up and have a voice?” If not, I encourage you to seek God and ask him. He has gifted you with unique gifts to serve the body of Christ. Do not be afraid–we are all his children, and we have much to learn from one another.
I’ll get off my soap-box now. : ) Thanks Alicia!
March 26th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Great point Andrea… we are taught as little girls that we can grow up to be whatever we want. Doctors, Lawyers, Surgeons, Astronauts, Pilots… why should the “chosen few” who want to be messengers of God hold back?? These are the women that God, himself, has chosen to do His work. What an amazing gift to have!!!
March 27th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Short and sweet.>>>>>> If God can use a donkey, I’m sure he can use a woman. Aren’t we much more than that??????
March 30th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Very good topic, I would say that he Catholic Church that I grew up in had women in leadership roles. The Priest ran the congregation and the women, ran the school. We had a female principle, and they did have leadership roles. In that same sentence I would say that women are given sub-leadership roles compared to men in the church, but nonetheless leadership roles. I don’t personally think that it is a bad thing that women lead churches, I have never attended a church that a women led, but Beth and I looked into a few. Evergreen has women in leadership positions and I think it gives the Church a great perspective on everyone. I am married so I obviously dont have a problem with taking direction from a woman.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:43 pm
In response to Andrea’s post above, Ruth Bader Ginsberg is on the US Supreme Court. Is she woman?….That’s the real question here….. :O