Exploring Women's Roles in Church Leadership: Did God call women serve as pastors?

Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast

Send us a Text Message.

There is perhaps no more hotly debated issue in the church today than that of women serving as pastors, or preachers. As a result, it is imperative to not see this issue as men versus women.

Let me first say this, all of us have been blessed by mothers, women missionaries, Sunday school teachers, and other females who have taught us the Word without being called, Pastors, preachers, and elders. Let us thank God for the many godly women in our lives.

Now let us deal with what the Word of God proclaims. “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent” (1 Timothy 2:11–12). In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created and how sin entered the world (1 Timothy 2:13–14). God, through the apostle Paul, restricts women from serving in roles of teaching and/or having spiritual authority over men. This prevents women from serving as pastors over men, since pastoring includes preaching, teaching publicly, and exercising spiritual authority.

Someone might say, what about, Deborah, or Miriam, and other women in the Old Testament? It is true that these women were chosen by God for special service to Him and that they stand as models of faith, courage, and, yes, leadership. However, the authority of women in the Old Testament does not apply to the issue of pastors in the church. The New Testament Epistles present a new standard for God’s people—the church, the body of Christ—and that example involves an authority structure unique to the church, not for the nation of Israel or any other Old Testament entity.

The structure of 1 Timothy 2:11–14 makes the reason why women cannot be pastors clear. Verse 13 begins with the word “for,” and this word “for” gives the “cause” of Paul’s statement in verses 11–12. Why should women not teach or have authority over men? Because “Adam was created first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived” (verses 13–14). God created Adam first and then created Eve to be a “helper” for Adam. The order of creation has universal application in the family (Ephesians 5:22–33) and in the church.
The fact that Eve was deceived is also given as a reason for women not serving as pastors or having spiritual authority over men (1 Timothy 2:14). This does not mean that women are gullible or that they are all more easily deceived than men. The text simply says that women are not to teach men or have spiritual authority over men because Eve was deceived. God has chosen to give men the primary teaching authority in the church.

God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This does not imply men are

Welcome to Biblical Talks Podcast with Michael Tolliver, this podcast is dedicated to biblical teaching and having world views discussions from a biblical perspective. Here is today’s Podcast.

Thank you for listening to Biblical Talks. This Podcast is solely supported by listener donations. Please go to biblicaltalks.com to support this podcast and have a blessed day.

Support the Show.

Have a blessed day, and thanks for listening! Visit my website to learn more at https://www.biblicaltalks.com