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Get Pastor Damian Alamba's Book: THE MYSTERY OF PRAYER: https://selar.co/tk7d
For many decades, the role of women in Ministry has been a hot topic for argument and debate among scholers and religious folks. Some churches and their members claim that women are not supposed to be ordained as Priests or preachers in the church while the other group says women are qualified to be ordained as Priests or preachers in the church alongside their men counterpart. When you listen to each of these groups, they all seem to make strong points with biblical references to support their claims, at the end of the day the average Christian is left confused and unable to find where to stand. To help resolve this drama, I have taken it upon myself to study, research and make critical acessment of all facts surrounding this argument and present what I believe the bible says about this topic. Should women be ordained as Priests or preachers in the church? Is it right to appoint women to head important positions in the church? Let's find out what the bible says about it.
REASONS FOR THE ARGUMENT AGAINST THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY
Why do some churches and their members don't allow women to be ordained as Priests or preachers in the church?
1. They claim that the bible didn't support women to be head over a man
" Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." 1 Cor. 14:34-35
This anti-women in ministry school of thought strongly believe that l women should be shut out of every role in the priestly ministry. They site the above scripture to support their claims. And in many Churches around the world today, they still practice this; they don't allow women to climb the pulpit or preach the gospel. But when you look at that scripture, Paul was specifically speaking to a particular church at a particular time on a particular subject. Paul gave that instruction only in the churches of the Corinthians. This was not intended to be a doctrine for all the churches. It was referring to a specific church- the Corinthian Church. It was only on the matter of speaking in tongues and interpretation and prophecy. Paul didn't actually mean that women are not to be ordained as Priests or preachers in the Corinthian Church. He only instructed that women should not make noise or engage in discussions that could disrupt the order or quietness of a church service. Today some women still use prophesy or speaking in tongues to disrupt the quietness or orderliness of a church service. This was the main problem Apostle Paul was addressing.
2. They Claim that When Women are given the role of Priest or Preacher in the church, they will become rebellious to their husbands
Some churches and their members claim that women can become rebellious to their husbands when they are given the opportunity to be ordained as Priests or preachers in the church. I don't know what evidence they have for this argument. But we will challenge that notion in this post. A Virtuous Woman cannot be rebellious to her husband. A true woman of God is humble, obedient and submissive to her husband. If a woman is unruly and stubborn to her husband is a sign that she is not ready to serve God. The more a woman comes closer to God, the better she will become in her marriage and family life. The more a woman is committed to serving God, the more humble, obedient and submissive she will become to her husband. Only a broken woman can become an obedient and submissive wife. It is only the Lord Jesus Christ and the the power of the Holy Spirit that can break a woman and mould her into a Virtuous Woman. So being a Pastor doesn't make a woman mad, it makes her humble and better if actually she understands the purpose of her calling.
3. They claim that when women are ordained as Priests or preachers in the church, they will not have time to attend to their marital duties.
Is this really true? Do you think that women will not attend to their marital duties when they are given opportunity to serve in the church as Priests or preachers? Personally, I don't think so. Women are wired with multi-tasking abilities. A woman can do many things at the same time. If given the right opportunity and training, women can carry out their ministry in the church and still fulfill their marital obligations at home. It boils down to training and time management. There's time for everything according to the bible. There's time for prayer, there's time for bible study and there's time for a married woman to cook food for her husband and children. I don't think this should be a reason to shut women out of ministry. A wise woman should know how to balance her Ministry time in a way that it will not disrupt or hinder her from effectively discharging her marital duties.
God's Original Plan for His Ministry
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Photo Credit: UnsplashGet Pastor Damian Alamba's Book: THE MYSTERY OF PRAYER: https://selar.co/tk7d |
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Gen 1:26:27
If we actually want to know if women in Ministry is God's idea, we have to go back to the book of beginning, the first book of Moses. From the above scripture, we can vividly see that God wanted to have two versions of people in His ministry business. He made them male and female. God didn't want only the males to have dominion over His ministry. He wanted both the male and female to have dominion over His ministry business. If God made them male and female and commanded both to have dominion, then it's unethical for anyone to shut women out of ministry. If from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female and commanded both male and female to have dominion over His ministry, then tell me why women should not have a role in Ministry? The whole argument against the role of women in Ministry is baseless and a sheer waste of time and precious energy. If we are willing to follow God's already laid down order and principles, there won't be need for this argument.
Secondly, Joel 2:28 says,
" And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
The role of women in Ministry is obviously mapped out all through the scriptures, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. It doesn't matter what anyone is saying or what opinion some group of people may have about this, God's word is the final authority for ethics, doctrines and morales for the believer and we cannot do otherwise. The Holy Spirit is not only poured out on the sons alone, God is also pouring out His Holy Spirit upon the daughters for what purpose? To keep them in the kitchen cutting vegetables? No! The reason God is pouring His Holy Spirit on the women also is because He has an assignment and calling for them to fulfill in the ministry. God's idea is not for only the sons to prophesy while the daughters grind pepper in the kitchen. God's idea is for both His sons and daughters to prophesy. God wants both the men and women to take their place in Ministry. If God wants the women to Prophesy, it means God also want the women to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out devils and manifest the fruit and power of the Holy Spirit just like every man who is doing so. There is absolutely nothing God can do with a man, He can't do with a woman.
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal 3:28
In the kingdom of God, there's no gender difference. God is gender-blank. It's important for us to understand that in Christ, there's no male or female but all are new creations. We should not bring our personal opinions, culture, tradition and religion into God's government. To run the kind of Church that God wants, we need to abide by God's principles. We are all one in Christ. In the kingdom, the male gender is not better or stronger than the female and vice versa. We are one in Christ Jesus. And if we are one in Christ, then it is not biblically wrong to ordain women to be Priests or preachers in the church of God.
JESUS PATTERN OF MINISTRY
I strongly believe that it is a biblical injunction for women to be ordained as Priests or preachers in ministry because of the role women played in the ministry of Jesus when He was here on the earth.
1. Who gave birth to Jesus Christ on the earth? The answer is a woman.
2. Who ministered to Him of their substance? Women( Luke 8:2)
3. Who anointed Jesus's body with a precious ointment for His burial? A woman
4. Who was the first person that saw Jesus after His resurrection? A woman
5. Who was the first person to preach the good news about the Lord's resurrection to his disciples? A woman
All through the New Testament, it is very obvious that Jesus gave women a significant role in His ministry. Jesus did so because He believed in the role of women in Ministry. If Jesus believed in the role of women in Ministry and gave them a platform to fulfill their unique ministry, and a disciple cannot be above his master, therefore, it will be unethical and biased for any church or pastor to unjustly shut women out of every strategic position or Leadership in ministry.
THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY WITH APOSTLE PAUL
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| Photo Credit: Unsplash |
Get Pastor Damian Alamba's Book: THE MYSTERY OF PRAYER: https://selar.co/tk7d
Though Apostle Paul instructed the Corinthian Church that women should keep quiet during their church services and learn in silence, did he actually believe in the role of women in Ministry? Did Apostle Paul make use of women in his ministry? The answer is a capital yes. Apostle Paul believed that women have capacity to function as leaders in the church and he gave them the right hand of fellowship in his own ministry. Examples are:
DEACONESS PHOEBE
"NOW I introduce and commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae,
That you may receive her in the Lord [with a Christian welcome], as saints (God's people) ought to receive one another. And help her in whatever matter she may require assistance from you, for she has been a helper of many including myself [shielding us from suffering]." Rom 16:1-2 AMP
If Phoebe was a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae, it showed vividly that Apostle Paul believed in women having a major role to play in the church.
A deaconess is an ordained minister of the Gospel. She is to assist the pastor in preaching, in soul winning and in every matter that concerns the spiritual growth of the church. Where the pastor is absent or unable to preach, it is the deacon or deaconess that will preach.
PRISCILLA AND AQUILA EXAMPLE
"Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ." Rom 16:3-5
All through the Ministry of Apostle Paul, we could see him working together with women and men everywhere he went. Pricilla was a preacher and an associate of Paul. This dear woman of God called Priscilla was pastoring together with her husband the church that was in their house. So for Paul, the Pastoral Ministry was not exclusively reserved for the men but was open and available for both men and women in the church.
OTHER WOMEN IN BIBLE WHO PLAYED A GREAT ROLE IN MINISTRY
The bible is full of great women who participated fully in the office of the Priest or Preacher. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Holy Spirit has always used women alongside the men to carry out the work of the Ministry. More Examples of women who served in the office of a Priest or Preacher are
1. Miriam- Exodus 15:20
2. Deborah- Judges 4:4
3. The Four Daughters of Philip the Evangelist- Acts 21:8-9
By scriptures we understand that Miriam the Sister of Moses was an established Prophetess in Israel. Deborah was not only a Judge over a whole nation Israel, she was also an established Prophetess. The four virgin daughters of Philip the Evangelist were also recognized in the church as Prophetess. Believers, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, the role of women in Ministry is significant. It is not hidden. Without much ado, I want to acknowledge the fact that God is still using women to preach His gospel and move His kingdom forward.
CONCLUSION
The Role of Women is not only restricted to the kitchen and the bedroom. God's Original Plan for the woman is to have dominion over all the earth together with the male folks. The role of women in Ministry is fully supported in the bible and approved by God. In our Church Wondercity International, we happily welcome women to serve the Lord as Pastors, Deaconess, Evangelist, Prophetess and every other position the Lord may lead them to take charge for Him. And I encourage every other church or church leader to happily allow women who are called into the office of the Priest to fulfill their ministry. I believe that if women are given their due place in government, business, education and ministry, they will do marvelously well. Women have done excellently well in the family at home, they can replicate the same excellence, growth and increase in the church if given a right hand of fellowship.
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