Is it out of the will of God for women to be head pastor's of a church?

BeautifulFlower

Well-Known Member
1 Timothy 2 (New King James Version)


Men and Women in the Church
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.


There are many church head by women today. Though, I dont believe it is wrong for a women to be a minister, preacher, etc...

Is it out of the will of God that women should be the head of a church?

All thoughts & opinions welcomed.:yep:
 
Short answer: NO, unless they have a male covering/authority.

1 Corinthians 11:3: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
 
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Short answer: NO, as long as they have a male covering/authority.

1 Corinthians 11:3: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."

Do you mean "unless" they have a male covering/authority?
 
Short answer: NO, as long as they have a male covering/authority.

1 Corinthians 11:3: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."

Thats what I am saying. Like Juanita Bynum, she didnt have a covering for a long time if at all. Was this her downfall? Should she have started her own church at all?

Joyce Meyers has her husband and she seems to be doing well so that makes sense to me.
 
I think that women are to have a sign of authority over their heads. I don't think, though, that this necessarily translates to women not being able to be the head pastor. If it does, a few more steps have to be made to show that, since a head pastor can still be under the authority of her husband or, in the case of some denominations, the bishop.
 
Thats what I am saying. Like Juanita Bynum, she didnt have a covering for a long time if at all. Was this for downfall? Should she have started her own church at all?

Joyce Meyers has her husband and she seems to be doing well so that makes sense to me.

Or JB could have had an ineffective covering....
 
Thats what I am saying. Like Juanita Bynum, she didnt have a covering for a long time if at all. Was this her downfall? Should she have started her own church at all?

Joyce Meyers has her husband and she seems to be doing well so that makes sense to me.

Or JB could have had an ineffective covering....
Wasn't she covered by Bishop Jakes?

She married the wrong man, that's all. :yep: I think he (Bishop Jakes) advised her not to marry Thomas Weeks.
 
I think that women are to have a sign of authority over their heads. I don't think, though, that this necessarily translates to women not being able to be the head pastor. If it does, a few more steps have to be made to show that, since a head pastor can still be under the authority of her husband or, in the case of some denominations, the bishop.
I'm thinking of the women who have lead and their marriages have failed horribly. Or in the beginning the husband was the leader and as the wife grew spiritually, their marriages fell apart.

Thomas Weeks just could not compete / control Juanita's annointing. She couldn't stop who she was; she was too far into her gift. It takes a man who can accept that.

Paula White just glossed all over her husband Randy, he was lost in the fire of her zeal.

There are some that I know personally whose marriages failed because the husband could not deal with the wife being more powerful or as powerful as he was.

The man has to lead, period. Women have to succumb to it.

Our Church visited another Church to join them in celebrating their Church Anniversary. The wife was the Pastor and her husband was addressed as the 'First Man'. This messed with me the entire time I was there. He appeared to have no significance all because of that title. All of the Church's credit of success was given to her, not him. I dunno, it just messed with me. :nono::nono::nono:

I came in here the next day and started a thread about it. It bothered me just that much.
 
I'm so glad to see this thread. It's something that had been on my mind.

I had also understood it to mean that women are not to teach over men. So, if women are head pastors, then they are teaching over men...and out of the will of God?

I've read varying "opinions" on this.
 
Thats interesting Shimmie. That sounds so emasculating...

I guess Joyce and David do so well because he was there when she was a nobody and they built what they have together. And he was a godly man from the beginning. Their courtship was very, very short.

Do any of you think you can be a member of a church where a woman has no visual male covering or of a woman that is not married?

Personally, I dont think I could because women's emotions are too volatile.
 
From my favorite website: http://www.gotquestions.org/women-pastors.html

Question: "Women pastors / preachers? What does the Bible say about women in ministry?"

Answer: There is perhaps no more debated issue in the church today than the issue of women serving as pastors / preachers in ministry. As a result, it is very important to not view this issue as men versus women. There are women who believe that women should not serve as pastors and that the Bible places restrictions on the ministry of women, and there are men who believe women can serve as preachers and that there are no restrictions on women in ministry. This is not an issue of chauvinism or discrimination. It is an issue of biblical interpretation.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 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.” In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created and the way in which sin entered the world (2 Timothy 2:13-14). God, through the Apostle Paul’s writing, restricts women from serving in roles of teaching and/or spiritual authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors, which definitely includes preaching to, teaching, and having spiritual authority over men.

There are many "objections" to this view of women in ministry / women pastors. A common one is that Paul restricts women from teaching because in the first century, women were typically uneducated. However, 1 Timothy 2:11-14 nowhere mentions educational status. If education was a qualification for ministry, the majority of Jesus' disciples would not have been qualified. A second common objection is that Paul only restricted the women of Ephesus from teaching (1 Timothy was written to Timothy, who was the pastor of the church in Ephesus). The city of Ephesus was known for its temple to Artemis, a false Greek / Roman goddess. Women were the authority in the worship of Artemis. However, the book of 1 Timothy nowhere mentions Artemis, nor does Paul mention Artemis worship as a reason for the restrictions in 1 Timothy 2:11-12.

A third common objection is that Paul is only referring to husbands and wives, not men and women in general. The Greek words in the passage could refer to husbands and wives. However, the basic meaning of the words refers to men and women. Further, the same Greek words are used in verses 8-10. Are only husbands to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger and disputing (verse 8)? Are only wives to dress modestly, have good deeds, and worship God (verses 9-10)? Of course not. Verses 8-10 clearly refer to all men and women, not only husbands and wives. There is nothing in the context that would indicate a switch to husbands and wives in verses 11-14.

Yet another frequent objection to this interpretation of women pastors / preachers is in relation to women who held positions of leadership in the Bible, specifically Miriam, Deborah, Huldah in the Old Testament and Priscilla, Phoebe in the New Testament. This objection fails to note some significant factors. In relation to Deborah, she was the only female judge amongst 13 male judges. In relation to Huldah, she was the only female prophet among dozens of male prophets mentioned in the Bible. Miriam's only connection to leadership was due to her being the sister of Moses and Aaron. The two most prominent women in the times of the Kings were Athaliah and Jezebel - hardly examples of godly female leadership. Most significantly, though, the authority of women in the Old Testament is not relevant to the issue. The Book of 1 Timothy and the other Pastoral Epistles presents a new paradigm for the Church, the body of Christ, and that paradigm involves the authority structure for the Church, not for the nation of Israel or any other Old Testament entity.

In the Book of Acts, chapter 18, Priscilla and Aquila are presented as faithful ministers for Christ. Priscilla's name is mentioned first, likely indicating that she was more "prominent" in ministry than her husband. However, Priscilla is nowhere described as participating in a ministry activity that is in contradiction to 1 Timothy 2:11-14. Priscilla and Aquila brought Apollos into their home and they both discipled him, explaining the Word of God to him more accurately (Acts 18:26).

In Romans 16:1, even if Phoebe is considered a "deaconess" instead of a "servant," that does not indicate that Phoebe was a teacher in the church. "Able to teach" is given as a qualification for elders, but not deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9). Elders / bishops / deacons are described as the "husband of one wife," "a man whose children believe," and "men worthy of respect." Clearly the indication is that these qualifications refer to men. In addition, in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9, masculine pronouns are used exclusively to refer to elders / bishops / deacons.

The structure of 1 Timothy 2:11-14 makes the "reason" perfectly clear. Verse 13 begins with "for" and gives the "cause" of what Paul stated 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." That is the reason. God created Adam first and then created Eve to be a "helper" for Adam. This order of Creation has universal application in the family (Ephesians 5:22-33) and 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. This leads some to believe that women should not teach because they are more easily deceived. That concept is debatable, but if women are more easily deceived, why should they be allowed to teach children (who are easily deceived) and other women (who are supposedly more easily deceived)? That is not what the text says. Women are not to teach men or have spiritual authority over men because Eve was deceived. As a result, God has given men the primary teaching authority in the church.

Women excel in gifts of hospitality, mercy, teaching and helps. Much of the ministry of the church depends on women. Women in the church are not restricted to public praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5), only to having spiritual teaching authority over men. The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and to proclaim the Gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15).

God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This is not because men are necessarily better teachers, or because women are inferior or less intelligent (which is not the case). It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership—in their lives and through their words. Women are to take a less authoritative role. Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3-5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching men or having spiritual authority over them. This logically would include women serving as pastors / preachers. This does not make women less important, by any means, but rather gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with how God has gifted them.

I have not checked out all of the verses mentioned here but this is what I believe to be the interpretation of those verses.
 
Ephesians 4:11: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers...

Q
 
You would never know, but my grandfather was a minister and had his own church. All of his sons(my uncles) ended up being ministers and now their sons(my cousins). I wonder what they would say if I wanted to be a pastor. They would probably faint ... lol.:lachen:
 
My mother's church doesn't believe that women should be in positions of authority over men. We were talking about it and the same scriptures that appear in the gotquestions website came up. I haven't had personal revelation on the subject though. Interesting discussion though.
 
Wasn't she covered by Bishop Jakes?

She married the wrong man, that's all. :yep: I think he (Bishop Jakes) advised her not to marry Thomas Weeks.

After thinking about this I wonder...
Is have a man that's not your husband an effective covering when going into teaching ministry of men and women?
 
After thinking about this I wonder...
Is have a man that's not your husband an effective covering when going into teaching ministry of men and women?

Good question.

From speaking to my Pastors, a 'man' outside of her husband, as a Bishop covering, I would say 'yes.' As 'all' Ministries and Ministers have to have an earthly person to be accountable to. They can't just be out there on their own 'unsupervised.' Even a 'married' male or female Pastor, must have a spiritual covering. They have to 'answer' to someone among them here on earth.

No Ministry should be allowed to 'fly' on it's own. They'll scatter their feathers in the wrong direction.
 
1 Timothy 2 (New King James Version)


Men and Women in the Church
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.


There are many church head by women today. Though, I dont believe it is wrong for a women to be a minister, preacher, etc...

Is it out of the will of God that women should be the head of a church?

All thoughts & opinions welcomed.:yep:

In light of that scripture, I'd say "yes." In many, the heads are priests and that scripture directly applies. But there are also many different types of churches out there where this is not the interpretation. If it's a question about where one should worship, I'd pray about it.
 
i dont think so.
as long as she has a covering which is usually a husband i dont think its out of gods will.

I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28.)
 
Interesting question, but the responses have left me confused. If she need the covering of a husband is that the same as saying, it is out of God's will?

There's a super duper mega church in my local area and the husband/sr. pastor died almost immediately after the church moved into its arena sized building and now the wife is the sr. pastor.

Should women only offer spiritual teachings to women?
 
I have always believed that only men may be pastors, but it's something I would like to look more into...
 
This has always bothered me. Many men have women professors that teach them Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Liberal Arts, Engineering, Arts, etc... yet women cannot teach a man Theology.

What is so differnt from learning a Science then from learning Theology ?
Does the woman not use the same brain to interpret both matters ?
I know due to how our society is ingrained in male dominance the idea of a woman pastor is a taboo for some, but I could never understand how a woman can be smart enough to learn a difficult subject like Physics or anyother Science and teach it to her male students but she cannot learn "God's words" and teach that.

Is the woman's brain considered so inferior that she can understand quantum Physics but not the Bible ?

Or perhaps its simply the issue of time, women simply were not educated on the same the level that men were when the Bible was written.

I understand the concept of submission, but I personally have learned the greates from Female teachers and prefer them over their male counterparts.
 
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I believe women can be evangelist, missionaries, teachers, and prophets. The church should be run by the man.

Deborah was a prophetess but she was not a Levite, who were the priest of the temple.
 
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