In this final post of the series, we will consider how a biblical perspective on men and women in ministry can be lived out in the life of a local church. In case you missed them, here are links to Part 1 and Part 2.
Partners in Serving in God’s Household
The household model of the church builds on the household model of the home. This metaphor helps us understand how men and women can complement one another in the ministry of a church. In a healthy home, women are vitally involved with their husbands in caring for the family. So in a healthy church, there will be a dynamic partnership between men and women in caring for the church family. The gifts and perspective of women are needed for the family of faith to grow up in Christ. As Paul says in Ephesians 4:16, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Leadership in the church
While God has directed that godly men serve as the “fathers” (elders) of the church (1 Timothy 3:1-7), He has designed the church to need both “fathers” and “mothers.” Our roles are not identical but they are both essential. As godly men take the lead in giving overall direction (elders), godly and gifted women can take active servant-leadership roles in ministry.
In Romans 16, Paul commends Phoebe as a servant (deacon) of the church. He highlights the stellar service of Pricilla and Aquilla (16:3-5) and honours four women who “worked hard in the Lord” (16:6, 12). Godly women played a significant role in serving Christ in both the home and church (1 Timothy 5:10). Instead of competition there should be cooperation and a complementing of one another’s perspectives and abilities.
Teaching in the Church
Men and women informally teach each other through the normal course of life in the home and in the church. The Bible instructs men and women to exhort and encourage each other in the Scriptures (Col. 3:16). Men and women are also to learn from each other in setting examples of Christ’s love and gentleness (Phil. 3:17) that comes from walking in the Spirit.
This being said, there are more formal settings where the Scriptures are taught with authority to the gathered church. In these settings, the Bible makes it clear that the preaching and teaching of sound doctrine from the Scriptures is to be carried out by elders or other godly men (1 Tim. 2:11-12; 5:17). The assumption in this case is that the gathered church consists of both men and women. The allusions to the creation account as a rationale for the restrictions on women teaching in the gathered church indicates the directives given in this passage are universal, valid for any time and culture.
In between the informal day-to-day teaching and interaction between men and women, and the formal teaching of biblical doctrine to the gathered church, the Scriptures allow for women to exercise their teaching gifts in a variety of settings depending upon the situation and subject matter. The Scriptures encourage women to teach other women and children (Tit. 2:2; Proverbs 1:8). While there are different views on when a boy becomes a man, we consider boys to be those still under their parent’s authority and provision (generally those in high school and below).
Partnership in Practice
As we seek to live out the biblical teaching related to men and women in ministry, we desire to remain faithful to both the text and tone of Scripture. The text of Scripture includes the specific instructions given in God’s Word. The tone of Scripture comes through in the metaphors or word pictures given in God’s Word. In the area of men and women in ministry, the metaphor that sets the tone for the biblical teaching is that of the “God’s household” (1 Timothy 3:15). In a healthy home, the husband will demonstrate servant leadership that is neither repressive nor oppressive. So, in a healthy church, godly men will treat women as “fellow workers” in the cause of the gospel (Philippians 4:3). They will encourage women to develop and utilize their God-given gifts within God-given guidelines. This fosters a true partnership in serving Christ.
In obedience to God’s Word and dependence on God’s Spirit, we will seek to live out the truth of the household model in the following ways.
1. Godly men (meeting biblical qualifications in 1 Tim. 3 and Tit.1) will serve as elders.
Following the instructions of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, we will have godly men serve as the overseers or elders of the church. The biblical qualifications given in these passages will be used as a standard for the church’s selection of men for its official Board. Though the elders of the church will be godly men, they will be encouraged to seek out the wisdom and insights of women as they give oversight to the church. In this way, we will seek a more fruitful partnership between men and women in ministry.
2. Godly and gifted women will serve in a variety of ministries.
Under the loving leadership of the elders, godly and gifted women will serve the Lord in a wide variety of servant-leadership positions. We will honour women who, like Phoebe, are servants of the church. Women may participate actively in corporate worship and minister in any area of the church so long as her primary purpose is not to have authority that befits the office of the pastor/elder.
3. Godly and gifted elders and “other reliable men” (2 Tim. 2:2) will have the primary responsibility to teach sound doctrine from the Scriptures within the church.
Godly and gifted men will take the lead in teaching the Bible to the gathered church; godly and gifted women can partner with them, sharing insights, personal testimony, and practical application of biblical truth. Godly and gifted women may assist in teaching adults in less formal situations where authoritative doctrinal teaching from the Scriptures is not required.
The biblical pattern in the home and church allows for a sweet ministry partnership between men and women. This partnership will seek to maximize a woman’s contribution without abrogating the biblical pattern, principles, and prescriptions. In light of the vast array of needs in and out of the church, no man or woman needs to live without a challenging and fulfilling ministry for the glory of God and the good of His Church.
Rick and Linda Reed 