Should women be ordained as pastors? This Agree2Disagree discussion is limited to the role of pastor. (Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all citations are from Two Views on Women in Ministry, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), General Editor, James R. Beck.)

As the father of two professional women who taught them they could compete anywhere and work in any field they chose, this topic is difficult for me because I am uncertain which is the correct biblical stance. I am ordained by a fellowship that places no restrictions on the role women may play in the church. Yet, after serving with many highly qualified women that I respect greatly, I admit that I am no longer solidly in accord with that position. From my perspective, it seems there are two components to this debate: scripture and culture. Scripture should always take precedence. Yet, in the introduction to the revised edition of Two Views on Women in Ministry, Beck, asserts, “The exegetical issues are complex, and even the most enthusiastic of promoters for one side or the other cannot justifiably claim that the opposing view is beyond the limits of orthodoxy.” (Location 192). 

We should probably begin by introducing two relevant terms: egalitarian and complementarian. Neither word is contained in the Bible, but the debate they engender simmers in many modern congregations. Egalitarians hold that men and women are equal in personhood and there should be no gender-based limitations on their roles. Complementarians stress equality in personhood, yet maintain men and women were created to fill different roles in marriage, family life and the church. Complementarianism is a derivative of “complement” and reflects the original role that our first parents held in the Garden of Eden. Each gender complements the other.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28 | NIV) Complementarians maintain that passage only affirms the apostle Paul saw no difference between men and women in personhood. Scripture passages they use to support their perspective include: Genesis 2:18, Ephesians 5:21-33, Titus 1:6 and 2:3-5 and 1Timothy 2:11-13 and 3:2. Egalitarians agree with the equality part, but employ the passage to argue the apostle Paul had no reservations about women in ministry and was actually addressing a specific problem in the Ephesian church. They maintain there should be no role differentiation that is not biologically defined. For support, they cite: Acts 16:13-15, Romans 16:1-7, Colossians 4:15, 2 John 1:1. 

Craig Blomberg (Locations 2363-2402) identified five factors that complicate this discussion, which I will attempt to condense. Errors, if any, are purely the result of my misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the text:

1. Passions on both sides have inflicted hurtful attacks that have not reflected Christian love. Neither side has been willing to consider “a more open position.”
2. Fear that moving toward a more moderate may represent a “slippery slope” toward wholesale and undesirable changes within the church or fellowship.
3. The issues are most often phrased in terms of ordination and calling, yet the New Testament sheds little light on the practice of ordination. Calling appears to be an egalitarian “trump card” because such a claim cannot readily be dismissed.
4. Practices that are acceptable in the mission field are not permitted at home.
5. Society has eliminated gender barriers, largely based on good science.

Women play a prominent role in the New Testament Church. They are singled out as apostles (Rom. 16:7), prophets (Acts 21:9; 1 Cor. 11:5), evangelists (Phil. 4:2–3), patrons (Rom. 16:2), teachers (Acts 18:24–26; Titus 2:3– 5), deacons (Rom. 16:1; 1 Tim. 3:11), prayer leaders (1 Cor. 11:5), overseers of house churches (Acts 12:12; 16:14–15; Col. 4:15), prayer warriors (1 Tim. 5:5), and persons who were known for their mercy and hospitality (5:10). (Linda Belleville, Location 485)

One of the most problematic women profiled in the New Testament is Pricilla. Her name appears ahead of her husband four time, presumably indicating she held the most prominent ministry role. Scripture indicates they completed the Christian education of Apollos. There is no indication that she taught him in a public setting, nor is there any scriptural support to suggest that she didn’t. Also, there is little question that Phoebe served as a deacon. What we cannot deduce from the text is the nature of her role. “We know from early church history that the office of deaconess was common for several centuries, granting women church leadership roles, including the responsibility to care pastorally for, catechize, and baptize other women—tasks it was felt it was inappropriate for men to perform.” (Anne Jensen, God’s Self-Confident Daughters: Early Christianity and the Liberation of Women (Louisville, KY: Westminster, 1996) 59-73; Stephen B. Clark, Man and Woman in Christ and Other Readerly Questions in the Old Testament, ed. David J. A. Clines (JSOTSup; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990), 25–48.