Role of Women in Ministry - Research Paper Example

? The Role of Women in Ministry Table of Contents Thesis ment 2. Introduction 3 Positions in the Role of Women 3 1. Resistance of Women in the Ministry 3.1.2. Egalitarian Position  3.1.3. Complementarian Position 3.2. Women as ministers 3.2.1. Women and the Collar 3.2.2. Balancing Ministry and Family  4. Evidence from the Bible 4.1. Evidence that God created men and women the same 4.2. Evidence that God created men and women differently 5. Ministry Today 5.1. Struggle of Women in the Church  5.2. Women in Ministry Receptivity and Resistance  5.3. Encouragement for Women in Ministry  5.4. Examples of Women in Ministry  6. Conclusion Today, there is a political or sexist power struggle in the church on the place of women in the ministry. The Bible provides contradicting teachings on the place of women in the church. This paper will seek to explore the different teachings in the bible on the place of women in church. It will also elaborate the challenges faced by women leader in the church as well as identify the different women serving in the ministry today. 2. Introduction There has been continued controversy concerning the role of women in the ministry. This has been created by the Biblical teachings on the place of the woman in the church. In the Scriptures of Paul to the Corinth church, women were expected to be silent and submissive to their husbands. However, in other Scriptures, women take an active role in the activities of the church. This conflict on the role of women has created an ongoing debate on the subject of women as leaders in the church. Many churches deny women the opportunity to take up an active role in the church while others only permits them to undertake specific positions. 3.1 Positions in the Role of Women 3.1.1 Resistance of Women in the Ministry The values and beliefs of the society are continuously evolving. This has been attributed to the globalization of the society which contributes to the exchange of culture and believes. The role of women in the society has continuously changed, especially in the Western World. Women in the society are fighting for equality in terms of job opportunities, duties and positions in the society. Currently, women in the western world are allowed to hold both social and political offices in the society. Therefore, it is inevitable that the women in the church will also fight for equality in the ministry. Traditionally, the Jewish traditions did not acknowledge the women in the church. The Jews believed that God intentionally created the woman from the man’s rib rather than from his head. This was because women were not created to be the head. They were expected to hide as they were extracted from the hidden rib of man. According to the Jews, women are not expected to voice their thoughts or make people listen to them. Furthermore, the Jewish men prayed to God every morning thanking Him for not being born a woman. The beliefs and values of the Jews have had a significant impact on the modern church. Today, there are various schools of thoughts that disregard women in the ministry. According to this school of thought, the Bible does not acknowledge women as leaders in the ministry. They believe that if women were supposed to lead the world as well as the church, then Christ ought to have been female. In addition, they believe that the story of creation clearly elaborates on the societal position of women. This school of thought argues that allowing women to take up leadership in the church is a misinterpretation on the Biblical teachings.1 In his teachings, Paul greatly contradicted himself concerning the role of women in evangelism. In his letters to the Romans, he acknowledged the women as crucial people in spreading of the word. However, in his Letters to the Corinth Church, Paul indicated that the woman should be silent and obedient to their husband. If they were to learn anything concerning the church, they should obtain consent from their husbands. These teachings from Paul have contributed to the resistance of female leadership in the church. Men believe that women should not be leaders in the ministry because the Bible forbids them from speaking in public. The Bible also expects women to be submissive to their counterparts. In the current society, some women are ordained as priest and pastors in the church. However, due to gender discrimination, they are not allowed to be the overall leader of the pastors and priest. In other churches, they are only allowed to participate passively in the running of the church. In order to implement this, there are various laws that impede women from being chosen as overall leaders. This is because allowing women to take up leadership is seen as misinterpretation of the Biblical teachings. 3.1.2 Egalitarian Position In the Egalitarian position, God created man and woman equally according to His own image.2 God further gave man and woman equal responsibility to take care of His creation.3 However, following the first sin, the woman was condemned to be under the rule of the man while the man would be the provider as well as head of the family. According to God’s initial plan, man and woman were intended to be equal partners and complement each other. However, as a result of sin, the woman was condemned to be under the man. It should thus be understood that the role of women was as a result of sin rather than the intention of creation. Jesus came to redeem human beings from the sin carried through generations from Adam and Eve. In addition, Jesus came to bridge the rift that was created by sin between man and God. Throughout his teachings, Jesus spoke of kind words concerning his mother. According to the Egalitarian position, the forgiven of sin following Jesus’ death was intended for both men and women. Following His death, both men and women became equals. The females stayed with Jesus even when he was under the Justice of the Romans. The disciples that preached the word after the death of Jesus were both males and females. Therefore, leadership in the church can be assigned to either a man or woman. 3.1.3 Complementarian Position Complementarianism is a theological view upheld by Christianity and other religions, for example, Islam, on the role of women in the family, marriage, leadership and religion.4 According to this view, both men and women have differing but complementary roles in society. In this view, the role of the woman is determined by the interpretation of certain Biblical teachings. This position impedes women from holding positions of leadership that involves authority or teaching of men. They acknowledge that the death of Jesus liberated both men and women from sin. However, they argue that the governing and teaching roles in the church ought to be restricted to the men. Some in this view believe that, women should be ordained as pastors and priest in the church while others believe that they should not. Overall, they believe that women can take up any role in the church provided it does not imply authority and governing over men. The Roman Catholic Church has implemented the complementarianism view regarding the place of women in the ministry. In the traditional Roman Catholic, women are only allowed to become nuns, mothers and teachers.5 They are restricted from becoming priests because Jesus chose twelve men to become His disciples. 3.2 Women as Ministers 3.2.1 Women and the Collar There is evidence from both the Old and New Testament that portrays women as leaders in the church. In the Old testament Deborah, Miriam and Huldah were women in the society that were involved in the ministry.6 In the New Testament, there are various women who were acknowledged as followers of Christ. During His teachings, Jesus spoke highly about his mother and women that participated in the ministry. The Gospel books reports of incidences when Jesus went to visit Mary and Martha at their home. In addition, Mary Magdalene, Susanna and Joanna were Jewish disciples who accompanied Jesus in his evangelism tours. Women were present during the crucifixion of Jesus. The Gospel reports that there were women at the foot of the Jesus’ cross. In addition, Mary Magdalene was the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Letters of Paul, during the middle first century CE, Paul acknowledges the contribution of women to spreading the word. In the book of Romans, Paul sends elaborate greetings to Rufus’s mother, Tryphena and Tryphosa who participated actively in the church.7 In the letters to the Ancient Roman Church, Paul acknowledges Phoebe as a deacon, sister and patron in the church. In the book of Timothy, the role of the deacon in the church was elaborated for both men and women. In the Corinth Church, Chloe was the leader of a household in an extended family. She reported to Paul about the divisions in the Corinth Church. The wife of Aquila, Priscilla, is extensively mentioned in the Bible as a missionary partner of Paul the Apostle.8 The Bible clearly gives evidence of women as leaders in the church. However, some scholars believe that the number of women mentioned in the Bible is far less compared to men. In the Old Testament, Huldah was the only female prophet, as opposed to thousands of the male prophets. In addition, Debora was the only female judge during the ancient times. Others believe that women should not take up leadership in the church because Jesus did not choose them as disciples. However, this was justified because of the place of the woman in the traditional Jewish society. Furthermore, women were not allowed to teach men concerning religion, yet the disciples were supposed to teach the Jews concerning the gospel. Nevertheless, there are various women in the world today who have assumed leadership roles in the church. A majority of the Protestant churches have acknowledged women in the church by making them pastors, elders and ministers of the church.9 Today, the place of women in the church has significantly changed due to education and other socioeconomic factors. 3.2.2 Balancing Ministry and Family It is cumbersome for a family woman to balance between the ministry and the family. Family responsibilities that are placed on a woman are demanding. The church minister has responsibilities of the same magnitude with the family woman. The obligations and duties of a woman in a family are imperative. These include preparing meals, feeding the family, nursing infants among others. These duties and obligation make it hard for the woman to become a church minister. For efficacy, the minister needs to be someone with minimal commitments. Consequently, the woman is faced with a dilemma. She can decide to forego her family duties and get involved in spreading the word of God.10 The ministry may demand a lot of travelling. When a woman embraces the ministry, such travelling will lead to family detachment. In such cases, squabbles can erupt within the family. The husband may feel overwhelmed by the family duties when the woman is not at home. This can have deleterious consequences, which can summate to breakups and rifts within the family. On the other hand, duties of a man in the family are less demanding. This is the rationale why there is a preponderance of men as church leaders. 4. Evidence of male/female differentiation from the Bible During the creation of mankind, man was created first. The woman was later created from the rib of the man. This implies that God intended that the man be superior to the woman. Hence, a man should lead the woman. In the Bible, the woman was instructed to be under the man and always submit to him. From the Old Testament, we gather that virtually all the leaders are men.11 During the battles in Israel, the leaders were all males. There was no woman leader who led Israel to war. In addition, most of the judges talked about in the Old Testament were males. The only female judge mentioned in this era was Debora. There is a male preponderance even in the prophets that are mentioned in the Bible. The question that most seek to answer is whether it is coincidental that leadership roles in the Bible are assigned to males. Some argue that God intended it to be this way; thus, the current world should follow suit. The woman should submit to the man according to this explanation. Other evidences for male/female differentiation can be picked out from the New Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus chose male disciples for assistance. Jesus quoted the disciples as the building block of the church. One may argue that Jesus did not wish for the woman to head the church; because there were no female disciples chosen to accompany Jesus. Further evidence can be gathered from Paul. Paul wrote that the woman should always submit to the man. This cannot happen when a female is the head of a church. When a woman is heading the church, it means that she is superior to the man. In this case, the man would be submitting to the woman. This is contrary to the teachings of Paul. In addition, the New Testament elaborates that females should not learn the Tora. Tora was the teaching that was obtained from religious writings. This further proves the point that women were not intended to learn the word of God for the purpose of ministering. 5. Ministry today 5.1 Struggle of Women in the Church Women are fighting for acceptance in becoming ministers and priests. This is to the extent that some anticipate the time when the Catholic Church will allow female priests, and perhaps a female pope. In their battle for acceptance, women have enrolled in theological studies and various Christian teachings. This is in the hope that there will come a time when they will serve the Church as leaders. There are also activist group that aim to see the realization of this dream. These are the women who have called for authorities to cease gender discrimination in the church. These women believe that acts that exclude women from some activities can be termed as gender discrimination. There have been reports of female nuns refusing to submit to the authority of the priests.12 This struggle has seen the development of groups that seek to ensure equality in the church. Examples of a group includes NOW.12 NOW has issued a list of what they want changed in the church. Their key emphasis is on gender discrimination. They assert that gender discrimination in the church precipitates to discrimination in other areas. This form of gender discrimination encourages male superiority even in the work place. Women who are ordained in protestant ministries have a significant struggle. Some societies may not welcome such female ministers. This will hamper their efforts to spread the gospel. Such women end up getting frustrated, when they are confronted by such circumstances.13 These difficulties when coupled with frustrations due to family obligations often cause deleterious consequences. In cases where families of such women break-up, the church condemns the woman. They accuse the woman of failing her parental duties: Such is the magnitude of the struggle that women face. 5.2 Women in Ministry Receptivity and Resistance The women in the church have moved from marginal support and have taken up leadership duties in the church. It is worth noting that the journey to this point has not been an easy one. Women have been forced to fight and overcome the resistance which they undergo with regards to ministering. So as to realize this dream, women have had to ignore criticism and mal-advice from factions that are still rooted in outdated beliefs and practices.14 Until 1956, women in most places were not permitted to become clergies. They had to fight so that the society could accept them. Fruits of this struggle are being witnessed presently, with many becoming clergies. The issue that incapacitates women in this struggle is that the church preaches against discrimination. However, the practices of the church are different from the message preached. They deny women ministerial and leadership roles in the church. Women are now accepted and permitted to be church leaders. However, they still encounter negative receptivity in some societies.15 This implies that they encounter hindrances when performing the leadership duties assigned to them. Men still occupy a significant proportion of leadership positions in the church. Some of the male leaders impair the participation of women in the Church. Henceforth, it is cumbersome for women to execute their leadership duties in the church. 5.3 Encouragement for Women in Ministry Women should comprehend that God has called on mankind for the dissemination of His word. Jesus also encountered resistance during His time on earth. Hence, one is bound to encounter resistance when serving and spreading the word of God. This should serve as a motivation for women. Women from different societies have the capacity to undertake imperative duties in an effective manner when given the chance. The women should acknowledge that their struggle will one day yield positive feedbacks. In these times, men will accept the worth of women in the church.16 Women in the ministry around the world serve as an encouragement to women.17 Women should envision the success of women in ministry, and use that as a source of inspiration. Women should be relentless in their struggle for acceptance as church leaders. Apart from the love God, nothing in this world comes without a struggle. Women should put their fears in God and allow Him to work through them. Inspiration can be derived from various renowned women ministers. An example is Marilyn Hickey, who has influenced people in abandoning dangerous ways of life. With her husband, she has helped many people, including the poor that live in the third world countries. Through her courage and strength, she has become a popular woman and an encouragement to many women. Joyce Meyer is another female minister with an impactful effect on the women struggle. She serves as an example of women who have overcome the female discrimination and resistance in the ministry. Joyce Meyer once noted that the preaching of a fellow woman in the ministry empowered her in overcoming this discrimination. Through the evangelism of Joyce Meyer, people have witnessed the power of God. She is an inspiration to all the women. The church that she ministers has a colossal congregation. Women can utilize such examples so as to realize victory in their struggle for equality within the church setup. 6. Conclusion It is apparent that the plight of women in becoming church leaders is of imperative magnitude. The Bible can be viewed as a basis for this controversial topic. The Bible shows preponderance for male leaders. Most of leadership and ministerial duties in the Bible were assigned to men. In the New Testament, Paul advised the women to be submissive to their men. People use the above to base their argument as to why women should not take up ministerial duties. Women in the ministry encounter a lot of hardships. They are still expected to perform their family duties. Some of the societies do not accept such women leaders. However, women should be empowered by various female ministers, who have overcome this hurdle of discrimination. They should use this as a source of empowerment and encouragement, so as to realize their dream of equality in church leadership. Bibliography Baker, David. Looking into the Future. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. Beck, James., Blomberg, Craig and Keener Craig. Two Views on Women in Ministry. NY: Counterpoints, 2001.383 p.  Benvenuti, Sheri. “Releasing Women in Ministry”. Cyber Journal for Pentecostal-Charismatic Research (2012). Accessed March 28, 2012. www.pctii.org/cyberj/   Brown, Teresa. Fry, Can a Sistah Get a Little Help: Encouragement for Black Women in Ministry. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2008. .De Young, James. 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Shepherding a Woman’s Heart: A new model for effective  ministry to women. NY: Sage, 2003. Koranteng, PiPim. Does the Bible Support Ordaining Women as Elder Pastors? Part I. Accessed March 25, 2012. www.adventistaffirm.org/article/157/women-s-ordination-faqs/2-does-the-bible-support-women-s-ordination.   Martin, John, and Macy Gary. A History of Women and Ordination. London: Routledge, 2002. Rose, Monica. Education of Woman’s Ministries: A rationale for and review  woman’s ministries for the beginning of the 21st century. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty  University, 2008. Sims, Angela. “Not Without a Struggle: Leadership Development for African American Women in Ministry”. Journal of religious Thought 53 (1997): 154- 157. Accessed March 28, 2012 http://www.proquest.com/ Swift, Lindy, and Matthewes Green. Church in Emerging Cultures: Five Perspective  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Towns, Stetzer. Perimeters of Light: Biblical Boundaries for the Emerging Church. Chicago, IL: Moody, 2004.  Wood, Amanda. “Balancing ministry and family: Women have reached milestones in ministry.” Knight Rider Tribune Business News, Washington (2006): 1. Accessed March 28, 2012. http://www.proquest.com/accessed Read More