Pastor Brent Clark looks at what the Bible has to say about Women in Ministry and wraps up the Divisive series by looking at one of the most contentious issues in the church. This message is based on 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.
Women in Ministry
1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Introduction
Today we come to the end of our series called Divisive: Why Christians Fight, and we saved the best for last! Today we look at the least controversial, least divisive issue there is…women in ministry.
Of course, I jest when I say this is the least divisive. It is probably the most divisive. In fact, whenever new people come to Ashworth and we sit down to meet with them and talk about the church, this is one thing that we make sure we get to in the conversation. Because if we don’t, we hear things like this email I received a couple of years ago from a man who had been visiting the church for a few weeks. He wrote:
“This is an extremely difficult message for me to write to you. I’ve been thinking about it all week. After prayerful consideration and after seeking guidance from people who my wife and I trust regarding spiritual matters, we have decided not to attend Ashworth Road anymore.
Last Sunday, for the first time in my life, I sat through a service in which the sermon was delivered by a female. While I am certain that Amy is intelligent and has a passion for ministry, I have always felt that the pastoral roles in church should be filled exclusively by men. I believe that to be a Biblical stance. I know that women are to have a role in ministry and that they can be very effective.
However, I don’t believe that women should preach from the pulpit. I understand that in today’s society, stances like this can be very unpopular and cause a lot of tension. I do not wish to cause anything of the sort. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I don’t believe that the Church should be subject to the whims of society but rather stand firm for what is right.
I would never question the worth of women in ministry. It’s obvious that they are to be equally valued and they can contribute in ways that bring honor and glory to God. I guess to sum it up, women can and should be equally valued without being given identical roles.
I am sorry that we have to make this decision. I am sure that you feel like what you are doing is completely fine. Even if I could be convinced that there is justification for the practice of having a woman pastor, my wife and I find that it still provides too much of a distraction to allow us to benefit from the message.
In no way do I feel Amy’s worth should be discounted. She seems extremely bright and has a burning passion for Jesus Christ. We just feel that the Biblical model for the Church is to have men fill the role of pastor.”
So what do we do with this? If you’ve been around Ashworth for any amount of time, you know that our stance is one that affirms women in ministry. Are we anti-biblical in what we believe and do? Did we just bow to the whims of society? Do we even care about what the Bible says?
First, let me acknowledge, this is divisive. Every week we have said that these topics are secondary and should not divide, but even I have to admit there is something different about this one. I still don’t think it is primary, but I’m not sure it is secondary either.
If you are a woman and you believe God has called you to ministry, it would be impossible for you to go to a church that said your greatest value was in the nursery or maybe women’s ministry. If you are a man, and you feel as strongly as the man who wrote me the email, it would be extremely difficult for you to sit under a woman’s teaching. So maybe this topic is somewhere in between primary and secondary.
What we do have to acknowledge before we jump into this is that sometimes Christians read the same book and come to different conclusions. What we don’t want to do when that happens is begin name calling and looking down o
