Why Some Say Women Should Not Be Pastors
Some Christians say women should be pastors in the church. Other Christians say only men should be pastors. Both sides say their view is biblical.
What I’m going to do is give you the best arguments from both sides. And then let you decide which one you think is biblical.
What is Complementarianism?
Some Christians say women should not be pastors. This view is called complementarianism. It says males and females “complement” each other. They each have different roles inside and outside the church. It says God has given the responsibility of leadership to the men.
Top 9 Reasons Why Women Should Not Be Pastors
One, Adam was created first. This indicates God wanted him to be the leader. He even received instructions from God before Eve was created.
Two, Eve was created from Adam’s rib to be his helper. In Genesis 2:18 God says, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” The Hebrew says עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ or that Eve was literally “a helper” (ezer) who is “opposite, [a] counterpart” (neged) of Adam.
Three, men and women can have different roles but still be equals. We even see this with the Trinity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal in essence, yet distinct in their roles when it comes to our salvation.
Four, after the Fall, God summoned Adam, not Eve. Romans 5 says Adam was held responsible for both of their actions. This is because he was the leader of the two.
Five, Paul said women should not teach or have authority over men in the church. He says in 1 Timothy 2, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I don’t permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.”
Six, Paul gives a theological reason why women should not be in authority over men. And that was because Adam was created first.
Seven, Jesus did not have any female apostles. Instead, they were all male. Jesus was establishing a pattern of male leadership for the entire church age.
Eight, the biblical qualifications for a pastor imply a person must be a male. Pastor/elders need to be the husband of one wife according to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
Finally, women are supposed to be submissive to their husbands because that’s God’s created order for the family. This comes from Ephesians 5, Colossians 3 and 1 Peter 3. God is concerned about order. And two people cannot be the head of a household.
Conclusion
These nine arguments convince complementarians that women should not be pastors in the church today.
But before you agree or disagree, you need to see my next post! I’ll give you the top arguments for the other position: why women should be pastors. See that and then decide which position you think is most biblical.
Gentleness and Respect
Also remember that there are many secondary issues that Christians disagree about. And both sides are trying to use Scripture to back up their position. It’s important to show grace, love, gentleness and respect towards people who have different views from our own.
Bibliography
Ware, Bruce. “Summaries of the Egalitarian and Complementarian Positions.” The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Accessed June 26, 2007. https://cbmw.org/uncategorized/summaries-of-the-egalitarian-and-complementarian-positions/.