Can a Woman Be a Pastor?

Is it biblical for a woman to be a pastor, elder, bishop, etc, of a church? Does the Bible lay out any rules in this area? The way I read the Bible, the answer is a clear cut, "NO". Your thoughts? Keep it biblical, not opinion, please.
Reply
Posted by Mike and Delia

(All scripture quoted is from the King James Version.)

Can a woman be a pastor?

I'd like to respond to this very good question, starting from outside of the boundary of the office of pastor. I believe women can be used of God in any way the Lord sees fit. The story of Esther is a good example. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul called for Christians to "salute" several women in the book of Romans. Just from Romans 16:1-15, the Apostle Paul mentions nine women who were strong workers for the Lord Jesus: Phebe, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Julia, and both the unnamed mother of Rufus and sister of Nereus. (The count could actually be higher. I did not mention any name where the gender was not specific.) In Acts 21:9, Philip the evangelist had four daughters who served God with the gift of prophesy, fulfilling Joel 2:28-29, also mentioned by the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:17-18. (Check out Acts 1:14-15 and Philippians 4:3.)

But can women serve as a pastor? That's the real question here. In the New Testament, it seems to be a clear cut NO. "A bishop (pastor) then must be blameless, the husband of one wife...." (1 Timothy 3:1) Also, "(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)" (1 Timothy 3:5) This is also reflected in Titus 1:6-7. This seems to settle the issue. No.

Except there is a precident of a woman who served God in that kind of job. Deborah, mentioned in Judges chapters 4 and 5, served as both a prophetess and judge of Israel! This is old testament! How could this be?

I don't pretend to understand or know it all. Some of this is still a mystery to me. But I do see a relationship to "headship" covering of the household. Just as Jesus is the head of the church, the husband is head of the family. Judges 4:4 states that Deborah was married. A scripture that leaps to my memory is Genesis 2:24: a man "shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Although I don't understand the dynamics of this situation, it's undeniable that God had no problem with the arrangement of Deborah as both judge and prophetess.

I might be off-base or outright wrong in my reasoning. But it's undeniable that Deborah served God as a judge of the nation of Israel, predating King Saul and King David. Although it appears to me that pastors should be male, I can't rule out God's will being different in EVERY given situation. Such as in the case of persecution. What if all the males are dead or imprisoned? Wouldn't God find a way to lead his children, even if they are all women? Yeah, this is an extreme case. But God works in mystery. And He, as our Father, overcomes and covers all. All things are possible through Jesus Christ! (Matthew 17:20, 19:26; Mark 9:23, 10:27, 14:36; Luke 1:37) And as the Apostle Peter said, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:34)

As the Apostle Peter spoke on a similar issue, giving a witness of Jesus Christ, "the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 10:44-45) As it became clear that God approved of Gentiles being grafted/adopted into the Kingdom of Heaven, despite the opinions of the circumcised Jews who were Christians, the Apostle Peter gave them an answer. "'Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?' And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord...." (Acts 10:47-48)

I've been told of the "Five-Fold" ministry of a church organization as noted in Ephesians 4:11: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Apostles, prophets, and teachers are mentioned again in 1 Corinthians 12:28-29. On the one hand, every apostle was male. On the other hand, there are examples of female prophets of the Living God, such as Deborah, the evangelist Philip's four daughters, Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-20; 2 Chronicles 34:22-28), Anna (Luke 2:36-38), and an unnamed prophetess in Isaiah 8:3.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things" to the younger women. (Titus 2:3-5) This is not a call to an office. But notice a similarity here as to a deacon's requirements recorded in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

I'm not God. The Lord decides. But I'd say the Holy Word of God doesn't show an abundance of women in leadership roles. And there are several reasons why. Such as social customs of the old world. Jesus Christ chose 12 men and no women as His apostles for His reasons. But can I say a woman can't be a pastor?

Honestly, I presently know women who serve as teachers, who are strong in the Word of God. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit to educate God's people according to the Holy Bible, through these women, is undeniable.

I say that it's not up to me. It's God's decision. And in the case of Deborah, God was OK with it.

When God sendt the holy spirit to 120 ppl. The acts chapt 1 vers 4 they were both woman and men,and they got the same spirit.

Vers 6
you shall recieve the power of the holy spirit,when the holy spirit has come upon you, and you shall be withness to me in jerusalem and in judea and samaria and to the end of the earth.

This was the message for the both .. men and woman.

God bless you

Betty