Women in Ministry

Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:12

An analysis of this passage is necessary to understand the intended message, “do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” 1 Timothy 2:12.

This letter was addressed to Timothy for the Church of Ephesus and beyond. During that time, the Greco-Roman culture penetrated the culture of the Church and the women’s behavior. Although, therefore, Paul needed to emphasize godly conduct for women, the original word used for silence in Greek, “ēsychia,” means to “settle down,” during that time, women were trying to seek the role of men to find meaning. Further, it continues with the characteristics of leadership and the role of the men and women in the church.

Paul wrote this letter from Corinth, where this law for women was enforced. However, Corinth’s culture was characterized by sexual promiscuity and idolatry due to the merger of cultures in the city. Therefore, women wanted to usurp authority, and immorality was part of Paul’s exhortation for this church. “Cultural (not theological) note that flies in the face of Christian faith concludes this section: “she will be saved through childbearing, providing them [women] to continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty” (v. 15). Taken together or separately, these five verses made 1 Timothy 2:9–15 the Christian Scriptures’ most “dangerous” text for women.” “Silence, by itself, neither promotes nor precludes ordination for women” in fact, adhering to silence would prohibit women from even singing in the church to reading announcements. Thus, the affirmation of the leadership role for men in Ephesus was based on the law and cultural conditions.

Women Impact

Many women face challenges from previous historical limitations when they serve as Ordained Ministers. In some cases, there is no biblical foundation for the rejection. However, people are “trying to limit all women’s lives and participation based on Bible passages they know are problematic.” This is why it is essential to recognize the different reasons Christians stand on either side of the issue. Based on the previous analysis of 1 Timothy 2:12, “these phrases point to existing controversies in the recipient’s community that the author (Paul) seeks to address.”

Today’s Christian culture is primarily a culture that helps to empower women in ministry, living “culture where men and women submit to each other with respect.” Based on the Bible account from the letter of Timothy, women were required to fulfill the same qualification as men for the ministry, “in the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.” 1 Timothy 3:11 Church leaders were chosen from among the members; in the actual pastoral authority, women are encouraged and empowered to fulfill their call for ministry as part of Jesus Christ’s commission to all. In fact, as Paul wrote, the ideal for the church was that everyone exercises their gifts. (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Conclusion

The ongoing debate of women as ordained ministers provides the study of different views and Biblical foundations that allow women to exercise their calling. “Ministry to and by women has enormous potential to impact the kingdom of God.” It is vital to understand that women in the Bible serve in various roles, and their service in ministry was fundamental to the function of the Church throughout the Old and New Testaments. Jesus made women part of His ministry and provided them with an important place not given to the fullest by society.

The different accounts of the New Testament provide more details about the opportunities that women had and did not have during the early church. I encourage the readers to deeply study the context of each verse and read the analysis made by one of the most controversial aspects of women in ministry from the letter of Timothy. “The rules granting full clergy rights to women ­ and the implementation of them: restrictive rules did not necessarily prevent women ­ from taking roles assigned to men and affirming rules did not always create the conditions for male and female equality.” God’s original design for women and men was equally submission to Him, but sin came to disrupt the initial plan and caused brokenness to God’s relationship with His creation. Jesus came to restore intimacy with the Father and to establish a New Covenant.

During the 21st century, culture has changed compared to the Middle Ages church, providing women with more freedom to preach, lead, and in many cases, the option of being an ordained minister. “The first ordination of women to the priesthood was conducted by three rebel Episcopal bishops at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in July 1974.” During the following years, women as ordained ministers grew; however, the Christian church still present divided views concerning their role.

In today’s century, we see churches as Life Christian Center with a woman as ordained minister leading a congregation with numerous attendants, including men and women alike. Joyce Meyer’s Ministries has been one of the most popular ministries led by a woman. Organizations like A-21, providing freedom to women from all kinds of slavery, are also led by the preacher Cristine Caine.

The influence of women as ordained ministers has transformed the views of many and has led theologians and leaders to continue a deep study of the Word of God about their participation, service, and calling to ministry. Still, the Egalitarian and traditional views continue to be divided as the service of women in the church as preachers, pastors, or ordained ministers; their role has been essential to the Christian church. “Many aspects of gender roles have also changed in our culture,” for there is enough biblical data to support that women are not excluded from being ordained ministers; on the contrary, they are encouraged to continue fulfilling their calling because it is essential to the Kingdom of God.

Personal Note

Dear women, remember we were healed to guide others, we were changed to encourage others, we were transformed to show light to others, and we were saved to let others see Jesus in us. Keep impacting the world around you, showing that the love of God has no limits and does not disregard others.

Resources:

Mary M. Schaefer, Women in Pastoral Office: The Story of Santa Prassede, Rome (Oxford Scholarship, 2013), 3.

Sydney C. Gibbons, Ordained Pastor, Wife of One Husband?: Biblical Perspectives on Ordination Revisited. (Hamilton, Bermuda: Calibre Publication, 2013), 71.

Leah Payne, Gender and Pentecostal Revivalism: Making a Female Ministry in the Early Twentieth Century. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), 238.

Susan Hylen, A Modest Apostle: Thecla and the History of Women in the Early Church. (New York: Oxford University (Press, 2015), 3.

Tara Beth Leach, Emboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in Ministry. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 23.

Nancy Beach, Gifted to Lead: The Art of Leading as a Woman in the Church. South Barrington, Ill (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008), 32.

Assemblies of God. A Quick Guide for Ministry to Women. Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 2017), 30.

Kate Bowler, The PPreacher’sWife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities. Oxford; Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, (2019), 26.

Larry Witham, Who Shall Lead Them? The Future of Ministry in America. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 1.

Linda L. Belleville et al., Two Views on Women in Ministry (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 343.