It’s Your Serve - The Changing Face Of Church Leadership

We really don’t want to stir up controversy, but in our overview of women in Christian history, we have to mention this modern development: more churches are ordaining women for ministry than ever before. Some readers will cheer this fact; others will rue it. Women’s ordination was one of the most divisive issues in Protestant denominations in the twentieth century, and it remains so today.

On one hand, some see strong biblical commands to keep women out of church leadership. A key passage is 1 Timothy 2:12: “I do not let women teach men or have authority over them.” Many would argue for a basic order in God’s creation: not that men are better than women, but that the genders have different roles. They see the increase in women’s ordination as a dangerous compromise with worldly trends.

On the other side are those who preach gender equality, based on Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer . . . male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” They cite the many New Testament examples of women in ministry as proof that the Bible’s occasional restrictions on women pertain to specific cases and temporary situations. What’s more, they say, all Christians are called to use their gifts in God’s service. How can we deny opportunities to women who are gifted in leadership, prophecy, or teaching?

We won’t resolve this debate in these short paragraphs, but we will offer one insight: the Kingdom of God is not about human power or status. Jesus said this repeatedly, in many different ways. The first shall be last. If you want to lead, serve. Men and women in our churches should not be jockeying for power. We should be seeking to serve one another.

We follow a Savior who did not cling to his divine privilege, but became a servant (see Philippians 2:6). It makes no sense for Christian men to hoard their power or for Christian women to grasp for it. If that’s what’s going on, we’ve all missed the point.

We admire the selfless service of the women we’ve written about who poured their lives into God’s work. And we invite you to seek your place of service, regardless of power or position. How can you give your life for your Lord?

Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.

Mark 9:35