Question: Should Women Be in Ministry? (Part 3)

Question: Should Women Be in Ministry? (Part 3)
By Tommy Franks

For a woman to serve in the Church…is not usurping authority. God gives out gifts to both men and women. If a woman serves as a deacon (diakonos) or any other capacity under the authority of God and the Church, this does not violate the Word or the authoritative roles that God has ordained. When God calls an individual to be a particular gift to the Body of Christ…apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher,
elder, deacon, person gifted in miracles or gifted in healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues, ministry, exhortation, gifted in giving or mercy, etc., He does not differentiate and say that these gifts and callings are for “For Men Only”. What are these gifts for? The Word says, “For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”.

As an earthly parent, would you dictate and demand what your daughter could or could not become in our society, especially in the area of careers or occupations?
Probably not…unless she was going to choose an occupation that would endanger her life; i.e., a career bungee jumper or a trapeze artist without a safety net.

Just because a woman holds an office or position in the Church does not mean that she will usurp authority inappropriately over men. If God places a woman in a leadership role, does it really matter what you or I think? If a woman is "called" by God, she has all the privileges and authority that encompass the “calling”.

This is what we do know: There is no Scripture or method that delineates between male and female that determines who is "called" by God to spiritual leadership and authority in the Church. The Holy Spirit anoints. The Holy Spirit confirms. In some New Testament cases, “When they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them (prophets and teachers), they sent them away…They, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost” (Acts 13). Furthermore, God would never contradict His Word. He calls both men and women to minister. The Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil.4). This was not written to men only.

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Gen.2). However, being a "helper" does not imply that the woman was inferior or subservient to the man. In fact, God created both men and women in His own image and made them equal custodians of all His creation.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Gen.2).

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created male and female and blessed them. When they were created, he called them "man." (Gen.5). But eventually the man and woman (Adam and Eve) disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. God gave each of them punishments before evicting them from the Garden.

Even though, the punishments on both Adam and Eve were clearly imposed by God Himself, He did not reduce women to inferior status…nor did He command men to rule harshly over their wives. However, in the course of history, it has sometimes been thought that God's punishment of Eve was justification for degradation and subjugation of women. This is not true! (More to come in Part 4)