Is it Biblical for a Woman to be a Senior Pastor?

This question is a bomb that’s ready to explode with controversy. But, here we go:

1. Adam - In the Bible, there is a common theme of leadership. To understand the roles of ledership, the roles of men, and the roles of women; we must begin in Genesis the book of beginnings.
a. Adam and Eve: Genesis 1:26 – 27 = God made us male and female as the crowning jewel of His creation. He made men and women equal, yet with different roles.
1. Example: Daughter plays with dolls, while the brother tries to bomb it with his Cheetos.
ii. Helper – Gen. 2:20 = God made women as ‘helpers’, which explains why it is not uncommon to find women pursuing careers and ministries that enable them to genuinely help other people.
b. Adam as Leader: God made man first, which established him as the natural leader.
i. Tne Fall took place when the man sinned – Gen. 3:6 – 7
ii. God came looking for the man after the Fall – Gen. 3:9
iii. He would rule over the woman – Gen. 3:16
iv. God held Adam primarily responsible for the Fall – Gen. 3:17, Rom. 5:12

2. Old Testament Kings, Priests, and Prophets – In the Old Testament, all kings, high priests, and prophets were men. All twelve tribes of Israel were named after twelve men.

3. The Practice of Jesus – Jesus was a revolutionary when it came to the treatment of women. Women during His time were treated as property, denied education, and were handed a veil to cover themselves so that they would dissappear into oblivion. (Interestingly, the death religion known as Islam, still treat women like this today.)
a. Jesus’ Treatment of Women: Jesus often violated social taboos regarding women.
i. He brefriended the Samaritian women – John 4:7 – 26
ii. He spoke publicly to the widow of Nain – Luke 7:12 – 13
iii. He often used women as examples of great faith in His teachings
iv. He allowed a sinful women to anoint Him – Luke 7:36 – 50
v. Two of His closest friends were two women that He loved like sisters – Luke 10:38 – 39
b. Jesus Chose Twelve Disciples: Jesus chose twelve men as His disciples.
i. Jesus honored, taught, and loved women and even included them in vital positions in His ministry. But He did not elevate women to the highest level of leadership, in keeping with the creation order and the Old Testament example.
ii. One, might say, that Jesus did not want to be controversial. However, He did choose fishermen, a tax collector, etc. as leaders. Plus, wasn’t He controversial enough to be put to death? I don’t think that would have stopped Him!

4. Teachings of Paul and the New Testament – Paul continues to follow the Creation order, the prophets and the Old Testament, and the example of Jesus.
a. The Letters to Timothy and Titus: Paul, in his letters to Timothy and Titus clearly describe the qualifications for being a pastor/elder/overseer.
i. 1 Timothy 2:11 – 14 = These verses are very, very touchy. To figure out the true meaning of these verses, we must look at the context of the rest of these writings. The very next Chapter explains the qualifications of the pastor/elder/overseer, so these verses seem imply that a woman cannot be Biblically considered for this position.
1. v. 12 – ‘Teach’ = This is in reference to the teaching of a pastor. (Just a side note: This entire letter is written to Timothy, who is a young pastor in Ephesus).
2. V. 12 - ‘Authority’ = The Greek word used here, is the only place it is used in the New Testament, and it refers to the highest authority in the church: that of pastor.
ii. 1 Timothy 3:1 – 7, Titus 1:5 – 9 = Notice how many times the pronouns “he” and “him” are used compared to how many feminine pronouns are used.

1. Three Views from these Scriptures:
a. Liberal: All ministries and offices in the church, including the role of pastor, are open to men and women.
b. Fundamental (Traditional): Women are not permitted to be an elder, pastor, deacon, serve communion, teach men, lead worship, pray or speak in the church services, etc. Women should focus on ministries for other women and children. Or, if your Baptist, the poor women are stuck cooking and cleaning up after the fellowships.
c. Moderate: In my opinion, this is the correct Biblical view. Men and women are partners together in every area of ministry. All ministries in the church are open to all qualified men and women with the singular exception of the office of pastor, which the Scriptures require to be a male-only office. Women can serve in teaching, leading music, serving communion, be in full-time paid ministries, go to seminary, etc.

I thank God for godly women who aspire to serve Jesus with their lives. I also thank God that women have often stepped into leadership roles when there was an over-abundance of lazy, uncaring, incompontent men, and a shortage of godly men seeking to use their lives to lead in the Kingdom of God.

But, if I am going to be faithful to serving God with my life by studying and teaching the Bible, then I have to say that the role of pastor is reserved for qualified men only.