Whether or not women should be allowed to lead in churches has long been debated. Today, the general consensus is still that women should not be leaders. There are verses in the Bible that specifically say that women should not be leaders, but there are also passages that can be used for the opposite argument. As with any issue in which scripture is used, the appropriate context and interpretation of the passage must occur. Therefore, after studying what the Bible has to say about women in leadership, I do believe that women should be in leadership. People have become so concerned with the gender of who is teaching, that they have forgotten the more important part: someone has to teach the word of God.
First, acknowledge the verses found in 1 Corinthians 14:33-36 which says that women should never speak in church and should be subordinate. After reading this passage it is clear as to why some would believe that women should not be leaders in the church. After all, it does specifically say that they should not lead. When considering the time that Paul, who wrote 1 Corinthians, lived in, it is understandable why he might have said that. Women were not respected in the way that they are today and therefore if they did speak in churches, they most likely would have been ignored. However, there are other verses that support women in leadership and since we live in a different time where women have so much more respect in general, allowing them to lead in churches seems completely reasonable and should be encouraged.
The most convincing argument for women’s leadership in the church can be found in John 20:11-18. This story recounts the resurrection of Christ. After he has been resurrected, Mary is the first person to see him. After she realizes what has happened, Jesus instructs her to tell the disciples that Jesus has risen and will be ascending into heaven (NRSV). In fact, in all four of the gospels, it is always women that are the ones sent to tell others about the miracle of Christ. Notice that Jesus does not forbid Mary from the good news because she is a woman. The resurrected Christ is more important than whether it is a male or a female who is spreading the news.
In some cases in today's society women are only allowed to teach to other women or to young children. However, this passage also shows that that is unnecessary. In John 20:17, Jesus tells Mary to “go to my brothers” (the disciples), who were all male (NRSV). Again, she is not forbidden to teach because she is a woman or because she is teaching to men. As stated before, the good news is more important than the gender of the teacher.
If the passage from 1 Corinthians 14: 33-36 is still standing out in your mind, let me present one more justification. In the story of the resurrection of Christ, it is Jesus himself telling Mary to go spread the news. In 1 Corinthians, it is Paul who is speaking. When considering the two passages, the words of Jesus himself seem to be a more convincing argument. Therefore, women should not be denied leadership roles in the church since they are equally capable of bringing others to Christ.
