Women in Ministry
Earlier this month, UPC hosted Carolyn James to speak on the topic of women in ministry. Carolyn did a wonderful job talking about the need for a “blessed alliance” between men and women. She explained how men and women need each other and should work together throughout the church’s ministry.
Carolyn intentionally did not deal with some of the controversial issues surrounding the role of women in ministry. That was not the purpose of her talk. However, because these issues were not discussed, that left some people with a number of important questions about the role of women at UPC. In fact, some may even have left with the impression that there are no distinctions between the roles of men and women in the home or in the church. Others may have left thinking that the only reason UPC does not ordain women to the office of elder is because we are in the PCA. Still others may have thought that male-only elders is a hindrance to ministry. None of these are true. UPC does not ordain women as elders because we believe this is the biblical position. Furthermore, we do not believe that the difference in roles for men and women is a product of culture, but is rooted in creation. That is, the difference in the roles of men and women is part of the way God structured the world and is good for both men and women. As a result, UPC does not believe this in any way is a hindrance to its ministry.
In the discussions about the role of women in the church (and the home, for that matter), one of my concerns is that the church is trying to find ways to make the biblical position more palatable to our culture. Some even want to circumvent the biblical teaching through the subtlety of nuanced definitions. Others seem to hide behind the Apostle Peter’s words that some things in Paul’s letters are difficult to understand (2 Peter 3:16). Since it is difficult to understand, they throw out its teaching altogether. However, if one believes that the Scriptures are our only authority of what we are to believe and how we are to live, then we must seek to understand the Word of God as clearly as possible and then apply it as faithfully as possible to our own cultural context. That includes passages like 1 Timothy 2:12-15. The goal of trying to be acceptable to the culture around us is an objective that is fraught with peril.
Of course, blindly following tradition has its own perils. Dr. Bryan Chapell is fond of asking, “Which is more unbiblical; to permit what God forbids or to forbid what God permits?” That, of course, is a trick question. Both are equally unbiblical. For years, conservatives have complained that liberals have sinned by permitting what God forbids. Because they did not want to commit this error, some believed it was better to err on the side of caution by not allowing women to serve in areas where Scripture might actually permit them to serve. As Dr. Chapell notes, the “error on the side of caution” is just as egregious an error as the one it is guarding against.
Some time this summer, I hope to write my own thoughts about what the Bible says regarding the role of women. In the meantime, UPC publishes its official statement on women in ministry in its Discovery Class manual and will soon be on our website. This position paper was originally written by Dr. and Mrs. Tim Keller. Dr. Keller is the Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York. When the UPC elders adopted this paper in 1997, they made some modifications to the Kellers’ position. These modifications are significant and are clearly stated on the first page. One part of UPC’s position on that page needs clarification. UPC has taken no position on the ordination of women as deacons. However, the PCA has. Out of submission to the PCA, we do not ordain deacons. I have not studies that issue fully, but hope to in the near future.
Carolyn intentionally did not deal with some of the controversial issues surrounding the role of women in ministry. That was not the purpose of her talk. However, because these issues were not discussed, that left some people with a number of important questions about the role of women at UPC. In fact, some may even have left with the impression that there are no distinctions between the roles of men and women in the home or in the church. Others may have left thinking that the only reason UPC does not ordain women to the office of elder is because we are in the PCA. Still others may have thought that male-only elders is a hindrance to ministry. None of these are true. UPC does not ordain women as elders because we believe this is the biblical position. Furthermore, we do not believe that the difference in roles for men and women is a product of culture, but is rooted in creation. That is, the difference in the roles of men and women is part of the way God structured the world and is good for both men and women. As a result, UPC does not believe this in any way is a hindrance to its ministry.
In the discussions about the role of women in the church (and the home, for that matter), one of my concerns is that the church is trying to find ways to make the biblical position more palatable to our culture. Some even want to circumvent the biblical teaching through the subtlety of nuanced definitions. Others seem to hide behind the Apostle Peter’s words that some things in Paul’s letters are difficult to understand (2 Peter 3:16). Since it is difficult to understand, they throw out its teaching altogether. However, if one believes that the Scriptures are our only authority of what we are to believe and how we are to live, then we must seek to understand the Word of God as clearly as possible and then apply it as faithfully as possible to our own cultural context. That includes passages like 1 Timothy 2:12-15. The goal of trying to be acceptable to the culture around us is an objective that is fraught with peril.
Of course, blindly following tradition has its own perils. Dr. Bryan Chapell is fond of asking, “Which is more unbiblical; to permit what God forbids or to forbid what God permits?” That, of course, is a trick question. Both are equally unbiblical. For years, conservatives have complained that liberals have sinned by permitting what God forbids. Because they did not want to commit this error, some believed it was better to err on the side of caution by not allowing women to serve in areas where Scripture might actually permit them to serve. As Dr. Chapell notes, the “error on the side of caution” is just as egregious an error as the one it is guarding against.
Some time this summer, I hope to write my own thoughts about what the Bible says regarding the role of women. In the meantime, UPC publishes its official statement on women in ministry in its Discovery Class manual and will soon be on our website. This position paper was originally written by Dr. and Mrs. Tim Keller. Dr. Keller is the Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York. When the UPC elders adopted this paper in 1997, they made some modifications to the Kellers’ position. These modifications are significant and are clearly stated on the first page. One part of UPC’s position on that page needs clarification. UPC has taken no position on the ordination of women as deacons. However, the PCA has. Out of submission to the PCA, we do not ordain deacons. I have not studies that issue fully, but hope to in the near future.
posted by Mark Bates | 9:27 AM
5 Comments:
Thanks for writing on this, Mark. I hope you get some time this summer to formulate your own thoughts. The issue of women's ministry is definitely something I'm very interested in.....and still don't fully know where I stand. Your quote from Dr. Chappell gives me much to think about.
Mark,
My discussion group that night pondered a question about Ms. James's talk, though perhaps I didn't formulate it well when I presented it to the whole gathering.
The message I heard was that we want to utilize women and their gifts in all areas and at all levels of ministry (perhaps Ms. James was speaking hyperbolically?), and we were then asked to discuss any impediments to achieving that goal in our church. My group's concern was that we have to be realistic: While we certainly can and should integrate women better into our operations, at some level our theology constrains us such that there is an uncrossable divide between the sexes -- namely, holding the office of deacon or elder. So while there are some unintentional and improper barriers to women engaging in ministry which need rectification, there are also some that intentionally prohibit women from some roles in ministry. In short, women cannot and should not be present at literally all levels.
Lack of ordination, of course, doesn't mean that women can't be involved in the work of those offices. The elders have some duties that are exclusive to their office (e.g., admitting and dismissing people from membership, administering the sacraments, expounding the word, etc.), and women can be involved in some of those responsibilities up to a certain point (Ms. James was expounding the word for us that very night, for instance). But my group's point was that women are prohibited by our Book of Church Order, if not the Bible, from having an elder's authority. So, yes, women can (and should!) be involved in the process of church discipline, for instance, but their participation must ultimately be limited to advice since, when it comes down to it, only men ordained as elders have a vote on whether to censure or expel someone.
So, women can be more involved, but we cannot seek the elimination of all barriers since a few, in my view, are proper.
As a postscript, I'll add that I think women should be allowed to be deacons. It's an office of service, not of teaching, so the concerns about women exercising authority over men seem to me to be misplaced. In defining just what "only a deacon can do," our diaconate concluded that there is nothing inherent in our office that the BCO or the Bible restrict to men and that we simply bear responsibility to offload the session by overseeing that certain things get done. Women can be (and, IMHO, were) fully equal sharers in such service.
To Karin - There are some very helpful books on the topic. I would start first with UPC's position paper. It should be on the website soon. After that, you might check out Piper and Grudem's book, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and Susan Foh's Women and the Word of God.
To Matthew - I agree fully with your point that women cannot be involved in all areas of ministry. In fact, that is one reason I wrote this post. Furthermore, as you note, this is not just because we are in the PCA, but because we believe this is what Scripture teaches.
I look forward to studying the issue of women deacons at some point. For those who may think that is the slippery slope to liberalism, I only need to mention that there is a very long history of deaconnesses in the church. Calvin endorses deaconness (although he may be using the word a bit differently), as does B. B. Warfield. I don't think anyone every accused Warfield of being liberal. Still, I have some exegetical questions on the issue that I don't have time go into.
Thanks, Mark. I'd add that John Frame, who is one of the contributors to that Piper/Grudem volume (which, BTW, is available online in its entirety for free) and a characteristically humble, moderate, and wise teacher, told me that as a whole it is to his right. He said James Hurley's Man and Woman in Biblical Perspective better represents his view, though it doesn't cover all of the same material.
Dear Brother,
Perhaps you have studied the issue biblically by the time of this post.
If you do, you will see the biblical pattern is clearly Elders and Deacons are part of the basic governance of Christ's Church with unordained men and women assisting them. God has appointed Elders and Deacons office for men only, with examination of their wives, if they are married, all according to Scripture.
The pattern for deacons, Acts 6 is all men, the qualifications are all directed at men in I Timothy 3, with some qualification of the the wife of a deacon also, Philippians 1:1 mentions elders and deacons together recognizing their governing together, and Titus 1 qualifies elders, and by implication, deacons also, again as men.
The case is overwhelming that God has appointed, equipped and called men only for the office of deacon and elder, and also that un-ordained women and men assist them. This is the biblical pattern, the understanding of the founding fathers of our denomination, and the doctrine of our BCO.
Involving un-ordained women (and men) to assist church officers is biblical model and is the responsibility of local leadership.
It's important you understand this central biblical principle, apply it, and teach it to those under your care.
With greatest respect,
Blessings
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