I am so grateful for the men who have invited me to co-labor alongside them in groups that have Kingdom significance–not as Tony’s wife, nor as the “token woman,” but in my own right, based on my calling and giftings.
The roles of leadership (servanthood) in the church are mostly dominated by males. But God is changing things. The perception of the body of Christ at large is shifting as God is bringing fresh revelation on the Scriptures that used to relegate women to passive roles, waiting for a man to take the initiative.
Many men may talk about women being co-equals, but their leadership teams are comprised of males, they speak at conferences where there are only men on the platform, they hang out in the halls of strategic influence with their male friends. Any woman of spiritual caliber is not going to bludgeon or force her way into those ranks. But will she come when invited? You bet.
Where are the men who will welcome women to join their ranks, opening the door for their participation and leadership?
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6 replies on “Inviting women to join the ranks”
‘Where are the men who will welcome women to join their ranks, opening the door for their participation and leadership?’
I do, and will continue to do so. But I am not a person of great strategic influence 🙂
However, I can tinker around the edges of current trends a little. I will encourage anyone (man, woman or child) who speaks the truth in love or is obedient to Christ in any way.
And I’m grateful to you, Felicity. You have encouraged me in so many ways, not least in this matter of women in church leadership. And I’ll finish this comment by noting that Jesus will have his way in this as in all things, whatever our opinions might be, whether we are influential or not.
Thank you Lord. HalleluYah!
Chris, thank you! Your support is, as always, invaluable, and I think you have far more influence than you realize. You have certainly impacted my life.
I think there may be more than you think! (At least I hope so!!) But perhaps where you live this isn’t so. In which case, keep going, keep praying.
Thank you. There are an increasing number here. But having talked with Alan Hirsch about it, the debate is far stronger here than in Australia.
What you say is all well and good Felicity (in one sense) but…well…it does not explain biblical prohibitions on the role of women within the church.
If we are to walk in integrity toward what the Word actually says we must get around what it…well…actually says.
I am not discounting the need for many men to repent of rotten attitudes toward women only saying that we should not throw out what the Word says while rejoicing over much needed repentance.
Carlos
Carlos, I appreciate your perspective and attitude. Thank you. However, many of the Scriptures that have been used for centuries to prohibit women can, with integrity, be interpreted to mean something totally different. There are many renowned theologians, (NT Wright, Scot McKnight, to name a couple) who write on this. My favorite is a book by Philip B Payne called Man and Woman, One in Christ. It’s an in-depth examination of not just the Bible but of other works of that time period to find how various words should be interpreted. If you search my blog, for example, on 1 Timothy 2:12, you will find some of these explanations.