The SBC just drew a hard line on women pastors. Where do you stand?

Current Events
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The Southern Baptist Convention just voted overwhelmingly to bar churches with women pastors from staying in friendly cooperation with the denomination.

Supporters say this is just clarification, and the SBC’s statement of faith has always affirmed a male-only pastorate. Others say it’s more about policing churches than protecting doctrine, and it closes doors for women they believe are genuinely called to ministry.

Both sides believe they’re right…So let’s talk about it.

Should denominations draw hard lines on pastoral leadership?

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Here is what the Bible says. The Bible heavily emphasizes that women are indispensable to the health, ministry, and spiritual life of the church. The New Testament highlights women serving in numerous high-impact capacities:

In 1 Corinthians 11:5, Paul gives instructions on how women should pray and prophesy during public worship. This indicates that women were actively speaking, contributing spiritually, and engaging in public ministry moments, rather than sitting in absolute silence.

“Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.”

In Titus 2:3-5, older women are explicitly commanded to be “teachers of what is good” and to train younger women in spiritual maturity, wisdom, and family life. Women have historically held the primary role in children’s discipleship.

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

Paul’s letters are filled with shout-outs to women who were vital to his missionary journeys:

Phoebe, in Romans 16:1-2, is described as a deacon/servant of the church in Cenchreae, trusted by Paul to deliver the massive theological letter of Romans.

Priscilla, in Acts 18:26, alongside her husband Aquila, pulled the eloquent preacher Apollos aside and “explained to him the way of God more accurately.” This shows women engaged in high-level theological discipleship.

Euodia and Syntyche, in Philippians 4:2-3. Paul explicitly calls them women who “contended at my side in the cause of the gospel.”

However, Yes, The Bible DOES Prohibit Women from being Pastors.

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” 1 Timothy 2:12

1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6: When Paul lists the qualifications for an elder/overseer, he specifies that he must be “the husband of one wife” (literally “a one-woman man”), which complementarians view as a structural blueprint for male eldership. Paul often anchors these roles in creation rather than local culture, pointing back to Genesis by noting that Adam was formed first, then Eve (1 Timothy 2:13).
Peter

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God has established a hierarchy in heaven and also here on earth. It doesn’t mean women are valued less than men, but God has placed them under men. “Her desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her.” Genesis 3:16 It also doesn’t mean that women can’t teach, but they can’t hold a position of authority in the church. There have been many women who have taught others, but never been pastors. Corrie ten boom comes to mind.

The Baptist church I used to attend began it’s change by hiring a woman pastor. Following that, they changed the name of the church excluding the word Baptist and replacing it with community. Somewhere in this time frame, they were asked to leave the governing fellowship.
Now on their own they explored the lgbt+ community and over a year became inclusive. Members of that group were allowed full ministry positions in the church. The pastors included their pronouns when introducing themselves.

I know women who take issue with this direction from God. I don’t have a problem with it. The Bible also says that women are to respect their husbands. No such command is given to men. They are commanded to love their wives.
When I consider the differences between men and women, it makes perfect sense to me. Women need to know they are loved and cherished. Men need to know they are respected. This command speaks to the needs of each.
A woman who knows she is loved and cherished by her husband, also knows that his decisions have been made with her welfare and desires in mind. She can trust in that. A man who is looked up to and respected by his wife will love and cherish her as Christ loves the church, and in his place of authority, she is his main consideration.

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Appreciate you rightly cutting straight the Scriptures on this topic @PeterC.

J.

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This is one of the reasons I don’t think I could ever be part of an SBC church. I know this is an extremely controversial debate, but at the end of the day, I don’t think I’ll ever understand why barring women from being pastors and in leadership is more important than women preaching the Gospel, whether that’s from the pulpit or otherwise. From everything I read about Jesus in the Gospels, it’s very hard to imagine him making a point of not allowing women to proclaim the good news in whatever capacity.

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I agree with you on this.

But, to play devil’s advocate…lots of people use that same argument about homosexuality. That they just can’t see a loving God condemning that lifestyle and Scripture is outdated in that sense.

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Absolutely. The Bible is full of women sharing the Gospel. The Samaritan Woman (John 4) After an encounter with Jesus at a well, she leaves her water jar, returns to her town, and tells everyone about Him.

John 4:39 explicitly states, “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” She effectively acted as an evangelist to an entire community before the disciples themselves had fully grasped Jesus’ global mission.

Mary Magdalene (John 20 / Matthew 28) Mary Magdalene has the historic distinction of being the first human being commanded by Jesus to preach the Resurrection. Church history often calls her the Apostola Apostolorum, the “Apostle to the Apostles.” Jesus gave her the direct mandate to go tell the mourning disciples that He was risen. She is the baseline link connecting the empty tomb to the birth of the early Church’s message.

Women as coworkers and Teachers? The Acts & Epistles Priscilla (Acts 18 / Romans 16:3 )Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, were strategic tentmaking partners with Paul. Crucially, Priscilla’s name is listed first in four of the six times the couple is mentioned in the New Testament, which heavily suggests she was the more prominent teacher or leader of the two in the ministry. When Apollos, a brilliant, eloquent, and passionate orator, arrived in Ephesus, his theology was incomplete (he only knew the baptism of John). Acts 18:26 records that Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and “explained to him the way of God more accurately.” She helped correct and sharpen one of the greatest evangelists of the early Church.

Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2) Paul commends Phoebe to the church in Rome, calling her a diakonos (deacon/servant) of the church in Cenchreae and a patron of many. Phoebe was the trusted emissary chosen by Paul to carry his letter to the Romans across the Mediterranean. In the ancient world, the person who delivered the letter was tasked with reading it aloud to the house churches and answering questions about its meaning. Think about it. This means the very first person to publicly unpack, explain, and deliver the profound theology of Romans was a woman.

Junia (Romans 16:7) Paul sends greetings to Andronicus and Junia, calling them his “kinsmen” and “fellow prisoners.” Paul notes that they are “outstanding among the apostles” and were in Christ before he was. While theologians debate whether “apostle” here means the inner circle or a broader sense of “pioneering missionary,” it is clear Junia was a highly respected front-line worker who suffered imprisonment for her bold proclamation of the Gospel.

What about Church planters and Prophets? Lydia (Acts 16) A wealthy businesswoman dealing in luxury purple cloth, Lydia heard Paul preach in Philippi. God opened her heart, she was baptized along with her entire household, and she immediately persuaded Paul’s team to stay at her home. Her home became the official gathering place and launchpad for the Philippian Church, the very first church planted on European soil.

The daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8-9). Philip the evangelist had four unmarried daughters who are explicitly described as possessing the spiritual gift of prophecy. In the New Testament context, prophecy was a speech-based ministry aimed at edifying, exhorting, and comforting the body of believers (1 Corinthians 14:3), making them prominent vocal ministers within their community.

Women are most definitely used by God to share the Gospel, work in ministries, etc. However, God’s Word is clear; they should not be Pastors. God created man, then women. He appointed Jesus as the head of the church. Man as the Pastor and Leader in Ministries. He made man, Father, and Husband, the leader of the home. It is simply how God structured it.
Peter

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I’m not sure I can agree with you 100%, but I can 100% say that if more churches and Christian communities viewed this issue with more understanding and insight and support of women (even if not in the pulpit) as your response indicates, I think this issue would be much less controversial and more people would be open to getting on board with it.

Unfortunately, I think many churches and Christian organizations (often the SBC) take the verse about women not being allowed to preach and use that to feed into a warped view of women’s roles in the church and Christian community in general. Obviously not all churches do this, but I have seen churches take this Bible verse out of context too many times and use it to marginalize, restrict, and coerce women.

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That’s an interesting argument and worth considering. I think so many of these relational issues that many Christians seem to love to endlessly debate these days do pale in comparison to who Jesus is. I certainly don’t have the end-all-be-all answer to these questions, but there is such freedom, in my experience, when we stop allowing these issues to be stumbling blocks that so often cloud Jesus looking us in the eyes and saying like he did to Peter, “What is that to you, follow me” (John 21:22).

I think of the Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ many questions, mincing words and citing Scripture to try to trip Jesus up and prove themselves right. I think it’s so so easy to miss the forest for the trees. I feel like I was in that camp for quite a few years. It’s very freeing not to be in that place anymore.

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Sorry you “feel” that way, but what does the Bible say?

PARSONS: When we speak of ministry, it’s important that we first understand what that word means because there is a lot of misunderstanding. Too often we equate minister with pastor, but that’s not how the New Testament speaks of ministry.

The word ministry simply means “service,” and it can mean a role of service or an office of service, but it refers to any service that is rendered to another. That’s important because sometimes even the question might be problematic for some Christians. They might think: “That just shouldn’t be. Women can’t be in ministry at all.” However, ministry simply means “service,” biblically speaking.

The Bible gives all the many and beautiful ways that women not only can minister and serve but the many and beautiful ways women should minister in the church. The church should constantly be striving to identify, disciple, and train women in theology, Scripture, the languages, hermeneutics, and so on. Then they, as older women, might train up, teach, and disciple younger women. They ought to help raise up the next generation of young women to be courageous, faithful women, mothers, and teachers in the church for generations to come.

GODFREY: One of the great truths recovered at the Reformation was summarized in the words, “the priesthood of every believer.” In the medieval church, there was an entirely separated caste of priests who stood between God and the congregation. In a profound sense, the congregation was entirely dependent on the priests to minister the sacraments that would bring God’s grace and enable the congregation to draw close to God. The Reformation taught that the priesthood is not a separated caste of people, but rather that every Christian is a priest. That means every man and every woman is a priest before God.

The priesthood of all believers has sometimes been misunderstood as if I am my own priest before God. That’s not what it means. It means that every Christian helps every other Christian in the journey to God. That is a task for every man and every woman in a Christian congregation. We should be looking around and asking, “How can I as a priest before God help other Christians in this congregation draw closer to God?” That should keep us all busy and keep us from envy.

PARSONS: I know we are all on the same page, but these sorts of things go out on the internet, so it is important to state clearly that in no way, shape, or form does the Bible teach or commend that women are to be ordained pastors or elders.

While there is certainly disagreement on the subject of women as deacons, I’m going to state plainly that as I study the New Testament and as I’ve looked into this matter in great depth over the years (as have many others who disagree), I do not believe that the New Testament assigns the office of deacon to women in any clear way either.

Here is the reality: the offices of deacon and elder are a burden. Yes, it is a joyful burden in some ways, but our goal, whether we’re men or women, is not to aspire to an office. Our goal is to aspire to service, humble service that doesn’t need to parade itself. It doesn’t need a title. The reason we have men who are called ministers, elders, and deacons is not to lift them up and say, “Look at how great he is.” Yes, they serve as examples. Yes, it is a noble task, but it is not first and foremost to give them a title. Rather it is first and foremost to help God’s sheep know that elders serving among them and alongside them are here to help, to shepherd, and to serve. The title is secondary.

In my opinion, people have to go through exegetical gymnastics to try to squeeze the office of deacon in for women, and I respond by saying: “Why? Why do that to them? Let them serve in the ways that they can and should in the church. It is not about needing to have an office.” God sees, God knows, and God observes the service of each and every one of us. That’s ultimately what matters, not a title.

This is a transcript of W. Robert Godfrey’s and Burk Parsons’ answers given during our 2022 National Conference and has been lightly edited for readability. To ask Ligonier a biblical or theological question, email ask@ligonier.org or message us on Facebook or Twitter.

This article and the ECF’, rightly dividing the Scriptures, do not agree with you @DaughterOfEve24

J.

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I dont trust teachers whether male or female. I think they fail to teach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; (NKJV)

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This is why we need to test the spirits. Prosperity Gospel is false. Name it, claim it. False. No sin. False. No hell. False. More than one way to heaven. False. Homosexuality and Transgendersism is ok. False. Yet we have churches that teach all these things. These are the 2 Timothy 4:3 churches. These are the Romans 1 churches. These are Galatians 1:6 churches, and the 2 Corinthians 11:4 churches. These are the anti-Christ and false churches we have been warned about.
Peter

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@PeterC I think all these churches fail to a teach a few things. Such as having wealth is love for money. And economic complaints, fears, worry, quarrels and boasting is evil. And the apostles teach women not to adorn themselves with outward beauty.

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No. The LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The deceit of riches is a stumbling block. These things a true church does teach. Just because David was Rich, Solomon was the richest, and others had wealth in the Bible, does not mean they were inherently evil.

Money is a tool. You seem to be hung up on the notion that one having money and one who has not is some great injustice that needs to be rectified. Nowhere does God teach that. A true church does help the poor. A true Christian, who seeks to serve others, does help the poor, clothe the naked, and give sight to the blind. They do not always wait for " The Church" to do it. As a matter of fact, that is one of the main reasons we are taught this.

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Ephesians 4:28

You do not have to be rich to serve others.
Peter

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@PeterC David and Solomon had multiple wives but we are not allowed to have that. The reason its the root of all kinds of evil is because Jesus said not to store wealth in earth. We will have wealth though but in heaven as Jesus said so wealth isnt evil as long as its in heaven. Paul said not to desire wealth. Jesus said blessed are the poor but woe to the rich. James rebuked the rich.

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@PeterC if you look at Paul’s words where he said that the love of money is the root of evil you will see that he tells Timothy to be content with food and clothing. So it seems to me that being rich is love for money. He instructed Timothy to flee from desiring wealth. If having wealth was ok then he wouldn’t tell Timothy not to desire it. In my opinion. I just dont understand how a person can horde wealth when so many people suffer and even die. I can understand saving for retirement but I cant understand being rich

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I’ve got no problem with women pastors.

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I think Scripture calls us to hold two truths together. On one hand, the Bible repeatedly warns us about the dangers of loving money and putting our trust in wealth. On the other hand, I don’t think Scripture teaches that every person with financial resources is automatically in sin.

What seems to matter most is our attitude toward what we have and whether we are willing to use it generously to serve others. Throughout the Bible we see people with different levels of wealth, but they were all called to be faithful stewards.

For me, the challenge is less “How much do I have?” and more “What am I doing with what God has entrusted to me?”