Rocking Your Boat - Some Things to Think About

First of all, let me clear up a few things:
1) I would never use the word "genderless" to describe any belief I have or support. I simply do not believe that God gifts and calls people according to gender. There is a huge difference.

2) Ministry is difficult. It's not the path I would have chosen for my life. It is the path God chose for me. At one time it was hugely painful to be a woman in ministry. I preferred the safety and anonymity of the pew. I hold my beliefs after much searching, prayer and time on my face before God. Please respect that as you comment.

Now for my post. There are many things that you may not have ever considered about this topic of women in ministry. Here are a few items to give you "food for thought". These facts were eye opening for me.

1) 2/3 of all Bible-believing Christians are women. Fredrik Franson said "When 2/3 of the Christians are excluded from the work of evangelizing, the loss for God's cause is so great that it can hardly be described." We don't need fewer workers, we need MORE!

2) The truth is that there is gender bias - and it exists in deep and unspeakable ways around the world. Many times the key issue is not that women are not allowed to teach or lead, the issue is WHY. If we are simply covering sexism with the respectable blanket of religiosity then that is wrong. As a friend said, "you must be willing to face your own prejudices." We must lay these aside as all are created by God IN HIS IMAGE. In Dan Kimball's book "They love Jesus but hate the Church" one of the key perceptions non-believers had of the church is that we are "sexist". If believers don't speak up against this, we send the message that this is an injustice and prejudice that is not only acceptable, but one that reflects the heart of God. Is this what we want others to think?

4) If it is an absolute truth and command of God it must be true at all times and in all places. If we say it is wrong for women to lead here, it must be wrong in all other parts of the world. Additionally, if it is wrong, would we see God moving? We cannot deny that God has used women throughout history and across the world to plant, pastor, and lead churches. People were reached and saved. God's movement is obvious. How can we call that "wrong" and "sinful"? Here are examples:

 - Our family had a friend that went to the rainforest and served her entire adult life - to an unreached people group who did not have the Bible in their language. She translated the Bible, planted a church in that village and served there until she had health issues and had to return home. She was in fact a pastor. She was called Reverend. Her home church rejoiced in all she did, but she would not have been allowed to hand out a bulletin, much less lead had she stayed here. Did her service as a planting pastor honor God? Were His purposes served? 

 - In the underground Chinese church there are millions of Christians and the church is growing in ways we as Americans cannot comprehend. It is growing exponentially. At least 70% of the leaders of these churches are women, about 50% of those are women between the ages of 18-25. That blows our "pastor box" all to bits! Most have been to prison at least once for their service. I dare not criticize them.

- You should know that women have played a major role in the current evangelization of the world. More females than males serve as missionaries. Twice as many women than men marched into China as missionaries. Women missionaries were the first to translate the Bible for people groups all over the globe and in the most remote places. One writer observed, "The more difficult and dangerous the work, the higher the ratio of women." When they were turned down by missionary societies, they went on their own, some even selling themselves into slavery to reach slaves. That is dedication! Can they be faulted in their service?

 - I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church and we would take up the "Lottie Moon Christmas Offering" EVERY Christmas of my childhood to benefit foreign missionaries. Do you know what Lottie Moon did? She went to China where she was an evangelist, she planted churches and trained indigenous pastors. She died of starvation while there! I find it problematic that we will send women around the world AS PASTORS and celebrate them as "faith heroes", but we limit and restrict them here. This is not only incongruent and illogical, it is hypocritical in the extreme. It simply makes no sense.

This is just some food for thought. My goal is not argument, but simply that you would read what I have written with an open heart, that you would lay aside your defenses and see if perhaps there is room for growth in your attitude and beliefs. Consider if you will, that God could work outside the box we have built for Him.

John Wesley said "Since God uses women in the conversion of sinners, who am I that I should withstand God?". This is a question I would urge each of you to consider. Would you oppose the move of God? Would you tell God whom He can and cannot use?

As a woman in ministry leadership I don't want to serve ABOVE men, I just want to be welcomed to serve BESIDE them.............

Comments

[Janaki]

Thank you so much for being so brave. I really enjoy your posts, especially your views on women in leadership in these last few.

[Tyler (Man of Depravity)]

Couple thoughts:

1. It is completely unfair how many denominations treat women as missionaries and there you have a point.

2. You said, "You can thank women for the current evangelization of the world." This seems a little over the top.

[jan owen]

Tyler, my point was that if women had not served as missionaries we would not have evangelized a huge amount of the world. Historically there have been much larger numbers of women than men go to foreign countries as missionaries, particularly at the time of the missions "push" of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Without them the gospel would have reached many less people. It was meant more as a "Did you know?" kind of statement but I will try to reword and be more specific about what I meant.

[Linda Safford]

Jan, sorry, I have to come back and reiterate that I do feel men and women are equal in the sight of God...we are all equally sinners and equally saved and equally gifted to serve His body. However, from all I've studied there are positions/office that are reserved for man...ie, elder/pastor.

I have a girlfriend who has faithfully served as a missionary for more than 20 years. She shares the gospel just as any woman or man should. She is a very selfless person who does her work for the Lord.

Women have served faithfully in all the churches Mike and I have served in. You serve faithfully at The Brook. Women teach, lead ministries...I don't see women being turned away from serving. We've been in churches from Pensacola to Houston to Kansas, IL and Germany and have always had women serving.

I stated that egalitarianism can be a slippery slope. I did not say you are promoting a genderless situation.

As for interpretations of God's word...that's another discussion. I'm comfortable and always ready to learn from His word. I don't go so much with what man's teachings/writings are...I refer to them but I'm always brought back to balancing those thoughts with scripture. That's just the way I am. And my way may not be everyone else's way, but that's OK.

We all need to serve the body of Christ. We need not fight for the right to since He has gifted us and we are to share those gifts as we share the gospel. There is no one is His church that is not allowed to do His work.

We are heading out to hear April's Christmas concert in Mobile...early yes, but she's out on December 5. Hope your family enjoys a peaceful, relaxing and happy Thanksgiving. I'm thanking God today for you. Blessings......Linda

[Jutta]

So true. Some of the traditional views on a woman's place in ministry seem to be rooted in a biased interpretation of some passages in Scripture, influenced by people like St. Jerome who was a women hater. I read a very interesting book by Gene Edwards about this: "The Christian women ... set free" http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Woman-Set-Free/dp/0977803309/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228088488&sr=1-1