Gender and Ministry Pt. 4

As we wrap up our series addressing the role of men and women in the world and in God’s Church, we are going to focus on 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and how this applies to Cornerstone.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 is the passage relating to gender that receives the most attention. In current Southern Baptist news, this passage has received even more attention as the definition of pastor has been debated. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 is essentially a list of qualifications for an elder to have and to strive for.

Looking at this list there is something noteworthy about the list. The pronouns used are translated as he. There is good reason for this; the list itself uses masculine forms of words in Greek. Throughout the writing of the list even, gender is made clear.

But there’s one instruction in particular that makes this gender requirement for an elder clear. That qualification? “The husband of one wife.” This instruction is simple. An elder is called to be the husband of one wife, or to be a one woman man; a man who is focused on and pursues just one woman. The word for wife here is transliterated as gynaikes. It means wife or woman every time that it is mentioned in the New Testament.

There is no mistaking this. Paul is saying that an elder needs to be a man. An elder is called to lead and to teach God’s word which Paul has just covered in 1 Timothy 2. The context of this passage shows the clear meaning of this; that the role of elder is reserved for men and is an office that men should aspire to as it is a “noble work.”

At the same time, this passage is not discounting women. It is easy to spend so much time focusing on the prohibition that we miss the examples of women who faithfully serve in the church. Imagine if we were forming a Basketball team and I said, “You cannot be the shooting guard.” It would be bizarre if we spent all of our practices talking about how you couldn’t be the shooting guard rather than talking about what you could be!

The same is true with this conversation. So let me provide five examples of women who are noted for their powerful service to the church. First, in Colossians 4, we see the example of Nympha. Nympha is a woman who hosted a church in her house. She is wealthy and she uses God’s blessings to powerfully bless other believers. Secondly, consider Phoebe! Phoebe is talked about in Romans 16:1-2 and is commended as a servant of the church in Cenchreae. She is said to have helped many people! She needs no office to help people; instead, she helps people in many ways. Women should be engaged and positioned to serve the Lord just as men did. Nympha and Phoebe are good examples of that.

Lydia is another example of this. In Acts 16, we meet Lydia who is a purple cloth dealer. She hears the gospel, is saved and is baptized! In fact, Acts 16:15 shows that Lydia has such an evangelistic effect on the people around her that her family is all saved! She is an evangelistic force for the gospel. In Revelation 2, we see that there is a letter sent to Thyatira which is Lydia’s hometown. There is no record of Paul or one of his coworkers traveling to Thyatira. It seems likely that Lydia’s evangelistic fervor impacted her hometown!

Fourth, in Acts 18, Priscilla and her husband Aquila correct Apollos’ theology. Apollos was a gifted man who was eloquent and very smart. He became well known in the church in Corinth. But, when he arrived in Ephesus, he did not fully understand the gospel. Priscilla and Aquila work together to disciple Apollos. Priscilla’s understanding of the gospel allows her to pass it on to others.

Finally, I find it fitting that so many of Paul’s instructions regarding gender come from 1 Timothy. In Acts 16, we are introduced to Timothy. Timothy is the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek man. In 2 Timothy we are told that Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, and Eunice, his mother, are some of the most influential people in Timothy’s life! They share the gospel with him, they see his faith and they encourage him to follow God’s calling on his life.

I hope that through these 5 different examples of women serving the Lord that we are seeing how God uses women throughout scripture in powerful ways. Regardless of what office a woman can hold or cannot hold, women are a treasured part of God’s family. It is a joy at Cornerstone to be able to empower our women to serve and to use their God-given gifts in so many ways. As always, if you have any questions about this post, or any of our posts on gender and the Church, please reach out and let me know!

Blessings,

Pastor Daniel