Can a woman be a Senior pastor of a Christian congregation?

Question

God called women to ministry, however, some people have problem accepting them as senior pastors, why you think they respond this way?

Answer 1

When the different books of the Bible were written thousands of years ago, women weren't even educated and society was strictly segretated for the most part. In Jewish law only men were allowed to be Rabbis and the newer books just picked up on the existing cultural norms.

If we cannot adopt to reality of women today in leadership, in education, and in spirituality, then we might as well give up our TV sets, cars, electricity, telephones and everything else you can think of.

Of course a woman can be a senior pastor. I think the reason it doesn't happen more often is that the men (and sometimes women) in the congregation want to view their minister as an authority and they have trouble doing that with a woman. Sexism reigns, especially in traditional situations like the church, and still will for many years to come.

Answer 2

Well, I have no trouble with a woman as the senior pastor. I've actually had a woman as my senior pastor before.

My only concern is leadershipwise, is she (the pastor) the head of the household, or is the husband? If it's her, then is that right? If it's the husband, then does he have say over how she preaches? Should he?

All kinds of questions come up. If you have an answer to them, that's fine then. Who are we to question what God has called you to do? But if you cannot answer them, please pray to God for answers before really considering too much.

Answer 3

I'm probably going to be labeled a sexist pig for this (and get a lot of thumbs down), but I do not care. If people want to insult me for simply trying to give you an honest answer to your question, then so be it.

The real problem with a church having woman pastors is 1 Timothy 2:11-15 where Paul seems to say that it is wrong for women to have spiritually authority over men (a similar statement is found in 1 Corinthians 14:34-36). Most fundamental congregations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention for example, interpret this to mean that a woman cannot hold a position such as head pastor where she is teaching a mixed congregation of adult males and females (teaching a Bible class of only women, or women and children is usually seen as OK).

Someone asked a question yesterday about how did congregations with a female senior pastor interpret these passages, since they don't seem to adhere to them, and all that she got was a bunch of baloney about how the Bible never says anything about this subject (not true), or that the Bible is unclear (without explaining exactly what about these passages is unclear). These are the same excuses that liberal Christians use to justify everything from homosexuality, to no-fault divorce, to just about any other sin that one can imagine.

Some people seemed to hint that the historical context of the book was somehow important, since Paul was writing to a specific church at a specific point in time in order to deal with a particular problem, but they did not elaborate, nor did they give a link to an article that might discuss the issue so that one might pursue it further. Obviously the historical context is important in interpreting any passage of the Bible, but I was not aware that simply tossing out the term "historical context" was a blanket excuse to completely ignore any part of the Bible that might be politically incorrect, or otherwise awkward to apply.

No one is perfect, but what's the point of having a Bible if no one is going to at least try to follow it?

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1 Timothy 2:11-15 (NIV)
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

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In response to "shadowpuppet1830" question asking if it were a sin for him to accept a job that had him under a woman supervisor, I have thought about this for some time since I consider anything in God's word to be a serious issue (I hope that he was not simply being scarastic).

It seems that given the context of 1 Tim. and 1 Cor., Paul was simply discussing authority within the church (since the church mirrors the family, and Paul wanted a man to head the family). Paul does not seem to be concerned with how the outside world conducts its affairs. If "shadowpuppet1830" s comment was taken to its logical extreme, then a woman could never hire anyone to do anything (like yardwork, for example), since by hiring someone, you become that person's boss. Paul seems to say nothing directly about this.

Answer 4

1 Timothy 2:11-12 proclaims, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created (1 Timothy 2:13) and the way in which sin entered the world (2 Timothy 2:14). God, through the Apostle Paul’s writing, restricts women from serving in roles of spiritual teaching authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors, which definitely includes preaching to, teaching, and having spiritual authority over men.

Answer 5

Although I know that I have been called into the ministry, I know as I read the Word that there are still guidelines and that the Lord loves all of His children male and female. However, Senior Pastor is for men, just like fatherhood is for men

Answer 6

No Religously a woman cannot be a senior pastor or a Priest or a Pope she cant go to that high of a religoius level in christanity the oly pope that ever did was pope joan and she was killed for being discovered as a woman..
Yet they say muslims dont give rights to women.Hippocracy is at its peaks.

Answer 7

The Assembly of God Churches have women pastors, I've heard them on television--quite a lot. The Copeland couple come to mind at the moment [Kenneth and Gloria Copeland].

Answer 8

The Bible says a pastor is to be the HUSBAND of one wife.....I'd like to see a woman fulfill that call! God has never called a woman to pastor a church..to do so would be a direct contradiction of His WORD. Enough said?

Answer 9

I extremely have attended a church were there develop right into a woman pastor, yet i did not bypass back. The scripture is fairly sparkling: "enable your women people shop silence contained in the church homes: for that's not approved unto them to speak; yet they're commanded to be lower than obedience, as also saith the regulation. And in the journey that they are going to study any aspect, enable them ask their husbands at abode: for that's a shame for women people to speak contained in the church" (a million Corinthians 14:34-35). "enable the female study in silence with all subjection. yet I struggle through no longer a woman to coach, nor to usurp authority over the guy, yet to be in silence. For Adam develop into first formed, then Eve. And Adam develop into no longer deceived, notwithstanding the female being deceived develop into contained in the transgression" (a million Timothy 2:11-14). fifty six minutes in the past

Answer 10

Instead of a direct answer to this question, this is more in reponse to people quoting Bible verses that presumably state that women can have no authority over a men, and for that reason they cannot be pastors: If this is so, then is it also a sin for me (a guy) to get a job where I would have a female supervisor?