Is it biblical for a woman to be a pastor?

Answer 1

In the Bible the term pastor, bishop and elder all refer to the same office established by God to oversee each congregation
(see http://www.gospelway.com/topics/church/elder-bishop.php for a good explanation of this).

A congregation is said to be "lacking" if it does not have an eldership .

Titus 1:5 (NKJV)
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you--

That being said, the Bible clearly states the qualifications for one to be an elder, or pastor.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NKJV)
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence
5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

The Bible plainly states that one must be the "husband of one wife" to be a pastor, so that clearly rules out women serving as elders. Passages like 1 Timothy 2:12 which state "12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence." rule this out as well.

This is not sexist by any means. All men are not qualified to be pastors either.
-single men cannot be pastors
-men with out believing children cannot be pastors
-a very young man or new christian cannot be a pator
-a man who does not have the moral character and wisdom described in 1 Tim. 3 cannot be an elder.

I hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

No.
No woman in the Bible is ever presented as a pastor/priest/whatever. In some apocryphal books, Mary Magdelen was a priest(ess) but that is one of the reasons that book(s) were not in the canon of the Bible. It was false. Other churches (pagen) had priestesses, that is what was different about the Jewish / Christian churches... it was unusual for it's time.

The priest's role is to be a spiritual father to the community. A woman is not a father. They have many roles that are just as important to play, that just isn't one of them.

There is a great deal of information here to study. The Pope (JP2) said that the church didn't have the right to declare women priests...

My view is mainly from the Catholic viewpoint, of course.

Sure, they could physically fill the role, but spiritually, it doesn't work. Theologically, it doesn't work out. And if God doesn't agree with the ordination, that means everything that false priest does didn't really occur. Not a real marriage, not real communion, etc...

Job - you have an proof of these theories? I pretty much disagree with most of your statements. The canon was declared what it had already been. There was no need to declare a canon until people started accepting false books that had never been accepted by the church. That is the usual way for the church to 'declare' something. They only do so when some falsehood creeps up and needs to be suppresed. you are believing the falsehood, not the truth... but I can see how you could arrive at that belief. Why not believe the books where baby jesus makes clay birds and brings them to life to amuse himself? How do *you* tell the difference between the true and false books? (serious, I'm wanting to know so I can do some more research/reading on the topic)

Answer 3

Ah, one of the questions people like answer by saying it was written by men who think women have no place in this world except on their bed.

It's true there is no biblical evidence for a woman to become a pastor or a priest because it was left to the men. Men are supposed to be the head of the household and so they are the head of the church as well, but that doesn't mean women have no power.

There were women prophetess' and some women who held a lot of power, but in the new covenant, we are to follow Mary whose strength lied within her morality and her purity.

Men are the phsyical and women are the emotional, that's why we fit so well together because they are our strength and we are theirs, but our strength is more quiet than that of a man's.

Answer 4

Debra was a judge. Anna was a prophetas.

The Judges lead the entire congregation of Israel.

People read I Tim 2:12 in the English forgetting that it was written in Greek. "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." The Greek word for "man" here is "aner" which is not just any man, but the head man. The word is often translated "father" or "husband." In today's vernacular it could also be translated "boss." What this verse is saying, though, is that the woman is not to be the head of a household. It has nothing to do with being a pastor.

Even in the family, when there is not man to take the head, or when the man is too immature to take the headship, the woman has to become the head by default.

I Cor 14:34 is merely a reference to those who constantly interrupt. The context of 1 Corinthians 14 is in keeping order.

I Cor 14:40Let all things be done decently and in order.

Answer 5

It is, and the way that it is is this:
If there is any woman that is more knowledgable in the Scriptures than any man and she makes herself available to the church as a Pastor then there is no reason that she cannot become the Pastor of that church. Each church is different and has different people that make up the congregation but if a woman wishes to be a Pastor and has the knowledge and abilities then it is possible and should take the office of Pastor. So that the congregation is edified by the most qualified individual available man or woman!

Answer 6

No, it is NOT biblical for a woman to lead a congregation. That is made clear in any number of passages. Women are held by God in high esteem and have their own unique role to fill. Being a pastor is the only thing she is not given as a choice to do. I have no problem with it at all.

A pastor or leader of the church is to be the husband of one wife. How can we ladies do that?

Answer 7

A woman can do anything a man can do EXCEPT be the husband of one wife. If the LORD can speak through a jackass to Balaam, why can't He use a woman???? G-d has always used women in the Bible. Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Priscilla, Phoebe, etc are mentioned in leadership roles.

Joel 2:28-29 says " And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

Answer 8

If the church is madeup of entirely women then I guess a woman would have to lead the service. But the Bible is quite clear on the qualification to be a pastor, a deacon or an elder and no a woman doesn't meet them.

Answer 9

if Mary Magdalene is "the apostle to the aposteles", then why can't a woman be a pastor, or priest for that matter ??

did you know that one of the reasons , other than, paul and the others' preaching, of Christianity's rapid spread throughout the roman empire was womens' role??, women acting as midwives thus using cleansing techniques (boiled water) in order to reduce mother and baby death...

Answer 10

No, and to "Caveman': judges and prophetesses are not pastors.
The principle God gave us in Scripture is of a family (the church) being led by a father figure. There is much work for women to do in churches, including teaching and even preaching to children and other women. They should not teach or preach to a mixed group of men and women.