A Woman’s Role in Church Leadership
He leads me …
It was reported in March 2023 that the former Saddleback Church pastor and founder Rick Warren, recently said that there are three passages of scripture that have enabled him to see that there is a biblical directive to enable women to lead a church as a pastor. However, when his church ordained three women as pastors, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee were not happy.
Rick Warren, who is most noted as being the author of The Purpose-Driven Life (2002), had as his first scripture Matthew 28:19-20 which is generally referred to as the Great Commission. In it Jesus tells His disciples to ‘go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’
As Warren sees it, ‘We claim that we believe that the Great Commission is for everybody, both men and women are to fulfil the Great Commission. There are four verbs in the Great Commission: “go,” “make disciples,” “baptize” and “teach”. Women are to go. Women are to make disciples. Women are to baptize, and women are to teach - not just men.’
The second scripture he referred to is found in Acts 2 which records the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down upon the early church, and everyone present spoke in languages that they did not know.
Warren then explains, ‘We know women were in the room. We know women were filled with the Holy Spirit. We know that women were preaching in languages that some people could not understand to a mixed audience. We know women - it was not just men - women were preaching on the day of Pentecost.’
To back this up he then went on to say that the Apostle Peter told the crowd what was happening, and quoted the Old Testament verse of Joel 2:28. This states, ‘on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.’ This implies that if God gave women clearance to prophesy, then other gifts like teaching and pastoring would also be included.
The third verse that formed Rick Warren’s case was John 20:17. Here Jesus instructs Mary Magdalene to tell the disciples about His resurrection, meaning that He ‘chose her to be the first preacher of the Gospel.’
These points had been raised by Rick Warren in defence of the Saddleback Church, a California-based megachurch founded by Warren in 1980, after it was recently expelled from the Southern Baptist Convention for having women as teaching pastors. The church plans to appeal the decision later this year.
As part of his response to the church being expelled Warren stated, ‘For 2,000 years, the Church has debated the role of women in culture, but to make it a litmus test for “are you a Baptist or not?” is nonsense’. He also replied that while he just wants to ‘walk away from it,’ he also felt that he had to appeal the decision.
‘I need to stand up for the pastors who are scared to death by this inquisition, and I think I need to stand up for the millions of godly Southern Baptist women whose gifts and leadership skills are being stymied’.[1]
The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee was led by Owen Strachan, a theology professor at Grace Bible Theological Seminary. The basis for wanting Saddleback Church expelled was 1 Timothy 2:9-15, which includes the verse in which Apostle Paul writes, ‘I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.’ So, what does 1 Timothy 2:9-15 say? Here is what it reads in the Amplified Version -
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves modestly and appropriately and discreetly in proper clothing, not with [elaborately] braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but instead adorned by good deeds [helping others], as is proper for women who profess to worship God. 11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with all submissiveness. 12 I do not allow a woman to [a]teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet [in the congregation]. 13 For Adam was formed first [by God from the earth], then Eve; 14 and it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was led astray and fell into sin. 15 But women will be preserved (saved) through [the pain and dangers of] the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control and discretion. (1 Timothy 2:9-15 AMP)
Please note that verse 9 has the words I want and verse 12 the words I do not allow shaded. This means that this subject is Paul’s opinion. The basis of this opinion is found in the Amplified Version footnotes for [a] in verse 12 that read –
‘1 Timothy 2:12 - The early church evidently followed Jewish practices in religious education. In Israel, mothers taught their daughters, and it was the father’s responsibility to teach his sons in all areas, including religious education. So Paul’s prohibitions here are consistent with the practices of his day.’
We also should read 1 Timothy 2:9-15 in the light of Galatians 3:28 –
God does not see you as a Jew or as a Greek. He does not see you as a servant or as a person free to work. He does not see you as a man or as a woman. You are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:28 NLV emphasis added).
There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority] (Galatians 3:28 AMP emphasis added).
But there was more to what Paul was addressing.
Dr. Ann Nyland was an ancient Greek lexicographer who is the translator of The Source New Testament using the recent discoveries in papyri and inscriptions written at the time of the New Testament. Her research field is word meaning from New Testament times. She did not translate theologically.
She says that the vocabulary of 1 Timothy refers to various magical practices in Ephesus, and to the problem of Gnosticism. This is why the focus of the pastoral epistles is to resist the teachings contrary to Christianity.
Dr Nyland says that 1 Timothy 2:12-13 is to be translated as follows: ‘I most certainly do not grant authority to a woman to teach that she is the originator of a man: rather, she is not to cause a fuss. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.’
Why would a woman teach that she is the originator of a man? When 1 Timothy was written, Gnosticism had just begun. The Gnostic literature states that Eve was formed first, then she had the help of a goddess to form Adam. As a result, early Gnostics were stating that women were the originators of men. This is why the author of 1 Timothy continues, ‘for Adam was formed first, then Eve.’ 1 Timothy 2:13-15 makes sense in terms of the threat to Christianity of the teachings of Gnosticism.
I should also point out that the word usually mistranslated ‘silence’ here is hesukhia. This word does not in fact mean ‘silence’. It means to cause less fuss, to become quiet in behaviour. The same word occurs in Acts 22:2 in the meaning that the crowd caused less fuss, not in a meaning that they became quieter.
Hopefully this clarifies whether Rick Warrens appeal on behalf of women pastors is correct or not.
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] Rick Warren shares 3 Bible passages that changed his mind on women pastors, Michael Gryboski, Christiantoday.com;