Vision

To build disciples who represents Jesus to everyone, everywhere with everything

Background

The leadership team, pastors and board have been looking at the issue of women in leadership following a thorough and extensive process.  We have studied and heard from theologians along all parts of the spectrum.  There were four questions that we needed to answer:

1. Can there be women pastors?
2. Can there be women board members?
3. Can there be a woman chair of the board?
4. Can there be a woman senior pastor?

The leadership team, pastors and board were unanimous in the affirmative that there can be a female pastor (Question 1).  We are still working through questions 2,3 and 4.

Read:

• Galatians 3:28
• 1 Timothy 2:8-15
• 1 Timothy 3:1-7

• What do these passages tell us about God/Jesus?
• What do these passages tell us about you and your life?
• What did you like about this passage?
• What did you not like about this passage?

The Bible contains universal truths that are relevant for all ages but needs to be humbly and carefully interpreted for our time.  Not only is there a 2000 year time gap between us and when the Bible was written but there is also a cultural, historical, and language gap. Thankfully, the Bible is very clear regarding the primary doctrines that are contained in the creeds of the early church fathers concerning God, the person and work of Jesus and salvation etc. However, there are some grey areas that are not as clear-cut from a purely literal reading.  The role of women in church leadership is one such secondary issue.  There are great, well-respected, evangelical theologians on both sides of the issue who uphold the authority of the Word of God in the highest regard.  The difference in opinion is not in regard to the respect for the authority and divine inspiration of the Bible but one of interpretation.

Discuss one or more of the following questions.

1. One of the maxims of the Churches of Christ is ‘in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty and in all things love.’  What are practical ways we can live out this maxim when discussing with others whose opinion differs from us?
2. ‘Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.’  This is a well-known quote from Steven R. Covey who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. How true is this of you? If we were better at emphatic listening (listening to understand another person’s worldview) how might this change the way we relate to people?  In what way would this make us more effective witnesses to the gospel when having a dialogue with others of a different theological view or even a different faith?
3. Pastor Chee talked about the gospel having a redemptive movement (how the gospel transforms culture gradually into kingdom culture) throughout the Bible.  Trace the redemptive movement of slavery from these examples from Scripture: Exodus 21:1-6; Col 4:1; Eph 6:5-8; Gal 3:28; 1 Corinthians 7:21-23; Phil 1:10-16.  Similarly, how has the radical teachings and role model of Jesus transformed the role and status of women?
4. In 1 Timothy 2:8-15 Paul addresses both the men and women to act appropriately.   What was happening in the church at Ephesus that led Paul to admonish both the men and women in this manner?  What instructions did he give to both?
5. The Greek word that Paul uses for ‘authority’ throughout his letters is ἐξουσίᾳ (exousia).  This has a positive context and means exercising appropriate authority.  However, only in 1Timothy 2:12 he purposely uses another word αὐθεντεῖν (authentein).  He could have used a range of other Greek words to indicate authority but he deliberately chose this one.  It is the only occurrence in the New Testament.  A study has been done looking at every occurrence of authentein around the time that 1 Timothy was written. Whilst it can have a range of meanings depending on the context, in all occurrences it implies having some sort of power or dominance over another in a negative way.  If Paul were forbidding women to have authority over a man as a universal principle he would have used the appropriate word that he used throughout the rest of the New Testament. Instead he used a different word forbidding the women to be domineering in some sort of power play. How does this fact change your understanding of Paul’s address to the women at Ephesus?
6. Bearing in mind all of the above, the prominent roles women played throughout the early church, and the other information on the handouts given out on Sunday why do you think our church leadership team came to the decision that this command to the unique situation in Ephesus cannot be used as a universal principle for our time now?
7. Please spend some time in prayer for the leadership team, pastors and board as they continue to prayerfully work through questions 2, 3, and 4.

Ps Chee shared that God wants to produce something from our lives out of this season as a church. Come together as one group and share in a few sentences your answer to these questions.

• What does God want to produce out of this season for you personal life?
• What does God want to produce out of this season for us as a life group?