The Biblical Case for Women in Leadership
I want to talk about women leading in the church. This is one of those debates you’ll have people boldly wrestle with; those who want to pin women to a certain role, and those who celebrate having them at the table. For those who desire to keep the glass ceiling intact, I understand where you are coming from.
There are some verses in the Bible that at first glance, seem to restrict a women’s role in the church. And there was a time, before I studied the Scriptures (and when I took what some people said at face value), that I assumed the same. However, if you dig a little deeper, there’s more to the story.
First, as you and I examine Scripture, we must be careful about how we interpret it. We don’t isolate verses to stand on their own. Rather, we interpret Scripture with Scripture. This means we’re going to look at the whole counsel of God and explore what the Bible collectively says on the topic. it’s also important to analyze the historical and cultural context in which these passages were written.
Old Testament
Let’s start with the Old Testament. Was the Old Testament predominantly patriarchal? Yes, very much. But that doesn’t mean God didn’t still use women in significant ways that defied cultural norms.
Miriam was a prophet and led a nation in worship (Exodus 15:20).
God chose Deborah to lead as a prophet, judge, and even led the men into battle (Judges 4-5). She wasn’t just a woman passing out advice, but a strong, wise, and obedient follower of God...and, notably, both a prophet and a judge.
What’s interesting is that only one other person in the Old Testament was both a prophet and a judge: Samuel.
Esther saved a nation through her bravery—a leader, indeed—and Huldah was a prophet in the time of King Josiah (2 Chronicles 34).
Furthermore, women didn’t need a man to have a relationship with God or to hear from Him. God spoke directly to them because He saw their value and worth. It was often their willingness that touched His heart.
New Testament
Jumping to the ministry of Jesus and the early Church, women were powerful tools in God’s hands.
Jesus looked at women and saw significant value in them, often sharing noteworthy doctrinal truths with women.
He proclaimed to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). In John 4, Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman at the well and it wasn’t any ordinary conversation. By speaking with her, Jesus was breaking through societal expectations and shattering misconceptions. Even the disciples were amazed he spoke with her.
And it was this woman he chose to take the Gospel to her village—a female evangelist to a people often rejected by the Jews.
It was also women who were present at the birth of the Savior, at the cross when he died, and first to see him after the resurrection. While the men often scattered, it was the women who stayed close to Jesus and it was this commitment that offered them the opportunity to be part of history.
Those that Jesus used while on earth are just the beginning of women playing a significant role in Christianity. There are women church leaders throughout the New Testament.
Phoebe was mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:1 to be a servant or “deaconess” who taught in the Cenchreae church.
Junia was considered outstanding by Paul and was among the circle of the apostles (Romans 16:7).
Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), Nympha (Colossians 4:15), and Apphia (Philemon 1:2) all led house churches.
Paul stated in Romans 16 that there were 4 women who “worked very hard” and that phrase was often used by Paul to refer to ministry work.
Priscilla was a church planter (Romans 16:5) and someone highly regarded by Paul. I think it’s also interesting that she instructed Apollos in key theological understandings. If women were not allowed to instruct men, how is this okay?
Tabitha led a benevolence ministry (Acts 9:36) and Philip’s four daughters were all identified as prophets (Acts 21:8,9).
These incredible women who served as ministry leaders in the early Church should be normalized and not made exceptions.
Exploring further New Testament text, there are other cases made for women in ministry leadership positions. In Acts 2, the giftings of the Spirit are poured out on men and women; there is no delineation of gifts to gender. It even says that women will prophesy.
The same is reflected in Ephesians 4 which illustrates the gifts of Christ poured out to individuals in the church. Finally, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 describes the gifts of the Spirit as being given to individuals, regardless of gender, age, etc.
To God, it’s not so much about gender or outward appearance but rather the heart. God can and will use anyone He chooses regardless of what man expects of their place or value.
Commonly Misinterpreted Verses
Now, there are two verses in the New Testament often referenced when addressing the topic of women in leadership. These verses are used in the case against, and at first glance, it makes sense why they are used. But digging into context, there’s more to the story.
1. The Misused Verse in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
“The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.”
People will read this and use it as a case for women to be silent in the church. But in context, Paul wasn’t just instructing women to be silent; he was also calling for those who speak in tongues and those who prophesy to do so in an orderly fashion. We know those gifts aren’t wrong, but rather what Paul was doing in this passage was instructing orderly conduct within the assembly.
Some women were likely being disrespectful within the church and asking questions that disrupted the orderly worship. The word “speak” in this verse is used when addressing prophecies and tongues earlier in the chapter. In both references, it specifically mentions more than one person attempting to speak at one time. So since it’s the same word in the same passage, we can conclude it means the same—more than one woman was talking. Some commentators believe women were talking amongst themselves during the service, causing a distraction.
Paul is calling out the lack of order and not women speaking in church. We know he was an advocate for such roles because 1) Paul had already established the giftings of ministry roles to both genders in 1 Corinthians 12 (see above) and 1 Corinthians 14:3-5, and 2) in 1 Corinthians 11:5 we see Paul mention women as participants in prayer and prophesy in the assembly.
2. The Misused Verse in 1 Timothy 2:11-15
“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”
In other writings from Paul, it's clear that he affirmed women in ministry positions. So what is he saying in this passage? He’s likely speaking about a type of order here as well.
Paul is writing to Timothy, who is leading a church in Ephesus. The city had a large temple dedicated to the goddess of Diana and was considered a matriarchal society that challenged the traditional family structure. In fact, most of the religious teachers in that city were women, and they were teaching false theology.
They even taught that woman was created first and that Adam took the first bite. This is likely why Paul sets the record straight in verses 13-14 of this chapter.
It makes more sense that Paul instructs these women not to speak in the church. Again, this brings order to how things should run.
A few word breakdowns:
“Learn quietly” — that word “quiet” is the word “hesychia” and it means to live a life that does not meddle in the affairs of others.
“All submissiveness” — “hypotage” which means obedient.
Furthermore, the word “teach” is “didasko” and it means to discharge the office of a teacher; conduct one’s self as a teacher. This makes a lot of sense considering there were women in the city who were teaching false theology and likely trying to influence the Christian church there. They may have been attempting to discharge the teachers there to teach themselves.
Let’s consider it important to walk in obedience and not meddle or interrupt.
Disclaimers
As I close, I will make 2 disclaimers.
First, 1 Timothy 3 refers to a position that, in this verse, only men seem to hold, but that's the role of an elder/deacon. And that's a position earned, not an office that is determined by gifts. However, some believe Phoebe was a deaconess and indeed, some translations use it. Phoebe was diakonos of the church at Cenchrea. Paul regularly used this term for a minister or leader of a congregation and applied it specifically to Jesus Christ, Tychicus, Epaphras, Timothy, and to his own ministry. Depending on the context, diakonos is usually translated “deacon” or “minister.” Though some translators have chosen the word deaconess (e.g., RSV, because Phoebe was female), the Greek diakonos is a masculine noun. Therefore, it seems likely that diakonos was the designation for an official leadership position in the Early Church and the proper translation for Phoebe’s role is “deacon” (TNIV, NLT, NRSV) or “minister.” All to say, this verse can be left to interpretation.
The second disclaimer is that I am a soft complementation. This means I belive the Bible is clear that women are equal in value but different in giftings and roles, both in the church and in the home. As much as I advocate for women in leadership, I do believe that a man should serve as the head of a church body. So while women can and should serve in various ministry roles, each should fall under the covering of a male leader.
Scripture teaches that first man was created by a direct divine act of creation and given the responsibility to lead; subsequently, the woman was created by God from the man (Gen 2:5–9) and for the man (Gen 2:18–20). He is to subdue the earth and is given the name “Adam,” which also serves as the name of the entire human race. God calls the man to account and holds him responsible for the fall.
We do see through Scripture a case for men in the headship, leading, and while women can and should certainly lead, there is a case for a male covering.
Celebrate Women in the Body
Why not be a celebrator of women, seeing their value and inviting them to the table? This world is falling into chaos and there are a lot of people who need Jesus. I hope you will encourage every believer to use their gifts to reach the lost rather than suggest eliminating half of the Body of Christ from using what God has put in them. I read the Bible and see that God celebrates using women in the Kingdom of God.
Now is not the time to limit the workers, but rather encourage them to step into their giftings and callings to share the Gospel.
We are all part of the Body and when one hurts—or is marginalized—the whole Body suffers.
If we’re not careful, we can build a whole framework for ministry from one verse when taken out of context. But if you take the full work of God, from Genesis to Revelation, you see God has used His daughters for centuries to build His kingdom.
NOW LIVE
Being a woman in leadership is hard. We aren’t always embraced as capable leaders and face obstacles men just don’t. But you were designed to have a voice at the table.
Get Access to my online leadership course for women: Leading and Loving from the Woman’s Heart. You and your calling are worth the investment!