Editor’s Note: This article begins a series that addresses specific topics related to women’s ministry throughout the local church.
Be sure to get a copy of the book “Women’s Ministry: Loving and Serving the Church through the Word?” (Faithful Editor). This book presents a vision of ministry to women that is rooted in the Word of God, grows in the context of the body of Christ, and points to the glory of the Son of God. You can also attend one of the Faithful Ministry Conferences for Women. .
- I recently received this question from a woman who describes herself as complementary in a church full of egalitarians.
- How can she express the value of women’s ministry to those who believe that the roles of men and women in the church should be the same?.
The question often arises, and as often, even in several complementary contexts: why shouldn’t women simply participate in religious services, small groups, and various other ministries with the rest of the body, rather than creating a new women-centered ministry?
Shall I propose five answers to this question? Not the only answers, of course, but some initial answers that may be partly related to egalitarian ones. If we want to talk about women’s ministry, we must be prepared to answer this question clearly and clearly. biblical form (can you find a much more detailed discussion in the book?Women’s Ministry: Love and serve the church through the Word?)
Response 1: An official ministry of women is not essential
It is very important to mention that women’s ministry is not a biblical requirement. The Bible does not tell Christians to organize small groups, Bible study groups, or special meetings for women. Many of us tend to think immediately about official programs when this problem arises. But while these can be wonderful, we must recognize that women’s ministry can and will occur in a wide variety of ways within a healthy congregation.
Answer 2: The Bible calls women to teach women in the context of a local church.
Although a women’s ministry is not essential, it can be helpful to organize and formalize it in one way or another. You know what I mean. We must go to Tite 2, where Paul asks Tite to lead his church so that men and women can serve specifically as pious men and women, and specifically as pious young men and women. The famous orientation of older women to teach young women as “good teachers”. (Titus 2. 3) appears in the context of a letter thattols the eternal doctrines of the gospel and how they can be lived in the various ordained layers of God’s people, gathered in the local body of the faithful.
In many passages, the New Testament speaks to the women of the church specifically as women, calling them to live a pious life and (in Title 2) to teach each other this piety. Does this particular insistence imply the need for a separate time for women to be together and teach each other?mainly through the communication and application, in prayer, of the Word of God, with the aim of knowing Christ and honoring him in all our relationships and responsibilities. While this teaching may take place informally, an organized women’s ministry provides a context in which this can be offered to all women in a congregation.
Answer 3: We must raise women full of the Word
As I have already said, this teaching comes first and foremosm through the communication and application, in prayer, of the Word of God An effective female ministry develops generations of women who study and transmit the scriptures. Revelation of Himself inspired by God to human beings; it is the light of the way and the mana for the soul of every disciple of Jesus.
It is essential that women receive regular instruction from the Word from ordained leaders, as well as the education and encouragement of men and women. But it is also essential that women teach “as teachers of good” when they pass on to other women not only practical principles, but the foundation in the Word, where these principles come from. What a blessing is the exemplary person whose heart and spirit are saturated with Scripture, whose life is transformed by the Spirit into the image of Christ, and whose language proclaims Loud and clear his excellences!I have been blessed by such examples over the years, from Sunday school teachers to Bible study leaders, to women who have simply taken the time to pray for me and me. Will future generations need these exemplary people more than ever?and not only virtual or celebrity, but real women in real congregations.
It is clear that this complete teaching of the Word occurs in every way: from great group Bible studies to reading the Word at the kitchen table between two women, this happens in mentoring relationships based on the sharing of the Word, this occurs when women pray, serve, administer, celebrate and cry together , always with the Word at the tip of the tongue; pastors and elders can assist in this process with excellence and substance; and when this word-filled teaching takes place, it affects the whole body. Church.
Answer 4: A women’s ministry full of words blesses the whole church
The ministry of women should not separate women from the rest of the congregation, in fact, it should not be directed solely for the good of women, but for the good of the whole congregation, as women are encouraged in Christ, through the Word, to become ever more pious, joining through prayer others in the Body; family members, those who need physical or spiritual help, children, and church leaders.
We’ll see additional distinctions at some point in this conversation, we’ve probably already done it, but we certainly will now. For the complementary, it is a joyful encounter, because we believe that God has created an order for marriage and marriage. the church, an order for our joy and for our good We celebrate our participation in the divine drama of love between Christ and his Church, playing our role as women in the image of God It is a joy to see a Church where pastors and elders are kind enough to guide all members of their congregation, including women , pastorally supervising the ministry of women and encouraging the formation of female leaders. As a result, the whole church is strengthened and men and women are equipped to be partners in the work of the One Pastor who read a draft of this article said he would like to add this: the more direct women in the Word in his congregation, the happier he will be, because they help him in many ways to stay alert.
The process can be complicated. Marriage and church leaders are always sinful human beings, as are those who follow suit. In churches where there is no unanimity in gender roles, unimaginable sensitivity is needed, as believers pray faithfully for their leaders and seek to follow and serve. According to the Word of God. Only by the grace of God, transforming ourselves into the image of his Son, by his Spirit and His Word, will we grow together in a body that honors him.
Response 5: The Ministry of Women is a valuable channel for evangelization.
At this point, you should probably read Gloria Furman’s chapter in the book The Ministry of Women. If you’ve ever been tempted to think of women’s Bible study groups simply as a welcoming place for friends for a long time, get ready for a paradigm shift. have an incredible opportunity in today’s world to embrace other women who would never be (or, in some cases, would not be allowed to participate) in a mixed group In all contexts, groups of women rooted in the Word of God have enormous potential to serve lost and wounded women, who are attracted to an authentic and graceful community , and who need, above all, to find the Lord and Savior who shines through the scriptures from start to finish.
Many of us need to hear stories about how the Word of God spoken and taught invaded a woman’s heart and then reached an entire family with the gospel, and how she builds evangelical faith and fervor in churches (see, for example, the chapter written by Cindy Cochrum). I have seen this happen in many groups, especially when leaders pray for this kind of fruit of the gospel, while one woman after another invites a non-Christian friend to accompany her.
What an opportunity, through the ministry of women, to embrace the vocation of a people separated by God to be salt and light in the world, out of love for Christ and his kingdom.