ByIf not the internet, then probably you’ve heard this question elsewhere from some Christians – “can women preach in church?” In some churches, there are no female pastors, not because the females aren’t capable, but because they condone it for women to preach. I see the whole confusion sprouting from two Bible verses that have been interpreted in different ways by several preachers. They are 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 1 Timothy 2:12. Take a look at them.
“Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.”
1 Corinthians 14:34 (NKJV)
“And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.”
1 Timothy 2:12 (NKJV)
Explanation of the two Bible verses above
Studying the Bible is very important. But there’s the need to check it in context. Failure to do so will end up making you misinterpret some verses. I believe people have used these two verses to confuse people in churches about this topic because of a lack of careful study. None of them condones women from preaching in church.
In 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Paul addressed the bad behaviour of people in the church of Corinth, where believers in Christ were committing evil practices due to a low-level understanding of the Word they received.
Because of their bad behaviour, Paul wrote that the women in that church shouldn’t preach. Why? Because they needed more training and discipleship to know God’s ways, mainly from their husbands. That is why in verse 35, Paul said, “And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; …”. So Paul charged Christian husbands in the church of Corinth to teach their wives the ways of God because almost the whole church members were babes in Christ (see 1 Corinthians 3:1). That means, suppose Paul wrote the letter to them when the believers were mature, he wouldn’t have told the women to keep silent in the churches.
And also, for 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul was speaking about the relationship between women and men, not necessarily in the scope of church gatherings. He said it’s not right for a woman to teach a man but to learn in submission. Note that Paul didn’t say the woman can’t talk. They can but in a submissive way. Adding up 1 Timothy 2:13, it’s clear that Paul reiterated God’s hierarchy of authority as he articulated in 1 Corinthians 11:3, not necessarily reducing women to quiet listeners.
Now you may ask, after explaining these two Bible verses, are there other mysteries in the Word of God that answers whether women can preach in church or not? Yes, there are. Let’s look at them.
1. The global Church as a body is a woman
Have you not read that the Church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:23) and Jesus is the head? Paul describes it just like a husband being the head of his wife. You’ll not see anywhere in the New Testament where a masculine pronoun has been used to refer to the Church. It’s always “her.”
So if the relationship Jesus has with the Church is like that of marriage, then it means the Church as an organism before God is a woman. Hence, if God sees all believers in Christ in the context of relationship as the bride of Christ, then females can preach in Church.
Gender isn’t a limitation to functionality in the kingdom of God.
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2. There’s neither male nor female in Christ
Furthermore, in Galatians 3:28, it’s written that there’s neither male nor female in Christ. Why? Because we are all one in Christ Jesus. Therefore in Christ, gender isn’t a limitation to functionality in the kingdom of God.
In terms of physical abilities, the differences will always be there. But when doing ministry with the unction of the Holy Spirit, God can do many things through both males and females.
Even on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, there were women in the auditorium (see Acts 1:14). When the Holy Spirit descended, all of them were filled with Him and spoke in other tongues as He gave each utterance (see Acts 2:4). Everyone did ministry as time went on.
3. Jesus gave gifts to people before He left the Earth
Before Jesus left the Earth, He gave gifts to men so that they would use them to train believers to do the work of the ministry (see Ephesians 4:8).
Well, just because Paul used the word “men” in the scripture doesn’t mean Jesus discriminated in the sharing of His gifts. Actually, “men” used in Ephesians 4:8 refers to human beings, not males. So females are inclusive.
Jesus gave some apostles; some prophets; some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers (see Ephesians 4:11). If He gave some, then,
- all forms of gender are included in eternal kingdom service.
- There are other gifts Paul didn’t mention, yet they are needed in the body of Christ. An example of this is ushering.
There are several things women can do in the kingdom of God, and preaching is inclusive. Do not limit who God can train and use to do mighty things for His kingdom expansion, whether male or female. Allow women to minister the Word too. God loved and called them too.
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