Within His word, the Lord has authorized specific roles for men and women to have in His church. What a privilege to even be in the body of Christ! Then, to know that God has given each member an assigned role and purpose is even more thrilling.
While men and women share some of the same responsibilities in the church, Christ has allocated certain roles in leadership exclusively to the men. Since the church belongs to Him, He is the one solely authorized to make such distinctions. However, He makes it clear that these varying roles are not based upon one’s value or ability, but they are simply different functions that He Himself has appointed.
Christ has specified the role of leadership for the men in the church—elders (1 Tim. 3:1-7), deacons (1 Tim. 3:8-13), preachers and worship leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-12; 4:13-16). Christ has therefore specified a role of submission for the women in the church. While this concept is highly unpopular in today’s culture, it is, nevertheless, His plan. Let us consider what the New Testament teaches in this regard.
Women are called to “learn in silence with all submission” (1 Tim. 2:11). This emphasizes a spirit of attentiveness and receptiveness, which a woman of God has toward the male leaders in the church. The woman is not inferior to the man or of less worth or the target of discrimination, any more than Christ is inferior to God (cf. 1 Cor. 11:3). It is a matter of roles that have been assigned.
Women are not permitted “to teach or to exercise authority over a man” (1 Tim. 2:12). This is not prohibiting all teaching (Tit. 2:3-5) or talking to a man about the Bible (Acts 18:26; 1 Pet. 3:15) or being an active and influential part of a congregation (Acts 9:36-39; Rom. 16:1-2), but it has to do with the position of authority inherent in one engaged in public teaching or leading in a church. A woman of God will willingly and humbly submit to God’s plan for her place in the church.
The Lord specifies at least three reasons for these differences in roles. First, He emphasizes the Divine order of authority, in which “the head of woman is man” (1 Cor. 11:3). Second, He points to the order of creation, “Adam was formed first, then Eve” (1 Tim. 2:13; 1 Cor. 11:8-9). Third, He calls attention to the introduction of sin into the world, when “the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1 Tim. 2:14; cf. Gen. 3:6, 16). Thus, the roles are not tied to any culture but to God’s eternal plan.
Christian women are wonderfully talented servants of God, and there are many meaningful roles that they can and do fulfill in the church. May God help each of us to submit ourselves to His will for our lives and seek His good pleasure.