06/08/2026
A long post written by our pastor, Josh, in support of our stance on women in ministry. It deals with the "Truth and Unity" amendment that, if passed, would bar churches who allowed women to preach to the assembled congregation from being in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention.
OUR STANCE: We support both men and women in all areas of leadership in our congregation. We have ordained women to the gospel ministry. We have also ordained women as deacons for over 50 years. We preach no other gospel. Jesus is our only Lord. We believe that redemption and grace come through a merciful and loving God who holds the power to forgive sins. We believe that God’s grace is offered to us through the life, death, and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ.
BIBLICAL/THEOLOGICAL: First and foremost, the only way to faithfully and responsibly interpret the scriptures is through the lens of Jesus Christ. This means that Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God and the unifying center of the entirety of the biblical story. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, He continually challenged those who saw themselves as gatekeepers of the Law. He erred on the side of grace and forgiveness. He expanded the roles of those who had been deemed unworthy by the world around them. We must take this into account as we interpret the rest of scripture.
Some claim that the “biblical argument is very clear” that women should not be given pastoral authority over men, normally citing 1 Timothy 2:11-12 as the prooftext that ends all discussion of the matter. In Ephesus, the location of Timothy when Paul wrote this letter, the temple of Artemis was the central place of pagan worship. It was staffed entirely by women, who held great social and political influence in Ephesus. Paul’s prohibition against women in 1 Timothy undoubtedly had the leaders of the temple cult in mind. The church was young in Ephesus, and these women of great religious and political influence could have easily confused folks about the nature of the God the church worshiped. This points to the idea that Paul’s prohibition against women teaching concerned the unique political and religious climate of Ephesus at that time.
The biblical record is strong for women in roles of religious authority.
In the Old Testament, Deborah and Huldah clearly lived as respected leaders who conveyed the messages of God. In all four gospels, women were the first messengers entrusted with the news of the resurrection! At Pentecost in Acts 2, Peter explained the miraculous outburst into tongues by quoting the Jewish prophet Joel’s words claiming that God’s Spirit was being poured out on both men and women, and they were simply responding to the work of the Spirit within them. What were they saying? They were “speaking about God’s deeds of power” (Acts 2:11, NRSV). In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul gives explicit instructions, perplexing to the modern ear as they may be, for what women are to do when they pray or prophesy in worship. In Galatians 3:28, Paul writes against drawing divisions among God’s people, even division by gender.
As Paul closed his theological magnum opus, Romans, he sent greetings to many church leaders and servants. He sent those greetings to nearly twice as many women as men! “Junia” in Romans 16:7 is the name of a woman who is called an “apostle.” In Romans 16 and Acts 18, Priscilla is greeted. She was a woman who explained theology more adequately to a man named Apollos.
Therefore, to claim that the biblical position clearly prohibits women from leading over men comes from an incomplete reading of the text.
Lastly, the word “prophesy,” (prophéteuó as written in the New Testament) means to share a message from God. That sounds a lot like preaching, doesn’t it? As a pastor reads, shares, and expounds upon the scriptures, is he or she not communicating a message from God?
OUR POLITY/GOVERNANCE: In our history, baptists have allowed churches to disagree on issues and remain in cooperation with one another, including disagreement about the ordination of women. Church autonomy is part of baptist DNA. There is no bishop, synod, or diocese who can tell us what we must believe and teach. To forcefully disfellowship with churches that are not questioning basic Christian orthodoxy does not fit within the historical norms of the baptist movement.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS: If the gospel is indeed good news, as I (Josh) wholeheartedly believe, then shouldn’t we desire as many people as possible to share that message in any way possible? Would my sisters and brothers in the SBC not celebrate when one responds to the call of Christ to follow Him if that call came under a female pastor? Is anyone less “saved” if they come to Christ under the leadership of a woman? Of course not!
I (Josh) came to follow Christ as a teenager under the leadership of a female youth minister in an SBC church. So, this issue is near and dear to my heart, as I am no less a follower of Jesus than someone who came to follow Christ under the leadership of a male.
