Women In Leadership
It is our belief and experience that the Lord gives the gift of leadership to both men and women. Below are a series of documents that speak to the Biblical and cultural conversations we've had over the years that have helped to shape our understanding of the heart of God as it relates to inviting women to the leadership table.
We highly recommend you read God's Women - Then and Now by Deborah M. Gill and Barbara Cavaness.
God's Women—Then and Now presents a biblical theology of women in ministry and leadership. The co-authors begin their approach with an introduction to biblical interpretation. Then they examine the Old Testament foundation of the issue. God's ideal was made clear in creation; and in spite of the Fall and its vicissitudes faced by females through time, that ideal still remains. Next, through excerpts from primary sources, they connect the reader with first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures. In such a socio-religious context, Jesus' treatment of and interaction with women is revolutionary. He came to restore God's creation ideals. Next is a survey of all relevant New Testament texts, categorized as follows: (1) theological texts - the normative statements of timeless truths; and (3) historical texts - descriptions of women ministers in the early church. The remaining texts (which some interpret as excluding women from ministry and leadership) are exegeted in detail and found to be restricted texts - dealing with specific issues in local churches. The final chapters of the book are practical applications for today concerning husband-wife relationships; comparing and contrasting authority, power, and leadership; and a offering parting challenge from the authors.
We highly recommend you read God's Women - Then and Now by Deborah M. Gill and Barbara Cavaness.
God's Women—Then and Now presents a biblical theology of women in ministry and leadership. The co-authors begin their approach with an introduction to biblical interpretation. Then they examine the Old Testament foundation of the issue. God's ideal was made clear in creation; and in spite of the Fall and its vicissitudes faced by females through time, that ideal still remains. Next, through excerpts from primary sources, they connect the reader with first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures. In such a socio-religious context, Jesus' treatment of and interaction with women is revolutionary. He came to restore God's creation ideals. Next is a survey of all relevant New Testament texts, categorized as follows: (1) theological texts - the normative statements of timeless truths; and (3) historical texts - descriptions of women ministers in the early church. The remaining texts (which some interpret as excluding women from ministry and leadership) are exegeted in detail and found to be restricted texts - dealing with specific issues in local churches. The final chapters of the book are practical applications for today concerning husband-wife relationships; comparing and contrasting authority, power, and leadership; and a offering parting challenge from the authors.
| women_in_ministry_-_nt_wright.pdf |
| pp_4191_women_ministry.pdf |
| women_in_ministry_-_bill_ellis.pdf |
| the_biblical_case_for_equality_-_kevin_giles.pdf |
Check out Tony Morgan's thoughts on the matter in his Churches Need to Close the Women in Leadership Gap blog post. I also recommend that you check out his post regarding Empowering Women Leaders and watch him interview John Ortberg here: Empowering Women Leaders: An Interview with John Ortberg.