Men and Women in the Life of the Church
Our Convictions and Our Commitment
One of the questions people often ask when learning about a new church community is this: What do you believe about the role of women in the church?It is an important question, and one that deserves both biblical seriousness and careful humility.
At our church, we want to be deeply committed to the authority of Scripture while also celebrating the full participation of every believer in the mission of God. We recognize that faithful Christians have arrived at different conclusions on this issue, and we believe it is helpful to begin by understanding the broader conversation.
Two Common Christian Perspectives
Across the Christian world, there are generally two major approaches to understanding the roles of men and women in church leadership.
The first view is often called egalitarianism. Egalitarian Christians believe that Scripture teaches full equality in both value and function between men and women in the home and in the church. In this view, there are no leadership roles reserved exclusively for men. Women may serve as pastors, elders, preachers, and in every level of church leadership. Those who hold this position often point to passages such as Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” They emphasize that the coming of Christ removes distinctions that once limited participation in God’s mission.
The second view is commonly known as complementarianism. Complementarian Christians affirm that men and women are completely equal in dignity, worth, and spiritual standing before God, but that God has designed distinct roles within both family life and church leadership. In many complementarian churches, positions such as preaching and elder leadership are reserved for qualified men, while women may serve in a variety of other important ministries. Those who hold this view often point to passages such as 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Timothy 3, where Paul discusses teaching authority and qualifications for elders. While these two categories are helpful, we believe the biblical picture is more nuanced than either extreme often allows.
Our Approach: A Biblical Partnership in Kingdom Work
Our church embraces what some would describe as moderate complementarianism.
What does that mean? We believe Scripture teaches that God has designed men to carry a unique responsibility for spiritual leadership within the home and within the governing leadership of the church. For that reason, we believe the roles of elder and preaching minister are reserved for qualified men. At the same time, we strongly reject any view that sidelines women, minimizes their gifts, or treats women as secondary participants in the mission of the church. We believe the New Testament paints a far richer and more beautiful picture. Women are not spectators in the Kingdom of God. Women are called, gifted, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and essential to the flourishing of the church.
The Bible’s Vision Is Far Bigger Than Silence
Sometimes conversations about this issue focus almost entirely on a handful of restrictive passages while ignoring the overwhelming testimony of Scripture that women played indispensable roles in God’s work.
Consider the biblical evidence…
Women Were Central to the Ministry of Jesus
Jesus consistently elevated women in ways that were radically countercultural in the ancient world.
Women traveled with Jesus and financially supported His ministry (Luke 8:1-3).
Mary sat at Jesus’ feet as a disciple learning alongside men (Luke 10:39).
Women were the first witnesses of the resurrection and the first commissioned to announce the greatest news in history (John 20:17-18).
At nearly every major moment in the Gospel story, faithful women were present.
Women Served as Vital Leaders in the Early Church
The early church was filled with women actively participating in ministry.
Priscilla, alongside her husband Aquila, helped instruct Apollos more accurately in the way of God (Acts 18:26).
Phoebe is described by Paul as a servant (or deacon) of the church in Cenchreae and a trusted partner in ministry (Romans 16:1-2).
Junia is mentioned among those highly regarded among the apostles (Romans 16:7).
Women hosted house churches, provided financial support, evangelized, discipled believers, and helped establish the early Christian movement. The New Testament does not portray women as passive observers.
Women Are Spiritually Gifted for Ministry
One of the clearest teachings of the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit equips all believers for ministry and service within the body of Christ. When a person is baptized into Christ and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, they are not called simply to attend church gatherings or remain passive observers. Every believer is invited into active participation in the mission of God. This includes both men and women.
Throughout the New Testament, we see that God gives His people gifts that strengthen the church and advance the Gospel. Paul teaches in passages like Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 that every Christian has a role to play in the life of the body. These gifts include serving, encouraging, showing mercy, hospitality, generosity, wisdom, discernment, evangelism, discipleship, leadership, and many other forms of ministry. We believe women should be encouraged to fully develop and faithfully exercise every gift God has given them. The church is healthiest when every believer is actively engaged in ministry.
Why We Reserve Eldership and Preaching for Men
At the same time, we believe Scripture establishes a pattern of male spiritual responsibility in certain leadership roles. Jesus chose twelve male apostles who became foundational leaders of the church. In passages such as 1 Timothy 2:12-14 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul appears to reserve preaching within the gathered church and the office of elder for qualified men. This is not because men are more gifted, more valuable, or spiritually superior. It is because throughout Scripture God often assigns responsibility in ways connected to created order and covenant leadership.
We believe leadership in the church is not fundamentally about privilege. It is about responsibility. Biblically speaking, men are called to carry a burden of sacrificial spiritual leadership. This is not about domination, control or superiority. Rather it is about responsibility before God.
But these role distinctions should never cause us to underestimate how essential women are to the life, health, and mission of the church. The biblical picture is not one of limitation, but partnership. God has called both men and women to labor together for the sake of the Gospel, and the church flourishes when every member of the body faithfully uses the gifts God has entrusted to them.
This Means Practically In Our Church
In our church, women will be encouraged to fully participate in the life and mission of the church. Women will lead ministries. Women will teach in many contexts. Women will disciple others. Women will help shape strategy, mission, hospitality, outreach, prayer gatherings, children’s ministry, student ministry, worship ministry, community formation, and countless other areas of Kingdom service. We want women to exercise every gift God has given them.
The only areas we reserve specifically for qualified men are:
The role of elder
The preaching role within the gathered church
Outside of these areas, we want to create a church culture where women flourish in ministry and where their voices are deeply valued.
A Better Conversation
Unfortunately, churches sometimes approach this issue in ways that create unnecessary division. Some churches have reacted against biblical boundaries altogether. Others have created environments where women are functionally silenced and underutilized. We believe Scripture calls us toward something better.
A church where men embrace sacrificial spiritual leadership.
A church where women are empowered to serve boldly.
A church where every believer uses their gifts for the mission of Jesus.
A church where leadership is never about power, but about service.
Our Ultimate Commitment
At the end of the day, this conversation is not about preserving tradition or reacting against culture. It is about faithfully following Jesus. We believe God created men and women with equal dignity, equal value, and equal worth as image bearers of God. We believe both men and women are called into the mission of making disciples. And we believe Scripture gives us a beautiful vision where men carry particular responsibility for spiritual oversight while women actively and powerfully shape the life of the church. The Kingdom of God advances best when every member of the body is fully alive in their calling.
As Paul reminds us:
“From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
— Ephesians 4:16
That is the kind of church we hope to become.
Note: If you want to do a deeper biblical study on this topic, click here to request you be sent our document “Ordered Partnership: A Biblical Theology of Men, Women, and Church Leadership.”
