Women in Ministry
A few years ago, your session looked at the topic of women in ministry. We decided we wanted to expand the role of women in the life of our church because we see an interdependence between men and women when it comes to fulfilling the mission God has given them. For instance, Genesis 1-3 shows that Adam and Eve need each other to “tend and keep” (Genesis 2.15) the garden. We also see that they need each other to fulfill God’s command to be “fruitful and multiply.” Then in Luke 8.1-3, you see Jesus had a ministry team of the twelve disciples and a group of women who went from city to city bringing the kingdom of God.
We want to see the same interdependence in ministry to our church. We desire to practice this interdependence as we think about worship leadership on Sundays, staffing, and by opening the role of deaconess in the life of our church. There are two deaconess passages in the New Testament and they leave us wanting for more details. 1 Timothy 3.11 only lists character qualities. Romans 16 only calls Phoebe (a deaconess) a servant. So, we don’t have a lot to go on in order to come up with a deaconess “job description.” Here’s where we have landed:
Attend monthly meetings with elders and deacons in order to have the input of women when it comes to decisions made that affect the ministry of our church
Help in worship by leading in the confession of sin, assurance of pardon, and serving communion
Minister to women in our church who are in distress or need
I am thrilled about this development in our church. It makes us more faithful to the Scriptures. It gives women access to the training we do with the deacons and elders. It makes our ministry as a church richer.
- Marshall
