Cheryl Schatz

Kay,
Excellent point!

I have also been trying to help Mark understand that “teacher” is a gift and “elder” is a work that one can aspire to. A gift is not the same as a work. As a gift, a teacher is gifted and empowered by the Creator who is not held back in His ability to empower one gender. As a good work, all are told that they may aspire to the work of overseer or elder. If God had desired to limit Himself through holding back His gifts and empowerment to women, then these debates would never happen. The void in the gift of teacher in the lives of women would be reason enough to consider this a dead issue. But thankfully the debate is on and heating up because:

1. The Scripture never lists women as vessels who may not receive certain gifts or may not aspire to the work of an overseer.

2. There are women in the body of Christ who are so incredibly gifted that their giftedness by the Holy Spirit is not questioned even by most complementarians.