Search — Theology Explorer

complementarianism eldership gender roles

Definition of complementarianism: women and men are equal in value but have different roles, particularly that women should not serve as elders.

Framing the debate — defining key terms

eldership gender roles egalitarianism

Definition of egalitarianism: equality in both personhood and role, with no limits on what women can do in the church including serving as elders.

Framing the debate — defining key terms

eldership duration of submission eternal perspective

Rebuttal: women's submission is not permanent — it is limited to this life, and Christians should not view this life as their permanent state. Most Christians permanently submit to elders anyway.

Mistake #4: Rebutting 'permanent'

eldership Philip Payne equality in Christ

Mike's rebuttal to Payne: role differences are about God's calling/assignment, not nature or equality in Christ. Payne's logic would make eldership part of what it means to be Christian.

Mistake #4: Rebutting Payne

1 Timothy women in ministry complementarianism egalitarianism

Complementarian vs. egalitarian views on women's roles summarized

Mike recaps the two major positions before diving into the evidence.

Acts 18:26 Priscilla private vs. public teaching eldership teaching

Priscilla's teaching was doctrinal but private and informal, not public elder-type teaching

Mike distinguishes what Priscilla's teaching was from what it was not.

1 Timothy 2 women in ministry 1 Timothy 2 teaching and authority

Mike's tentative position: teaching allowed if it doesn't carry eldership authority; real-life examples balance rules

Mike begins articulating his personal landing point.

Elder, overseer, bishop, and presbyter are all the same biblical role

Mike clarifies terminology before discussing eldership requirements.

overseer episkopos elder

1 Timothy 5:9-10 Linda Belleville 1 Timothy 5:9-10 enrolled widows

Belleville's third argument: enrolled widows were paid for ministry like elders -- refuted

Mike addresses the compensation argument.

1 Timothy 3:2 able to teach didaktikos elder vs. deacon distinction

The unique elder requirement: able to teach -- distinguishes elders from deacons

Mike highlights what makes elder requirements distinct.

eldership women deacons deacons

Transition to deacons: eldership is male; deacons are the question

Mike frames the deacon discussion.

Acts 6 apostles Acts 6 deacon definition

Acts 6: the seven men as proto-deacons; deacons do everything that isn't eldership

Mike discusses the origin of the deacon role.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 1 Timothy 3:11 women deacons internal contradiction eldership

Egalitarian contradiction: if 1 Timothy 3:11 has women deacons, it proves women are excluded from elders in 3:1-7

Mike identifies an internal contradiction in egalitarian argumentation.

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-09

Complementarian views on women apostles

Mike summarizes the complementarian positions on the question.

complementarianism elder qualifications missionaries vs apostles

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-09

Women were missionaries in the early church; 'co-workers' means missionary partners

Mike affirms women's roles in early church missions.

co-workers in Paul women in missions Paul's missionary teams

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-09

Negative data: all twelve apostles were men

Mike presents the complementarian argument from the composition of the Twelve.

Craig Blomberg elder restriction the Twelve

Luke 10:39 N.T. Wright Luke 10:39 Mary and Martha

Argument 2 preview: Jesus training women to be rabbis, not just disciples

The claim that Mary sitting at Jesus's feet (Luke 10) is a technical phrase meaning rabbinical training, implying Jesus intended women for eldership-level leadership.

eldership universal priesthood of believers

Argument 3 preview: Universal priesthood of believers means women can hold any ministry role

If all Christians are priests (including women), then women should be able to serve in any ministry role including eldership.

eldership Craig Keener prophecy argument

Argument 4 preview: If women can prophesy to the whole church, they can also teach and be elders

Since women prophesied at mixed-gender gatherings and prophecy is a high role involving authority, women should also be allowed to teach and serve as elders.

Conclusion on persecution argument: being persecuted proves you are a Christian, not a leader

Mike's conclusion: the NT context never says persecution implies important leadership. It just implies being a Christian.

persecution argument

eldership universal priesthood of believers

Argument 3 introduced: Universal priesthood of believers

Mike introduces the argument: since all NT believers are priests, and priestly functions include teaching and leading, women should be able to be elders.

Discovering Biblical Equality Stanley Grenz priestly character of eldership

Some complementarians argue eldership is priestly in character, therefore reserved for men — Mike rejects this

Mike introduces and then rejects a complementarian argument that the pastoral office is priestly and therefore male-only.

eldership Levitical priesthood

Arguments that current leadership is priestly in character are bad, but we can learn something from an all-male OT priesthood

Mike rejects the priestly-character-of-eldership argument but says there may still be relevant principles from the all-male Levitical priesthood.

Discovering Biblical Equality universal priesthood of believers Stanley Grenz

Grenz's positive case: whoever is a priest should be able to be an elder

After Grenz dismantles the complementarian argument, he builds his own: women are priests, therefore they can be elders.

eldership qualifications necessary but not sufficient

Priesthood is necessary but not sufficient for eldership

Mike proposes replacing 'irrelevant' with 'insufficient for' in Grenz's claim.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 eldership qualifications Titus 1

Pushback 1: Not all priests can be elders — eldership has requirements beyond being a Christian

Mike's first rebuttal to Grenz: the Bible pragmatically refutes the argument by listing elder qualifications beyond priesthood.

Stanley Grenz eldership qualifications sovereignty of the Spirit

Pushback 2: If the Holy Spirit is the source of the gender limitation, then ignoring it removes the Spirit's sovereign call

Grenz claims gender restrictions remove the Spirit's sovereign call. Mike flips this argument.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 Stanley Grenz eldership qualifications

Pushback 3: Grenz's argument assumes priesthood + gifts are the ONLY factors for eldership — they are not

Grenz's case rests on two factors: being a priest and having gifts. Mike argues these are not the only factors.

1 Timothy 2:5 priesthood mediation 1 Timothy 2:5

Priesthood means no one mediates between you and God; this is different from teaching

Mike now builds his positive case for what priesthood means for Christians and why it does not equate to eldership.

eldership priesthood mediation

Being a priest does not mean anything about being an elder; eldership is not priestly in character

Mike draws the sharp distinction: priesthood is about access to God, not about teaching or leading others.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 Levitical priesthood eldership qualifications

Anticipated objection: if women could not be OT priests but are NT priests, why can't they hold the highest roles?

Mike addresses the challenge to his view: if women's exclusion from OT priesthood was about gender, and now they are priests, doesn't that prove they can have any role?

1 Timothy 2 1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 2 1 Timothy 3 eldership qualifications

What was uniquely priestly was the mediating function, which now belongs to all believers

Mike clarifies the distinction between priestly mediation and teaching.

Craig Keener prophecy argument prophecy and authority

Three egalitarian claims from women prophesying: (1) women could speak publicly, (2) prophecy is similar to teaching, (3) prophecy carries authority rivaling eldership

Mike outlines three sub-arguments egalitarians derive from women prophesying.

eldership prophecy and teaching biblical categories

Prophecy is NOT teaching — the Bible consistently keeps them in separate categories

Mike's key pushback: while prophecy may involve elements of teaching, they are distinct categories in Scripture.

functional eldership women teaching

Important qualifiers: context, frequency, and whether a woman is functionally serving as an elder matter

Mike adds nuance about when teaching from a woman might cross a line.

1 Timothy 3 soft complementarianism 1 Timothy 3 prophecy argument

The egalitarian move 'prophecy involves teaching, therefore all teaching is acceptable, therefore prophecy equals eldership' blurs God-given distinctions

Mike warns against the slippery-slope reasoning some egalitarians use.

Craig Keener influence vs. authority prophecy and authority

Claim 3 analysis: Craig Keener argues prophecy carries authority that rivals eldership

Mike examines the third and strongest form of the prophecy argument.

complementarian correction women's influence

Do not be allergic to women having influence — that is what gives complementarians a reputation for insecurity

Mike addresses complementarian men directly.

eldership influence vs. authority

Influence is not the same as eldership — a governor has massive influence but is not your church elder

Mike uses analogies to distinguish influence from the specific authority of eldership.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 eldership qualifications Titus 1

Eldership is radically different from prophecy: anyone could prophesy instantly, but elders must meet extensive qualifications

Mike begins a detailed list of differences between prophecy and eldership.

1 Corinthians 14:29 1 John 4:1 prophecy and authority 1 Corinthians 14:29 1 John 4:1

Prophecy is tested; the prophet has no authority over the evaluation of their own prophecy

Mike explains the testing process for prophecy per 1 Corinthians 14:29 and 1 John 4:1.

prophecy and authority testing the man vs. testing the word eldership authority

With elders, you test the man so the teaching will be pure; with prophecy, you test the prophecy because anyone can give one

Mike draws the fundamental distinction in how authority works for elders vs. prophets.

Craig Keener prophecy and authority Nathan

Keener himself acknowledges prophets had 'no authority outside of their message'

Mike uses Keener's own words to push back on other egalitarians who argue prophecy equals authority.

Prophecy and eldership are very different: prophecy is passive, requires no qualifications or appointment, and the prophet has no ongoing authority

Mike summarizes the key differences that undermine the prophecy-equals-eldership argument.

prophecy vs. eldership

soft complementarianism prophecy argument complementarian correction

Conclusion on prophecy: it pushes back against banning women from public speech but does not support removing all eldership restrictions

Mike gives his balanced conclusion on the prophecy argument.

Calvary Chapel youth ministry gifts expressed outside eldership

Mike's personal example: he served as youth pastor for 13 years and never functioned as senior pastor, yet his gifts were not limited

Mike uses his own ministry experience to show that gifts can be fully expressed outside the senior elder role.

eldership teaching gift offices vs. gifts

Most Christians gifted in teaching are not elders — you can teach without being an elder

Mike challenges the assumption that having a gift requires the highest office to express it.

Titus 2:3-5 Titus 2:3-5 women's ministry women teaching

Titus 2:3-5 — older women are to teach younger women; a biblical case for women's teaching ministry outside eldership

Mike provides a scriptural example of women teaching in appropriate contexts.

Colossians 3:16 Colossians 3:16 teaching gift necessary but not sufficient

Not everyone who teaches is an elder — an elder must be able to teach, but ability to teach does not require eldership

Mike makes the logical distinction between necessary and sufficient conditions.