Can women teach/preach Scripture? What does Scripture say?
Question 1135
Few questions generate more heat in contemporary Christianity than the role of women in teaching and preaching. Positions range from complete egalitarianism, where no distinctions exist between men and women in church ministry, to strict complementarianism that limits women’s participation significantly. What does Scripture actually say? We must approach this topic with both courage to follow God’s Word wherever it leads and humility to recognise sincere believers hold differing views.
The Value and Giftedness of Women
Before examining any restrictions, we must establish what Scripture affirms positively about women. From the beginning, both male and female bear God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Both are blessed by God. Both are given dominion over creation. The creation of woman as a “helper” (עֵזֶר, ezer) in Genesis 2:18 implies no inferiority; the same term is used of God Himself as Israel’s helper (Psalm 33:20; 70:5). Woman was created because it was “not good” for man to be alone, indicating her essential contribution to human flourishing.
Throughout Scripture, women play significant roles. Miriam was a prophetess who led worship (Exodus 15:20-21). Deborah was a prophetess and judge who led Israel (Judges 4-5). Huldah was a prophetess consulted by King Josiah’s officials regarding the discovered Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:14-20). The wise woman of Abel saved her city (2 Samuel 20:14-22). Priscilla, alongside her husband Aquila, explained the way of God more accurately to Apollos (Acts 18:26).
In the New Testament, women are among Jesus’s closest followers. They supported His ministry financially (Luke 8:1-3). They were present at the cross when most disciples had fled. They were first witnesses of the resurrection, commissioned to tell the disciples (Matthew 28:7-10). The early church included women like Phoebe, a deacon (Romans 16:1), and Junia, noted among the apostles (Romans 16:7), though her precise role is debated.
The Spirit is poured out on both sons and daughters (Acts 2:17-18). Spiritual gifts are distributed to all believers without gender distinction (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). Women pray and prophesy in the church (1 Corinthians 11:5). The idea that women have nothing to contribute to Christian ministry finds no support in Scripture.
The Disputed Passages
The primary texts that restrict women’s roles in the church are 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15. These passages must be examined carefully, respecting what they actually say.
In 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Paul writes: “The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.”
This passage creates an apparent contradiction with 1 Corinthians 11:5, where Paul assumes women do pray and prophesy in the assembly. Several interpretations have been offered. Some argue Paul is quoting a Corinthian position he then refutes (note verse 36’s apparent rebuttal). Others suggest the “silence” refers to a specific activity, perhaps the weighing of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:29), or disruptive speech, or speaking in tongues without interpretation. The reference to asking husbands at home suggests the issue may involve disorderly questioning that disrupted the service.
What seems clear is that Paul cannot be prohibiting all speech by women in all circumstances, given what he writes three chapters earlier. The restriction must be understood within the specific context of Corinthian church problems.
In 1 Timothy 2:11-15, Paul writes: “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”
This passage is more explicit and grounds its instruction in creation order and the fall. The word translated “exercise authority” (αὐθεντεῖν, authentein) appears only here in the New Testament, making its precise meaning difficult to determine. Some argue it carries connotations of domineering or usurping authority, suggesting Paul prohibits not all authority but abusive authority. Others maintain it simply means exercising authority and that Paul prohibits women from holding teaching authority over men in the church.
The grounding in creation order (Adam formed first, then Eve) suggests Paul sees this not as a temporary cultural accommodation but as rooted in God’s design. This has led many complementarians to understand the restriction as applying across cultures and eras.
The Complementarian Position
The complementarian view holds that men and women are equally created in God’s image and equally valuable, but that God has assigned different roles to each, particularly in the home and church. Men are called to lead, and women are called to support that leadership while exercising their own gifts within that structure.
This position points to the creation narrative, where Adam was formed first and given responsibility before Eve was created. It notes that the twelve apostles were all men. It emphasises that elder or overseer qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are given in masculine terms (“husband of one wife”). It interprets 1 Timothy 2 as establishing a pattern for church leadership that reserves authoritative teaching roles for qualified men.
Complementarians typically distinguish between authoritative teaching over the church (reserved for men) and other forms of teaching and ministry (open to women). Women may teach women (Titus 2:3-4), teach children, serve as missionaries, exercise spiritual gifts including prophecy, engage in one-on-one instruction (as Priscilla did with Apollos), and serve in numerous ministries. The restriction applies specifically to the authoritative teaching role of elder or pastor.
Scholars like Thomas Schreiner, Wayne Grudem, and John Piper have articulated this view extensively, arguing it represents the historic position of the church and the most natural reading of the relevant texts.
The Egalitarian Position
The egalitarian view holds that no ministry roles should be restricted based on gender. All believers, male and female, may serve in any capacity for which they are gifted and called.
This position emphasises Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” While acknowledging this verse primarily concerns salvation, egalitarians argue its implications extend to ministry roles. They point to women in significant leadership throughout Scripture, the freedom Jesus demonstrated in His treatment of women, and the Spirit’s gifting of women for all types of ministry.
Regarding the restrictive passages, egalitarians often argue for culturally limited application. The Corinthian and Ephesian churches faced specific problems with uneducated women disrupting services or with false teaching connected to women (perhaps related to the Artemis cult in Ephesus). Paul’s restrictions addressed these situations but were not intended as universal rules for all time.
Some egalitarians argue that Paul was accommodating culture to avoid unnecessary offence to the gospel, similar to his circumcision of Timothy or his teaching on head coverings. Others suggest the restrictive passages have been misinterpreted or even represent later interpolations.
Scholars like Philip Payne, Gordon Fee, and Craig Keener have developed these arguments extensively.
A Biblical Assessment
Where should we land? Several observations seem warranted from a careful reading of Scripture.
First, Scripture clearly affirms women’s value, giftedness, and significant participation in God’s purposes. Any interpretation that treats women as lesser or denies their contribution distorts the biblical witness.
Second, Scripture does appear to distinguish roles in certain contexts. The creation narrative establishes a pattern of male headship before the fall (Genesis 2), and this pattern is referenced in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 11:8-9; 1 Timothy 2:13). The choice of twelve male apostles is striking in a culture where Jesus regularly crossed gender boundaries in other ways. The elder qualifications assume male leadership.
Third, the grounding of 1 Timothy 2’s instruction in creation order suggests Paul understood this not as cultural accommodation but as reflecting God’s design. While cultural context helps us understand the situation Paul addressed, appealing to culture alone to dismiss the instruction seems to avoid the text’s own logic.
Fourth, the restriction appears specifically aimed at the authoritative teaching office of elder or overseer. It does not prohibit women from teaching in other contexts, prophesying, sharing testimonies, reading Scripture, serving as deacons (many complementarians affirm this), or exercising a wide range of ministries.
The position that best accounts for all the biblical data seems to be a complementarian view that reserves the office of elder or pastor for qualified men while affirming and encouraging the full participation of women in every other aspect of church life and ministry. This is not because women are less capable or less gifted but because God has assigned this particular responsibility to men, just as He assigned certain responsibilities to Levites that were not signs of superiority over other tribes.
Pastoral Application
However we land on this question, several pastoral applications follow. Churches should actively cultivate and deploy women’s gifts. A church where women have nothing to do has failed to understand Scripture’s affirmation of women. Theological education should be available to women, not just men. Women’s voices, perspectives, and contributions should be valued and sought.
Those who hold the complementarian view should hold it with humility, recognising that sincere believers disagree and that we must constantly examine whether our practice matches our theology. Are we truly honouring women, or have we used these texts to justify marginalisation?
Those who hold the egalitarian view should engage seriously with the restrictive texts rather than dismissing them. These passages are Scripture too, and faithful interpretation requires grappling with what they say.
Above all, we must remember that this is a secondary issue. Christians who disagree here share the gospel, the authority of Scripture, and devotion to Christ. We can discuss differences charitably while maintaining unity in essentials.
Conclusion
Scripture presents women as equally bearing God’s image, gifted by the Spirit, and essential to the Church’s mission. Scripture also appears to distinguish roles in certain contexts, reserving the office of elder or pastor for qualified men while affirming women’s participation in virtually every other aspect of ministry. Holding these truths together requires wisdom, humility, and ongoing attention to God’s Word. The goal is never to win an argument but to honour God and build up His Church. Where we land on this question must be determined by Scripture, held with charity toward those who differ, and expressed in practices that truly value every member of the body of Christ.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
Bibliography
- Grudem, Wayne. Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth. Wheaton: Crossway, 2004.
- Keener, Craig S. Paul, Women, and Wives. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1992.
- Köstenberger, Andreas J. and Thomas R. Schreiner, eds. Women in the Church: An Interpretation and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15. Wheaton: Crossway, 2016.
- Payne, Philip B. Man and Woman, One in Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.
- Piper, John and Wayne Grudem, eds. Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.
