I think this will be a boring article, because it just seems so obvious. God must wonder why we put shady doctrines together that deliberately exclude one section of any community from participating fully in it. No, actually, on second thought, I think it must really anger our Creator, who made all humanity to rule over creation (Genesis 1:26-28).
Here are five obvious reasons, reflected biblically i.e. they reflect God’s heart as reflected in our Bibles and through plain observation, why women must preach and lead:
1. Women are human beings just like men are.
There will be many no-brainers in this article, and this is the first one.
Honestly, how on earth are men supposed to be more appropriate, better, or more authoritative preachers and leaders? With 90% of domestic violence propagated by men? The best leader I’ve seen in any arena was a woman. Not saying I haven’t had great male leaders; I have. But there is nothing a woman can’t do that men can do.
The more we know about humanity, the more we realise that men and women have similar if not the same capacities of thought, emotion and reason, and barring anatomical and hormone differences there is no significant physiological difference between men and women that suggests men speak or lead better, or even that they have a societal role to be the “head”. That being the case, why would it be that men should preach and lead and women not?
2. Women are safer, statistically speaking, than men are.
A simple Google search will tell us that narcissism is more a problem in men than it is in women. According to that fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia, there is a significant difference between the sexes. It cites research that indicates 7.7% of men have Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), whereas with women it’s only 4.8%. But that’s not all.
More specifically, the variety of narcissism in men is a big concern in terms of leadership. Of the three aspects of narcissism measured on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) — (1) leadership/authority, (2) exploitative/entitlement, (3) grandiose/exhibitionism — men significantly outnumber women narcissists in the first two of the three aspects. These have quite obvious implications, and are directly more problematic, regarding abuses of power in the church.
Very sadly, we know that pastors are quite highly represented in terms of narcissism (Ball & Puls, 2017). We can see why. It’s a position that affords incumbents in the ministry authority, favour, notoriety, adoration, access to the vulnerable, etc. If narcissists are attracted to a career in ministry, statistically more women preachers and leaders can translate in less narcissistic pastors overall.
3. The world needs to see that the church is a champion for equality.
I didn’t grow up in the church. I’m from a non-Christian family. It makes no sense to me that women can’t do this, and women can’t do that. I wasn’t brought up that way. Why is it that parts of the church undermine women? The unchurched think like this. And more so these days than ever.
Those outside the church EXPECT those inside the church to run the church with exemplary standards of integrity and justice. Any sense that any group of people is favoured means that there are groups of people who are marginalised. Unchurched people know within their bones that the church should be a champion for the marginalised, not be setting up structures within it that create marginalisation.
Those watching on in the world — those who would be tomorrow’s converts to Christ — are watching us in the church. Their BS meters are piqued and they’re looking for examples of BS, ready to say, “Look, there you go, hypocrites!”
The unchurched and the dechurched are looking for authenticity. My wife, for one, preaches with such economy of words, together with a gentleness that is unequivocally authoritative, that what she says reminds me of the economy of God. God speaks succinctly and there is weight to what God says. Women seem to make far fewer assumptions when it comes to the pulpit than men on average do, for they truly appreciate that it can’t be taken for granted. This makes them work harder on average than men do, because, let’s face it, men like me have never had to face the idea that we can’t preach. Even though I’m an ordinary preacher, I’ve never given it even a passing thought — like I know a lot of women have — that some or many churches just wouldn’t have me preach; because of my gender. The fact is I’ve always been welcome in many different churches. Because I’m a man!
4. Women have more to teach men than men have to teach women.
Women are more marginalised in more parts of the world than men are, and it’s traditionally been this way. There is an innate humility that comes within the biology of women as opposed to men, and “privilege” is one word that is commonly used to describe the instinctual expectation for favour in men. As men, we expect to be well treated. We feel entitled to it. I see it in me, and I see it in other men.
God is the God of humility, and we’re called, biblically, to live a life of humility as we walk out each day of our lives with God (Micah 6:8). We all need to be taught humility and we all need to be ensconced in it.
Women are in humbler positions throughout life than men are, where they’re inherently more vulnerable themselves; to physical and sexual abuse by men, and to serious dangers bodily through pregnancy, to name just two of what would be an inexhaustible list. Women have more to teach men about the plight of the vulnerable than men have to teach women. Women have more of a lived experience of vulnerability than men do, in general, and all pulpits need more of this.
5. Men and women are missing out when they don’t have access to wisdom from God from any and every single one.
Another fundamental idea. Both men and women, all humanity, miss out when they only hear from one gender; when only one gender preaches and leads. Half of all the wisdom is automatically cut off to us. Half of what God is saying we don’t have access to. Half of what is right and just and fair about life is quashed. We only get mens’ slant on things.
Both men and women profit from being “under” the preaching and teaching of women preachers. Men get insights they would not get from men preachers, because women preachers can say some things that men probably can’t. Women get encouragement they wouldn’t get from men preachers, because there is an inherent authority and integrity in a woman teaching another woman. Plus, the woman who hears another woman preach discovers what she too can do.
Let’s face it; anyone can preach, and anyone can lead.
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Given what I’ve laid out above, it is either lineball that both men and women are equally righted and placed as far as preaching and leading is concerned, or it may actually be argued that women overall are MORE qualified to preach and lead. They are safer and humbler, overall. And they have wisdom and life experience that men just don’t have. Both men and women prosper when both men and women preach and lead, according to their individual gifting.
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