Where does the Pentecostal church stand on women preachers/teachers?
One of the great privileges I have had since I have been with Today’s Pentecostal Evangel is the international travel that is a part of our coverage for the World Missions Edition of the magazine. In viewing the works of God among His people on five continents, one of the things that stand out to me is this: Wherever there is a powerful move of God, I have seen women actively and significantly involved. In some places it has been clear that without the ministry of women the church would not be experiencing the spiritual prosperity it is. This is clearly the case in the world’s largest church, Yoido Full Gospel Church, in Seoul, South Korea.
The story of women in missions is more than that of female nationals. A glance at both the history of missions and current missions outreach proves that the ministry of female missionaries, single and married, is of inestimable value. The history of Pentecost also reveals the crucial role women have played, and continue to play, in the movement.
But more than experience speaks for the importance of women. So does God’s Word. Though the role of women in the church has been a hotly debated topic for many years, it is clear that Christianity has always valued women more highly than other worldviews have. In the gospels, Jesus clearly elevated the status of women above that day’s cultural norm. The apostle Paul continued to promote that reality in the epistles he wrote. His statement in Galatians 3:28 is the biblical magnum opus of male/female spiritual equality: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (NIV). And though it was Paul who said, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22), his statement (often ignored) about husband/wife relationship in the verse just prior to that was trailblazing: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
The Assemblies of God, based on the teaching of God’s Word and not simply on experience, has come to the following conclusion:
We are aware that the ministry and leadership of women are not accepted by some individuals, both within and outside the Christian community. We condemn all prejudice and self-promotion, by men or women. The existence in the secular world of bigotry against women cannot be denied. But there is no place for such an attitude in the body of Christ. We acknowledge that attitudes of secular society, based on long-standing practice and tradition, have influenced the application of biblical principles to local circumstances. We desire wisely to respect yet help redeem cultures which are at variance with Kingdom principles. Like Paul, we affirm the Great Commission takes priority over every other consideration. We must reach men and women for Christ, no matter what their cultural or ethnic customs may be. The message of redemption has been carried to remote parts of the world through the ministry of dedicated, Spirit-filled men and women. A believer’s gifts and anointing should still today make a way for his or her ministry. The Pentecostal ministry is not a profession to which men or women merely aspire; it must always be a divine calling, confirmed by the Spirit with a special gifting.
The Assemblies of God has been blessed and must continue to be blessed by the ministry of God’s gifted and commissioned daughters. To the degree that we are convinced of our Pentecostal distinctives–that it is God who divinely calls and supernaturally anoints for ministry–we must continue to be open to the full use of women’s gifts in ministry and spiritual leadership.
Read the full position paper here.
Ken Horn
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