Should Christian churches allow women to be pastors? Well, it depends who you ask.
While some large denominations have been very vocal in not allowing women preachers, other denominations see no problem with it — as long as she’s qualified.
Recently, on a popular social platform, someone asked, “What is your view on women being pastors?”
Let’s look at the arguments for and against each side so you can make an informed decision for yourself.
A Slight Majority of Protestant Churches Allow Female Pastors
A 2022 Lifeway Research study surveyed American Protestant pastors about the leadership roles women are and are not allowed to hold in their churches.
Most churches surveyed had no problem with women serving in “lesser” leadership roles.
“Close to 9 in 10 pastors say women could be ministers to children (94%), committee leaders (92%), ministers to teenagers (89%) or coed adult Bible study teachers (85%) in their churches.”
However, only 55% said that a woman could serve as a senior pastor in their church.
Whether or Not Women Can Be Pastors Depends on the Denomination
Nearly every pastor would cite Scripture as the reason for allowing or not allowing women to be pastors in their churches.
Yet, two different pastors can read the Bible and come to vastly different conclusions.
According to the same Lifeway report, whether or not women can be pastors really depends on the denomination they are a part of.
“Among mainline pastors, 76% say a woman could be the senior pastor at their churches. Less than half of evangelical pastors (44%) say the same.”
Older Pastors are More Accepting than Younger Pastors
Surprisingly, the same Lifeway report found older pastors are more likely to say that women can serve in this way than younger pastors.
“Older pastors, those 55 to 64 (60%) and 65 and older (59%), are more likely than pastors 18 to 44 (49%) to say their churches permit a woman to be the senior pastor.”
Smaller Congregations are More Accepting than Bigger Congregations
Not surprisingly, smaller congregations are more likely to accept a female pastor than a larger congregation.
According to Lifeway, “Pastors at churches with fewer than 50 people in attendance (66%) and those with 50 to 99 people (59%) are more likely than pastors at churches with 100 to 249 (46%) and those with 250 or more (41%) at worship services to say a woman can be the senior pastor in their congregations.”
This may be due, in part, to having fewer qualified teachers to choose from or difficulties in attracting “top talent” to their smaller church.
What Does the Bible Say? (1 Timothy 2:11-12)
When debating whether or not women should be pastors, the most commonly cited verse is 1 Timothy 2:11-12, which reads:
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.”
Many Christians believe this Scripture verse is abundantly clear: Women should not be pastors.
They claim that women can serve in plenty of other, equally as important, roles — just not as pastors.
What Does the Catholic Church Say?
The Catholic church is one incredibly large denomination that does not allow female priests or pastors.
They believe that since there are no female priests mentioned in the Bible, that God never intended women to hold this role.
They do allow women to serve in a variety of other roles — including altar servers, Eucharistic ministers, teachers, and lectors — just not pastors or priests.
What Does the Southern Baptist Convention Say?
The Southern Baptist Convention is another large, well-known denomination that has been very vocal about not allowing women to serve as pastors within their churches.
In fact, the denomination made headlines relatively recently for kicking churches out of the organization for allowing women to preach.
These churches include:
- Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.
- New Faith Mission Ministry in Griffin, Ga.
- St. Timothy’s Christian Church in Baltimore, Md.
- Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss.
- Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.
According to Baptist Press, the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention, the recommendation came
“…on the basis that the church has a faith and practice that does not closely identify with the Convention’s adopted statement of faith, as demonstrated by the church having a female teaching pastor functioning in the office of pastor.“
Inconsistencies in Applying 1 Timothy 2:11-12
Yet, while many denominations stand firm on not allowing women pastors, based on 1 Timothy 2:11-12, other Christians point out a few flaws with using this verse in this way.
For example, these verses are just two in a series of other commands that believers don’t apply literally and globally today.
For example:
- v.8: Men should raise their hands when praying
- v. 9: Women should not wear elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive clothes
- v. 15: Women are saved through childbearing
If Christians don’t take apply these surrounding verses literally and globally, why make an exception for verses 11-12, which don’t permit women to teach.
Further Inconsistencies in Applying 1 Timothy 2:11-12
Furthermore, 1 Timothy 2:11-12 never specifically mentions preaching. Rather, it speaks against allowing women to “teach” or “assume authority over a man.”
And yet, there are countless other examples when Christians allow this exact behavior in other contexts.
Women are (rightly!) allowed to:
- Teach in Christian school and universities
- Serve as police officers and judges
- Write Christian books and textbooks men are allowed to read
Women of Influence in the Bible
Allowing women to serve in positions of authority isn’t anything new, either.
While the Bible was written in a predominantly and unapologetically male-centered culture, Scripture includes several examples of women who preached, taught, or served in influential leadership roles.
For example:
- Mary Magdalene was the first person to tell others about Jesus’s resurrection (Mark 16:9-10)
- Joanna also shared the good news of Jesus’s resurrection with the apostles (Luke 24:9-11)
- Priscilla (along with her husband Aquila) taught the gospel as a missionary (Acts 18:26)
- Miriam (Exod. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14) and Noadiah (Neh. 6:14) served as prophets in the Old Testament.
- Deborah served as a judge (Judges 4-5)
Churches That Allow Female Pastors
While some Christian churches are adamantly against allowing women to serve as senior pastors, others see no problem with allowing women to teach and preach in this way.
The following denominations all allow women pastors in their churches:
- Lutheran Church
- Episcopal Church
- Anglican Church
- Methodist Church
- Presbyterian Church
- Reformed Church
- Assemblies of God Church
- The Christian and Missionary Alliance
- United Church of Christ
- The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME)
- and others.
Some Believe the Bible is Clear: This is Just the Way Things Are
While most large church denominations have taken an official stance on the issue of whether or not Christian churches should allow women to serve as pastors, individual members of the general population are still debating the issue.
Some find the Bible “clear” on the topic, stating that this is just the way things are.
One person shared,
“Saying women shouldn’t be pastors is controversial so a lot of people try and find ways around it but think the Bible is pretty clear. They being said, Bible never says that our roles and jobs and not just as important and vital as being a pastor. : )”
Another shared,
“The passage that you cited, as well as 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, make it perfectly clear that pastoral duties are reserved for men. These passages give different contexts, and these are the only instructions that Christians of any time period have. The Bible doesn’t give Christians instructions elsewhere that are different from these passages. There’s no reason to suggest that these instructions were limited to early Christians.”
Another shared,
“There is only biblical evidence supporting male pastors/leadership within the church. That’s just what God decided.
The problem arises by taking worldly views and trying to force them into biblical views by saying both male and female should have the right to do whatever the other does.
Being the pastor of a church is not the role God wishes women to fill. Just as men do not have the role of carrying children during childbirth.
It’s just the way things are. There’s nothing wrong or sexist about following God’s will.”
Other Christians Claim the Bible isn’t as “Clear” as Some Think
Yet, while some Christians are happy to maintain the status quo (of keeping male-only preachers), others truly don’t see the harm and believe that the Bible never meant for these roles to remain static forever.
Just because men traditionally were the preachers back in the day doesn’t mean they have to be the only ones today.
One person shared,
“When I struggled with these questions, I decided to take the Old Testament into account. Long story short: there is not one single clear line in Scripture as to what women can or can’t do. In the Old Testament, they have almost all roles that men have, with the exception of the priesthood…
In the New Testament, we see Jesus interacting with women in a way that was counter to the culture. One example: women weren’t allowed to testify in a Jewish court… But Jesus appears to the women first, and they get to testify about the resurrected Lord to the men. That is significant.”
Another shared,
“I was always taught on John 20:17-18 concerning women pastors. God anointed a woman to tell the good news to the disciples! The most significant moment in our Christian belief was brought to us from a woman.”
10 Common Bible Misconceptions Too Many People Believe
Of all the books in history, the Holy Bible is among the most available and most translated. For a text this ancient and common, it is surprising to realize that there is a lot of faulty thinking surrounding it.
Even lifelong Christians can be told one way of viewing Scripture and cling to that belief without realizing that it is tradition or cultural rather than truly Biblical.
Here are 10 common misconceptions about the Bible way too many people believe that can create confusion and withhold a deeper enjoyment and trust in God’s Word.
10 Common Bible Misconceptions Too Many People Believe
The 10 Most Confusing Things Jesus Ever Said or Did
Think Jesus is always polite, meek, and mild-mannered? Think again.
While we know that Jesus is perfect love in human form, he did say many things that are hard for us (as humans with limited understanding) to wrap our heads around.
I hope, that when we get to Heaven, we’ll be able to ask him, “What did you mean by that??” but in the meantime, here are 10 questionable things Jesus said or did that still cause us to scratch our heads in confusion two thousand years later.
The 10 Most Confusing Things Jesus Ever Said or Did
Brittany Ann is an ECPA bestselling author and founder of Equipping Godly Women and Monetize My Ministry. She’s also a Christian speaker, podcaster, and conference host. Her work has been featured on numerous TV, radio, and online ministries, including CBN, MSN, Christianity Today, Evangelical Alliance, Patheos, Crosswalk, and more.
