This morning I continue with The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment blog tour by answering a question at Gender Blog, the official blog of the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. The question is one that is important, interesting and, I found, quite difficult to answer adequately and sensitively. Here is what they asked:
It is not an uncommon experience reported by female pastors today that they believe they have received an actual call from God to become a pastor. Here are two recent examples from the newspaper:
Jacci is not a rebel. She didn’t want to break new ground for those “crazy feminists.” She only wanted to follow God’s leading. After much study and soul-searching, Jacci’s thoughts became clear during a college trip to the Holy Land. “It was a call,” she stated. “It was quite amazing. I turned to a friend and said - I think God is calling me to be a minister. I was waiting for God to strike me dead. It was a huge shift in my thinking. That was not in the realm of possibility for my life the way I had grown up and had been taught.”
There was no writing in the sky, no voice from heaven. “I would have loved that,” said the Reverend Keri, “but that doesn’t happen. At least, it didn’t happen to me.” Nevertheless a bolt of some sort caused Pastor Keri to suddenly quit her job and go to seminary. She is now the new shepherdess of a 266 member church..
How would you help a woman discern whether or not she is receiving an actual “call from God” to become a church pastor?
The tour will go on a weekend hiatus before continuing next Monday with visits to Jollyblogger, Justin Taylor, the Pyromaniacs, the Internet Monk and 9 Marks Ministries. And the questions just keep getting tougher! Here is the schedule:
| January 7 | Evangelical Outpost |
| January 8 | Tall Skinny Kiwi |
| January 9 | A-Team |
| January 10 | Adrian Warnock |
| January 11 | Gender Blog |
| January 14 | Jollyblogger |
| January 15 | Between Two Worlds |
| January 16 | TeamPyro |
| January 17 | Michael Spencer |
| January 18 | Church Matters |
Comments (8) »
1. Jerry
January 11, 2008
9:39 AM
Tim,
Thanks for your graceful and caring answer. I posted some additional thoughts here.
2. Sharon
January 11, 2008
9:46 AM
Amen, from a sister gratefully under the blessing of Godly, male shepherding!
3. Cheryl
January 11, 2008
10:00 AM
Amen. I especially appreciate your comment about the calling being within the context of a local NT church and as a call to serve. Hebrews 13:17 comes to mind: Heb 13:17
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account …” Mutual submission helps us all to work on humility, and to litmus-test our motives.
4. Andy
January 11, 2008
10:17 AM
Tim,
I found your reply to this question to be Scriptural, sound and sensitive. Most of it would apply to both male and female. I believe many in the church today would be helped by the thought that calling is from a local New Testament church to service.
I have been mulling over a question in my mind for some time now. Perhaps you have some wisdom on this: Should a male minister consent to minister along with a female minister in, say, a worship service, a wedding, a funeral, or other service? If not, what would be a Scriptural and gracious response? (Okay, that is really two questions - might it be possible on a Friday to get two for the price of one?)
Keep on keeping on!
Andy
5. Tim Challies
January 11, 2008
10:36 AM
Should a male minister consent to minister along with a female minister in, say, a worship service, a wedding, a funeral, or other service? If not, what would be a Scriptural and gracious response?
I hesitate to say too much here simply because I am not a pastor and this may be a question best left to pastors. However, I think it is important to put this in context. A woman who becomes a pastor has not committed an unforgivable sin. I’m sure there are female pastors out there who are largely orthodox in other matters (though, to be honest, I’ve never met one or seen on on TV!). We can’t assume that every female pastor is unsaved (anymore than we can assume that every male who believes there may be female pastors is unsaved).
So I think a pastor would want to determine first the nature of what the service will entail and second whether or not the other pastor, male or female, truly understands and heeds the gospel. If the two of them need to do little more than act as M.C.s at a wedding reception, I don’t see a problem. But if they need to teach together or to be involved in a baptism or Lord’s Supper, that would be a far more serious matter. But again, I think the person’s understanding of the gospel and of Christian doctrine would be something to consider even before his or her gender.
And then we are left with attempting to understand how disputable a matter this one is. We have to admit that there are some good and godly people who believe women may be pastors (and, of course, Roger Nicole is always the first to come to mind). But, like most Reformed types, I am convicted from a plain reading of Scripture that God simply does not allow women to be pastors. And, with Ligon Duncan, believe that once you have read the Bible and determined “women may be pastors” you are opening the door for all manner of bad theology to follow behind. The same logic that will allow you to ignore Scripture’s admonitions on this topic will allow you to ignore so many others.
Having said all of that…I suspect most complementarian pastors would be unwilling to serve alongside a female pastor. But perhaps some pastors can add their responses here and the logic that would take them to a decision.
6. Greg S
January 11, 2008
11:50 AM
I am not a pastor and my view on this issue has been strongly influenced by the teaching position of Park Street Church in Boston, which holds to a complementarian view on marriage and an egalitarian view on church leadership. So for me this issue of male and female ministers serving together is not an issue of much concern.
But for those who are complementarian on church leadership and find themselves in participation with egalitarians, I find this quote from Gordon Hugenberger (the Park Street Church Senior Pastor) to be quite helpful. It is specifically addressing complementarians who find themselves in a church with females serving as elders; but I think it’s general principles can be applied to other situations of cooperation. (Park Street Church views this as a secondary issue, which I’m sure many readers here may not, but I think the principle of applying charity in these situations is a helpful reminder.)
Likewise, any complementarian ought to be able to function perfectly well within a church that has embraced an egalitarian perspective, even if that church has appointed female elders. Certainly a consistent complementarian will have to vote against any such appointment, and out of love he or she should attempt to correct fellow believers and dissuade any woman from serving as an elder. Nevertheless, even if these efforts should fail, the only sin involved would be that of the female elder and perhaps those who appointed her, but not that of the complementarian for being a faithful member of that church. Of course, in an Evangelical context all or most of these persons would be acting in good conscience on what they sincerely believe to be the teaching of the Word of God (on a matter over which believing scholars in large numbers are divided), so the complementarian could view the situation with some charity. One might compare here churches that may have embraced a defective view on baptism or eschatology, but have done so out of a sincere desire to follow Scripture. While this is not an excuse for any of us to rest in our constant attempt to “search the Scriptures to see if these things are so” and bring our belief and practice into ever greater conformity to God’s Will, I see no evidence that the Lord has withheld His blessing from such conscientious churches. It is well to be reminded of how forbearing our Lord can be when the motives of His people are pleasing in His sight (2 Chron. 30:19, 20).
Taken from: http://www.parkstreet.org/qa_women#secondary_issue
7. D.L. Kane
January 12, 2008
9:30 AM
Greetings Tim,
I posted this comment on Jerry’s blog and he responded, but had wondered if I had run it by you:
The Question: “How would you help a woman discern whether or not she is receiving an actual “call from God” to become a church pastor?”
Tim’s concluding remarks confuse me:
“So my advice to a woman who felt a call to pastor a church would be to encourage her to speak to the leaders of a gospel-centered, church. Within that context she would have the joy of pursuing ministry, but ministry within the context of the local church, within the gifting and passions God has given her, and within the boundaries God has decreed.”
Is discernment really the issue here? Scripture is clear on this. Whether she “feels” called, or “thinks” she is being called to pastor a church—it is not God calling her. He doesn’t call us to ministry positions that His word clearly forbids. Am I missing something here? I am a woman who has a deep desire and longing to preach and teach, but scripture is crystal clear on this. Although, obedience to Him and His Word, may (at times) make us angry or disappointed or even frustrated, and we attempt to justify our own unbiblical desires because we feel we have so much to offer the “body”, we are deceiving ourselves and really exposing our lack of trust in God to raise up faithful men to do what He has called them to do.
For a woman to “speak to the leaders of a gospel-centered church”, is assuming a great deal considering the state of the “gospel-centered” churches today. A woman who feels “called from God to be a pastor” needs to be yielded to God’s Word. She will soon discover, that pride, lack of trust in God, personal satisfaction, and temporal frustration may indeed be “calling” her; but, God certainly is not.
I don’t think discernment is required here. In most cases, (based on my own personal experience and the honest and forthright discussions I have had with other women who “feel called to be a pastor”) they have already “spiritually discerned” God’s clear position on this and they simply don’t like it. Therefore, they look for others (local churches) who wear His name to gain approval and permission in order to feed and to justify their disobedience; and, unfortunately, they easily find it. Women who know the Word and are truly yielded to the Spirit of God (in spite of how they “feel”), simply pray that God will raise up faithful men to pastor local churches. Knowledge of God, His Word, and the yielding to His Spirit of Truth in humble obedience (whether the flesh likes it or not) is what is required. What is left to discern is not His Word or His will, but our own motivation. Am I missing something?
In Christ and For His Sake,
D.L. Kane
8. Steve H
January 13, 2008
8:35 AM
I think that DLK above makes some good points and would agree that God is not calling a woman to pastor a local NT church.
With that said, I have seen a lot of men who supposedly were “called” to pastor/preach who had no business being in ministry. The concept of “calling” is often turned into something that is kind of mystical and subjective instead of being based on clear biblical mandates and qualifications to which a man aspires to live by and maintain.
The best concept of “calling” that I have ever read is in an old book by Gary Friesen by the title “Decision Making and the Will of God.” I would urge anyone who thinks they are called to read this, specifically the chapter dealing with the concept of calling.