Women in Ministry: Elders

Before discussing women being elders let’s recap Women in Ministry-Deacons & Deaconesses. Overall Complementarians and Egalitarians agree that men and women can be deacons. Calling men deacons and women deaconesses. Many believe the words in the same way, likewise, so must in1 Timothy 3:11 infer, suggest, women being deacons/deaconesses. They believe this even though the expectations and requirements for a deacon is to be a husband of one wife in 1 Timothy 3:12, and there is nothing in Scripture that says anything about the marital status of a woman who is a deaconess. Some make the assumption that a deaconess is the wife of a deacon. But can a woman be a deaconess if her husband is not? Can a single woman be a deaconess. There is no common agreement on this because Scripture is silent. But it would make sense that if husband of one wife is addressing polygamy there would not need to be a command of wife of one husband since women did not practice polygamy by having more than one wife. It should be clear there is some gray area in all of this.

Again, in spite of the gray area most Complementarians and Egalitarians agree a woman can be a deaconess, but they disagree on women being elders. If women can be deacons/deaconesses why can they not be elders? Is there a biblical or rationale/logical answer to this question, more than just opinion? That is what we are going to explore in this article.

Bishop, Overseer, Superintendent
Greek Word episkopos is translated as superintendent, bishop, overseer.
Strong’s: One of the co-superintendents entrusted with the well-being of a local assembly or of assemblies within a city or location.

HELPS Word Studies: An overseer; a man called by God to literally “keep an eye on” His flock (the Church, the body of Christ), i.e. to provide personalized (first hand) care and protection. Though in some contexts epískopos has been regarded traditionally as a position of authority, in reality the focus is upon the responsibility for caring for others”.

Thayer Greek Dictionary: an overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly. Specifically, the superintendent, head or overseer of any Christian church.

Elder
Greek word presbyteros means elder, presbyter. Older ones. Mature ones.
Strong’s: Older, oldest, senior.

HELP Word Studies: a mature man having seasoned judgment.  (The feminine singular, presbytera, never occurs in the Bible. The feminine plural, presbyteras, occurs in 1 Tim 5:2. It refers to aged women, i.e. not women with an official church office or title.

Thayers Greek Dictionary: those who presided over the assemblies (or churches). The Spirit-appointed office-bearers who shepherd Christ’s church.

Looking all the definitions and the use of the words bishop, overseer, elder throughout Scripture, it would be safe to say that they were leaders, shepherds, overseers within church setting.

With the above definition let’s look at the two Scriptures related to overseers/elders.

1 Timothy 3:1-7

 ¹ The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. ² Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, ⁵ for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷ Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Titus 1:5-9 AMP

⁵ For this reason I left you behind in Crete, so that you would set right what remains unfinished, and appoint ^[a]elders in every city as I directed you, ⁶ namely, a man of unquestionable integrity, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of being immoral or rebellious. ⁷ For the ^[b]overseer, as God’s steward, must be blameless, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain [but financially ethical]. ⁸ And he must be hospitable [to believers, as well as strangers], a lover of what is good, sensible (upright), fair, devout, self-disciplined [above reproach—whether in public or in private]. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the trustworthy word [of God] as it was taught to him, so that he will be able both to give accurate instruction in sound [reliable, error-free] doctrine and to refute those who contradict [it by explaining their error].

a. Titus 1;5The words elder, overseer, and bishop are used interchangeably to indicate the spiritually mature men who were qualified and selected to serve as leaders and shepherds over the church of God (v 7; cf Acts 20:17,28; 1 Tim 3:1-7; 1 Pet 5:1, 2).

b. Titus 1:7 bishop

Distinction Between Deacon and Elder
Looking at the expectations/requirements/roles of deacons, they are clearly operating in a serving role, whereas bishops/elders are operating in a leadership, shepherding role. Leadership within the church and within the home. In both 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 it is clear that bishops/elders were men, not women. Women are not mentioned at all, unlike 1 Timothy 3:11 Women must likewise be worthy of respect, not malicious gossips, but self-controlled, trustworthy in all things.

Many of the roles listed for bishops and elders are roles that was understood by the original readers to be applied to the role of men, not women, especially regarding the home. Egalitarians cannot deny this fact.

It should be noted in the passages regarding bishop elders there are no verses mentioning women, or the role of women. There are no Bible passages in the New testament of women being bishops/overseers, or elders. One must conclude women were not bishops, elders, or overseers in New Testament times. Is there any evidence, principle in Scripture for women to be overseers/elders?

Egalitarians and Women Overseers/Elders
It should be noted that Egalitarians will say that just like the role/responsibilities of deacon and deaconess are the same, the same is true of men and women elders. That is a stretch because as mentioned earlier deacons and deaconess main roles are to be servants, not leaders. That is clear in Acts 6 when deacons were first appointed. They were appointed to serve, not lead. That does not mean they did not preach, witness, teach, gifted and anointed by God. They certainly were used as powerful vessels for the Kingdom, just like overseers and elders used mightily. (As a sidenote many churches fail to recognize the difference between deacons and elders and have deacons operating in the role of elders. That is an entirely different subject.)

Egalitarians will use Galatians 3:28 to say there is neither male or female:
There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority].
The entire chapter of Galatians 3 is addressing salvation, not that men and women are the same. To use the argument opens up the door for not only female elders but for lesbian or transgender elders, pastors, deacons, etc.

We have already discussed the topic of Women in Ministry Headship. One has to toss out many Scriptures to proclaim that there are not differences between men and women when it comes to leadership in the home and in the church.

Exceptions
Am I saying dogmatically women cannot be overseers/elders? NO, Absolutely Not. Women can certainly have an overseeing/leadership role over women and children. There are certainly women who are gifted with leadership abilities. Even anointed in the role of being a leader in a variety of realms.. But not as the lead overseer/elder of a church.

There may be times when there is no man available and God can raise up a woman to be an overseer over men. (Example of Deborah.) But that is an exception, and I believe in these exceptions a woman still needs to be under the ‘covering of a man’ (normally her husband). I believe a woman who is a self-appointed elder is out of the will of God. I would go as far as to say that if there is a church that does not have any men to rise up to be an overseer/elder there is something wrong with that church.

I absolutely believe that it does not violate Scripture for a husband and wife to co-lead a church. To be a team, sharing leadership roles, including preaching and pastoring. That leads us to the next topic to discuss. It has taken us many chapters to get to this controversial subject, can women be preachers and pastors. Are there biblical guidelines who can preach from the pulpit? Who can be a pastor/shepherd? Does a pastor have to have the qualifications of an elder?

Summary
There is a difference between deacons/deaconesses and overseers/elders. Deacons/deaconesses serve, not lead. Overseers/elders lead and serve (servanthood leadership). The most biblical guideline regarding overseers/elders when it comes to being overseers over a church is that they must be men, not men and women. However, that in no way means women cannot be in leadership roles and not gifted in leadership. Women should be released in the gifting and calling that God has placed in their life.

There are times because of specific circumstances that a woman may need to take on a leadership role that God intended to be filled by a man. When that is the case there still should be a ‘covering over a woman’, normally her husband.

Men and women can certainly be co-leaders in ministry, even in the role of co-leading a church.

Women in Ministry Series
Women in Ministry, Introduction-Why the Topic?
Part One-Women in Ministry-Complementarianism, Egalitarianism, And?
Part Two-Women in Ministry-Isorropiaism-HUH??? Balance
Part Three-Women in Ministry-Bible Passages
Part Four-Women in Ministry, Extremism
Part Five-Women in Ministry-No Speak
Part Six-Women in Ministry, Prophecy
Part Seven-Women in Ministry-Spiritual Gifts
Part Eight-Women in Ministry-Examples
Part Nine-Women in Ministry-Headship
Part Ten-Women in Ministry-Calling, Gifting, and Anointing
Part Eleven-Women in Ministry, My Position
Part Twelve-Women in Ministry, 1 Timothy 2:8-15
Part Thirteen-Women in Ministry, 1 Timothy 2:8-15, Conclusion
Part Fourteen-Women in Ministry-Deacons and Deaconesses
Part Fifteen-Women in Ministry-Elders