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The Role of Women in the Church Essay Example

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The Role of Women in the Church Essay Example
The Role of Women in the Church | Short Essay 3 | What is the New Testament definition of "elder" and "deacon," and what are the biblical requirements for each office? Can a woman be an elder or a deacon? Support your rationale with proper interpretation (and not merely quotation) of the relevant texts, including Gal. 3:28, 1 Tim. 2:11 - 15 and 3:2, 1 Cor. 14:34 - 35, and Rom. 16:1 and 16:7. How does your interpretation of these passages differ from those who hold to a different view? Interact with the arguments and exegeses from those who disagree with your view. If limitations on women in the church exist, do they also apply to life outside the church (e.g., in the workplace)? What contributions, if any, can a woman make to theology, leadership, and management in the local church? | |

Shon S. Simpson
THEO 202-B12 LUO

With women and their role in the church being far more prevalent than past years, one must take an open-minded approach to the question and also look biblically as well as experience to answer the question, did God place women in the ministry? A friend of mind, we’ll call her Mary, came to me because she felt the call of God to preach the Word. I would be a hypocrite if I were to tell Mary that women could not preach the word, because I have sat under two women as my pastor in Cleveland, OH and where I currently live in Marianna, AR. My wife is an ordained minister, and holds the five-fold ministry office of evangelist.
Throughout the Bible, God has used women in ministry roles, mainly in the prophetic office. He has used women in evangelism (Mary Magdalene saw the risen Christ first), in pastoral (Priscilla, shared the pastorate as well as missionary offices with her husband, Aquila). Prophetically speaking, God spoke through Anna, Phillip’s seven daughters, and many other women. Junia is an apostle and Phoebe is a deaconess, both mentioned in Romans 16.
In the fivefold ministry, today, women hold all five
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