Since the Share the Arrows women’s conference, there have been many posts circulating, accusing Allie Stuckey of being unbiblical for even putting on the event. I want to spend some time digging into this because there are so many misconceptions about women in ministry in our churches today.
Just for context, I have written several blog posts about the topic of women in ministry that you can read. I am a complementarian; that means I believe the Bible teaches that only men can be pastors and that the husband is the head of the home.
But I also believe that many churches have added to Scripture and unnecessarily excluded women from positions and ministries the Bible doesn’t forbid.
The Bible teaches that only men can be elders/overseers. We see this in the epistles when the requirements of a pastor are spelled out. Unfortunately, we have drifted away from using those terms and now use the term “pastor.” In addition, we use the term “pastor” to refer to anyone in leadership, including children’s pastor, youth pastor, and women’s pastor. This blurs the lines of what a pastor/elder/overseer is.
But I want to hone in on the verse that most often gets our hackles up. I encourage you to do your own study of this verse in context because you may discover there are things said about this passage that just aren’t true. If you need some direction for studying a passage for yourself, download my free workbook or enroll in my Bible Study Basics course.
Now let’s dive in.
“I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” 1 Timothy 2:12 (ESV)
Context of the Verse
The first thing we need to consider when we look at this passage is that the letter was written to Timothy, who was in Ephesus helping the church. This is in the context of the church. In a situation where the body of believers is gathered together, a woman is not to teach men or exercise authority over men.
While we can discuss the wisdom, or lack thereof, of having a woman in charge in other contexts—politics, education, workplace—this passage, and the teaching in general, is limited to the church.
A women’s conference is not church. It may happen in a church building, it may even be sponsored by a particular church, but it is not church. It is not a gathering of the whole body; it is a gathering for women in which they should be edified and educated in biblical wisdom.
Teaching Men
The limitations in this verse are of a woman teaching men or exercising authority over men. Because this is in the context of a church gathering, I would argue that we can go even a step further and say that women are not to be in a position of teaching the Bible or spiritual leadership over men.
So it is not unbiblical if a woman is in charge of the janitorial area of a church, and there are men who serve on her team, or if a woman explains a subject matter to a mixed group that is not specifically a biblical topic (though this last one could be argued either way).
A women’s conference is by definition not a woman teaching or exercising authority over men. Even if there are men in the crowd helping with security or serving the women in some other capacity, the focus of the conference is the women who are in attendance.
Not an Authority
Finally, it is important to understand what it means to exercise authority. There are many positions and ministries in a church setting that are not authoritative.
This requires a church to define the leadership positions within the organization so as not to violate the teaching. For example,
- Do the deacons in your church have authority over the congregation?
- Do participants in committees have authority?
- Does the children’s pastor have authority over men in the church?
This could be different in different churches and must be looked at on a church-by-church basis.
Just because I attend an event, even in a church building, where there is a speaker teaching a lesson, doesn’t mean that person has authority over me. I can read a book without the author having authority over me. I can listen to a podcast without the podcaster having authority over me. Again, this verse is in the context of church, and attending a women’s conference doesn’t mean I must submit to the speaker’s authority as I am commanded to do for my pastor.
While you would be hard-pressed to find any place in Scripture that requires churches to have an organized women’s ministry of any kind, you would also find it difficult to prove that women’s ministries, including conferences, are unbiblical.
This is a subject I am particularly interested in because I am one of those women who gets frustrated with fluffy, affirming, and self-focused women’s events. And I am also a woman who was led astray by unbiblical teaching by supposed Bible teachers.
Women MUST be equipped with a biblical worldview if we are going to stand firm in the onslaught of worldly ideas and recognize false teaching when we hear it. We must be equipped with a biblical worldview to raise godly children, have godly marriages, and sharpen each other in godly friendships.
While many churches have neglected the spiritual growth of the women in their congregations, I see a turning tide that gives me hope. Women who attended Share the Arrows last year and this year have returned to their home churches with a renewed mission and desire to understand the Word. Let this be the catalyst for change!
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