LEADERSHIP OF CHRISTIAN

WOMEN IN THE CHURCH

They say in their book “Biblical Leadership by Elders”
they say: In the minds of most contemporary people,
excluding women from church leadership is sexist,
discriminatory and another example of male
domination. But this should not be the case. No one
who truly loves people, who is sensitive to the Word of God... will want to discriminate
against women. Women have suffered too much under cruel and
irresponsible men. However, we must not forget that God designed male-
female distinctions so that they could perfectly complement each other and
exercise different functions in society. We must clearly understand the
biblical teaching regarding women and men being perfectly equal as
persons, in dignity and worth, but different in gender roles. These
differences are to be enjoyed, explored to the fullest, and developed
throughout life—not eradicated or hated. John Piper clearly expresses
his admiration for the wonderful differences, created by God, between
man and woman. God designed our differences, and they run deep.
However, a large number of women people are not aware of these
wonderful differences. They have no idea what it means to be a
woman as opposed to a man. In the name of justice and fairness
towards women, goals that we should all gladly seek to achieve, women are being
deceived regarding their feminine identity and the holy Word of God. Once again women
are being exploited, but this time it is by false feminist philosophers who degrade holy
femininity and motherhood and who are anti-children, anti-family and ultimately anti-
woman.
THE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP MODEL:
When God wants a leader, He searches among a group of
brothers and chooses the one who has a special gift of wisdom
and deep spirituality (maturity). This explains why God chooses
some and not all. 1 Samuel 16:7
The Bible provides many examples of how God provided leaders
for his people. However, Jesus is the model leader for all leaders. Jesus had greater
power, wisdom, and vision than any leader could wish for, but his ministry was always one
of service and encouragement to others. His teaching was inspiring and challenging.
There is so much to learn from Jesus' example of leadership. Other biblical leaders who
serve as inspiration such as: Moses, Joseph, Nehemiah and Daniel. God called in different
situations with different types of leadership skills – organization, wisdom, humility, strength
and vision.
A. WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? There are different definitions, let's see:
“ Leadership is influence, the ability of a person to influence others. ” Sanders, p31.
“ Leadership is a dynamic process in which a man or woman with God-given abilities
influences people toward His purposes for that group .” (Clinton, p 14)
The key word is “INFLUENCE”, so leadership is the ability to influence.
B. SECULAR AND CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP:

p. 1
 Secular leadership is the leadership of this world, and Christian leadership is
leadership according to the teachings of Christ (according to the word of God).

C. BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP:
Biblically speaking, there is only one model of leadership to learn, it is THE LEADERSHIP
OF CHRIST: the SERVANT LEADER. And this kind of leadership can only be learned by
having Christ as a teacher and the Bible as a textbook. Matthew 20:20-28
During his earthly ministry, Jesus personally trained and appointed twelve men whom he
called "apostles" Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:13 . Jesus' choice of male
leadership was an affirmation of the order of creation as presented in Genesis 2:18-25 .
Before choosing the twelve, Jesus spent the entire night in prayer with his Father. As the
perfect Son, in complete submission and obedience to his Father's will, Jesus chose
twelve men to be his apostles. Thus these men were the choice of God the Father. Jesus'
choice of men was based on divine principles and guidance.
D. WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH:
Restricting women from leadership in the church would be unfair, discriminatory, arbitrary
and selfish on the part of men, but if such restriction was part of the plan of a wise Creator,
then it is not discrimination, it is just and good for the benefit of the family, and for the local
church.
Christians cannot accuse Jesus of discrimination. He is perfect; we
are imperfect. Christ Jesus appointed only men for the
continuation of his ministry. In the book of Acts the apostles chose
men for both the office of Elder and Deacon.
For the believer who believes in the Bible as the word of God, the
primary example of male leadership is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ came
into the world as the Son of God, not the daughter of God. It was a theological necessity
essential to his person and work. Jesus was and was to be a firstborn male, "holy to the
Lord" Luke 2:23 . 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47; Romans 5:14 .
According to the order of creation, Jesus could not be a woman because in the
male/female relationship only the male is invested with the ministry of head and authority
Genesis 2:20, 22, 23; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:12 and Jesus Christ alone is
head of the Church and King of Kings. He is the model for every male leader.
E. HISTORY OF WOMEN PASTORS:
Currently the feminist spirit is repugnant to male leadership, Jesus is the founder and Lord of
the Church and we must follow his example and teaching.
On October 24, 1956, the Rev. Margaret Towner was ordained as the first female pastor in the
PCUSA Presbyterian Church in America.
Reformed Churches around the world ordain women to pastoral ministry, eldership, and
diaconate. In Latin America, women have been ordained in Presbyterian or Reformed
churches since 1967 in the following countries: Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba,
Ecuador, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela, among others. In the rest of

p. 2
 the world: Germany, Angola, Australia, Cameroon, Canada, China, Korea, Spain, United
States, France, Ghana, Guyana, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, New Zealand,
Netherlands, Rep. Czech Republic From the Congo, Rep. Slovakia, Romania, Rwanda,
Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, Togo, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Zambia,
among others.
On August 17-18, 2011, they presented biblical-theological elements in favor of female
ordination in the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, taking into account this thesis:
1) There is no superiority or subordination of women to men that justifies the exclusion of
women from ministries in the new salvific order established by Christ according to Gal
3:28 . “There is no longer a Jew or a Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is no male or
female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
2) The “ministerial” or “liturgical silence” of women promoted in particular circumstances (1
Cor 11 and 14 ) was applied at a certain particular historical moment, because the Holy
Spirit makes no respect or classification of people to manifest itself.
3) The missionary praxis of the apostle Paul gave the same importance as Jesus to women;
they were able to carry out the ministries that the Holy Spirit had entrusted to them with
complete freedom, despite the Jewish and Greek patriarchal vision that surrounded the
churches of the early centuries. In the same way today, women can exercise the
ministries to which they were called by God with complete freedom .
In Peru there are women pastors in the following denominations: Evangelical Church of
Christ of Peru to the Nations. Apostolic Christian Mission (Lima) Church of the Nazarene
(Chiclayo) among others.
F. THE PRESBYTERIAN AND REFORMED CHURCH IN PERU:
Women's leadership is allowed, but neither pastors, elders, nor deaconesses are
ordained. Essentially female leadership is about working among women.
The IEPRP accepts and practices the biblical tradition of male leadership beginning in the
Old Testament and continuing through the New Testament era.
Paul teaches that the husband has the authority and is entrusted to be the leader in the
marriage relationship and that the wife is instructed to submit "as to the Lord."
"Wives should be subject to their own husbands, as to the Lord" Eph 5:22 . "Therefore, as the
church is subject to Christ, so let married women be subject to their husbands in everything" Eph
5:24 . "For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church" Eph 5:23
. "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord" Col 3:18 .
The words “Submission” and “Authority” are considered in Presbyterian leadership:
- The word submission is the key word in the gender debate. The Greek verb for
"submission" is hypotasso. It means: "to be subject to", "to be subordinate to". The
word always implies a relationship of submission to an authority. Therefore, the Greek
word used for "submission" means to be subject to an authority.
- The Greek word for "head" is kephale. This is the example Greek word throughout
ancient Greek it is used to refer to a person and means 'source'
G. LEADERSHIP AND SUBMISSION FUNCTIONS IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
Just as Paul teaches male leadership in the family, he also teaches male leadership in the
extended family, the local church family.
In congregation meetings, women are to learn the Scriptures, but they are not to take
authority to teach the church family (the congregation). This is the responsibility of men.
Paul does not absolutely prohibit women from teaching Acts 18:26; Titus 2:3, 4; 2
Timothy 1:5; 3:14, 15 , but specifically to publicly teach men in formal church meetings.

p. 3
 To avoid misunderstanding: This passage does not imply that women do not have the
ability to teach or lead. We all know that women can be excellent teachers and that they
have the ability and gift of direction.
A believing woman may be an excellent schoolteacher, but when the church meets, men
take the lead in teaching and governing the church family, not women. In this way the local
church demonstrates God's design for the sexes and the relationship of Christ and the
Church of leadership and submission. They should not lead or govern the congregation.
1 Tim 5:17 states that elders are to lead and teach the church and since women are not to
teach or lead the men of the church, we can conclude that women cannot be pastor-elders
in the local church. 1 Tim 2:8-15 alone makes clear the issue of women as pastor-elders.
"For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being
deceived, transgressed" 1 Timothy 2:13, 14 .
H. BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP IS BY ELDERS:
The New Testament not only records the existence of elders in numerous churches, it also
gives instructions about elders and elders. In fact, the New Testament offers more
instructions regarding elders than it does about other important aspects of the church.
Consider the consistent pattern of plural eldership that existed among the early Christian
churches as recorded in the New Testament:
• We see elders in the churches of Judea (Acts 11:30; Jas 5:14, 15).
• The elders ruled the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15).
• Among the Pauline churches, leadership by a plurality of elders was established in the churches of
Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (Acts 14:23); in the church of Eph (Acts 20:17; 1 Tim 3:1-7;
5:17-25); in the church of Philippi (Phil 1:1); and in the churches of the island of Crete (Titus 1:5).
• According to the first letter of Peter, the elders existed in the churches scattered throughout
northwest Asia Minor: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (1 Pet 1:1; 5:1).
• There are strong indications that elders existed in the churches of Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians
5:12) and Rome (Hebrews 13:17).
CONCLUSION : The New Testament not only provides examples of churches led by elders,
but includes explicit instructions to churches about how to care for, protect, discipline, select,
restore, obey, and call elders. The apostles expected that these instructions would be obeyed
and considered normative teachings for all churches and all times.
• James instructs the sick to call the elders of the church (James 5:14).
• Paul instructs the Ephesian church to financially support elders who work "in preaching and teaching" (1
Timothy 5:17, 18).
• Paul instructs the local church on how to protect elders from false accusations, discipline elders who
sin, and restore elders who have sinned (1 Timothy 5:19-22).
• Paul instructs the church on the skills necessary to be an elder (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).
• To the church at Ephesus, Paul tells them that whoever aspires to become an elder desires a noble job
(1 Tim 3:1).
• Paul instructs the church to examine the qualifications of potential elders (1 Tim 3:10; 5:24,25).
• Peter instructs the young men of the church to submit to the elders (1 Peter 5:5).
• The writer of Hebrews instructs his readers to obey and submit to the elders (Hebrews 13:17).
• Paul teaches that elders are the administrators, leaders, instructors, and teachers of the local church
(Titus 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; Titus 1:9).
• Paul instructs the church to recognize, love, and live in peace with the elderly (1 Thessalonians 5:12,
13).
GOD CALLS MEN TO LEAD AND WOMEN TO BE A HELP MEET

p. 4