Women's Leadership in the Church of God

The Worldwide Church of God in El

Salvador
A School for Alma

Women's Leadership in the Church of God

Judges 4:4-5 / Galatians 3:28

AIM
Know the historical-biblical background of the leadership of Christian women,
examples of leaders from the Old and New Testament and the leadership of the
Church as a representation of an exemplary woman like the Wife of the Lamb.

INTRODUCTION
Woman as a being, in her nature and disposition for life and society, is made in the
image of God, assuming roles similar to men, and without losing her femininity, her
sex, her tenderness, her delicacy, her identity, and that wonderful role that God
gave her of being a mother. Universal History records the brilliance of many
women, and the word of God itself informs us and teaches us the role of women.

Both in the Old Testament and also in the times of the New Testament, women
occupied an action of full participation, both publicly and privately. Women
frequently assumed and continue to assume leadership positions in social,
economic, and political movements, and above all in the Church of God, which is
the movement that has most revolutionized humanity within the redemptive
framework that Jesus Christ established by she.

YO. ETYMOGY AND CONCEPTUALIZATION

A. LEADER
The word Leader has two roots, one Latin and one English or Saxon. In this sense,
there are two sources of the original meaning of the term:

• It comes from the Latin lis-litis and its meaning is dispute, quarrel or
process.
• It comes from the English leader , whose meaning in general terms is to
guide along a path, serve as a route indicator and be a channel or conductor
for something, among other meanings.

Starting from these etymological considerations, it can be said of a Leader:

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 Women's Leadership in the Church of God

• Leader, with the voluntary acceptance of his followers;

• They are men and women who have a strong capacity to face conflicts;

• They are those who serve, guide, instruct and satisfy the needs of a certain
group.

B. WOMEN
The second term of interest in this study is the word woman. Of this word we will
say that in general it comes from the Latin root mulier , related to mollis which
means "soft". Starting from this, the word Woman refers to a person of the female
sex, one who has left puberty or adulthood, without taking into account her age,
whether she is a virgin or not. This last assertion is supported by most
contemporary Bible dictionaries.

C. WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP
Combining concepts, we then understand that women's leadership is the ability
of women to serve, instruct, teach and satisfy the needs of a certain group,
influence the achievement of goals, in order to guide them towards maturity in
Christ Jesus. and on the way to eternal life.

In the natural world, authority and power are seen as means to manipulate and
control people; The leader is the one who manages to get the job done through
others, he is the one who manages and exploits those under his command.
Contrary to this, in the Christian sphere authority and power come from God, the
leader is the one who serves, the one who tries to guide and satisfy the needs of
his subordinate brothers who strive to fulfill the responsibilities that they as the
Body of Christ we all have (San Marcos. 10: 42-44).

II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

A. THE WOMAN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Women in the Old Testament had a very important presence that declares their
exemplary action in the affairs of God's people, Israel. His performance, in general,
was framed in three fundamental roles that defined his role and to which he owed
himself with dedication and effort, values that characterized him among other
cultures of the ancient world.

• The Role of Industriousness. The woman managed the home production

and marketing of the family project, with everything that this involved,
caring for gardens and domestic animals, processing food and wool for

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 Women's Leadership in the Church of God

threads and fabrics (Proverbs 31:13-15).

• The Reproduction Paper. The reproduction of the population was defined

as the priority task of women. A woman who enjoyed God's blessing was
one who gave her husband many children. That is why the barren woman
considered herself afflicted by God. ( 1 Samuel 1:11)

• The Educational Role. Hebrew society appreciated the role of the mother
as a teacher and guide of her children; women determined the spiritual life
of the family by perpetuating faith in Jehovah and transmitting beliefs and
customs to new generations. ( Deuteronomy 11: 18-19) while the
husband dedicated himself to the activities that generated the maintenance
of the family.

B. EXAMPLES OF WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

In ancient Israel, women were considered members of the "family of faith." As

such, they could enter most areas of worship (Deuteronomy 29:10-11). This
meant an important space that Jewish women took full advantage of to
demonstrate the gifts and virtues that God had placed in them.

MARY (Exodus 15:20-21)

Moses' older sister; She was an extraordinary woman who left her mark on the
ancient history of God's people.

• Saved the life of Moses. This indicates that he participated in God's Plan for
the future liberation of his chosen People.

• Worship Leader and Prophet. (Exodus 15:20-21) She had a precious

prophetic and musical gift that made her a leader in praising God and in
prophecy.

• Leader with Moses and Aaron. She is mentioned together with Moses and
Aaron (her brothers) as part of a triune group that delivered and led the
Israelites out of Egyptian slavery (Micah 6:4)

DEBORA (Judges 4:4-5)

Within the ancient historical world that the Bible presents to us, this is one of the
women of whom the Hebrews can be most proud.

She was chosen by God to exercise justice in difficult times when a man could not
rise. God manifested himself to his people in righteousness through a woman.

• Prophet and Judge. Deborah, a married woman, held two positions or

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offices: One as a Prophetess (female prophet), and another as a Judge. This

indicates that she was a woman of revelation and justice who guided the
people of God.

• Fulfiller of the ancient purpose.(Judges 5:13) She fulfilled God's ancient

purpose for man and woman: to have dominion (Genesis 1:28). With her
rise as Judge, God emphasized the ability of the entirety of His creation, Man
and Woman, without distinction before God to lead.

C. THE WOMAN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The first documents of the New Testament bear witness to the integration of
women in Christian communities, not only at the level of praxis but also in
theological reflection. Women begin a new stage in their development and their
presence in ecclesiastical affairs, based on some aspects that allowed it; such as:

• The Law is surpassed. The rite of initiation in the church is no longer

circumcision, in which there is a distinction between man and woman (
Galatians 3:28), which meant an important opening to women.

• Jesus is accompanied by women in his ministry. This indicated the role of

women as supporters in the Ministry (Luke 8:1–2)

• The prophecy and prayer of Women in worship. In the first congregations

established in the apostolate period (1 Corinthians 11:5 ) women take part
in ecclesiastical aspects and of them Paul only asks that they keep the
commandment regarding head covering.

D. EXAMPLE OF WOMEN LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

WOMEN ON THE CROSS

The Bible testifies that next to the cross of Jesus was a group of women made up of
his mother, his mother's sister, Mary, Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene (Saint John
19:25 ). The last person who remained on the cross was a woman (St. Mark
15:47). This raises a fundamental question at this crucial stage in the life of Jesus:

WHERE WERE THE MEN?

• The Disciples Had Fled. "Then all the disciples left him and fled" (Matthew
26:56)

• Pedro followed him from a distance. "But Peter followed him at a distance to
the court of the high priest; and when he entered, he sat down with the
officers to see the end" (Matthew 26:58)

• Peter denied him. This came as a result of Peter's denial of knowing Jesus
(Matthew 26:72).

• Marcos fled terrified . Mark (the gospel writer) ran for his life . (Saint Mark

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 Women's Leadership in the Church of God

14: 51-52)

Note that in the most difficult moments of Jesus' life on Earth, it was the brave
Women who were willing to risk their lives for the Master, since his disciples, that
group of men who followed him for more than three years, were filled with fear and
fled to save their own lives.

THE WOMEN WHO ANNOUNCED THE RESURRECTION

• First in the Tomb . The first person to visit the tomb was a woman (John
20:1).

• The first to announce . The first person to proclaim the message of the
resurrection was a woman (Matthew 28:8-10).

• Priscilla. He was the one who explained "the way of God more accurately"
(Acts 18:24-28) to the powerful preacher Apollos.

III. WOMEN AND THEIR LEADERSHIP IN THE CURRENT CHURCH (Galatians

3:28) After having carried out an etymological review of the terms that concern us
in this study and having historically addressed the presence of women both in the
ancient biblical world and in the New Testament, it is time to see the prophetic
woman, the Church of God, who is presented to us in all biblical revelation and in
which the supreme virtues of the Bride of Christ are reflected.

A. PROPHETIC REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN

• Prophetically the Church is represented by a woman . (Ezekiel 16:6 8) The

church is then the Spiritual Israel; Therefore, God expects the three
fundamental roles that women played in Earthly Israel to be fulfilled in her.
This means that the Church must possess industriousness (Proverbs
31:13-15) , it must be reproductive (Saint John 15:16) and be an entity
of education and preservation of sound doctrine.

• The Wife of the Lamb (Ephesians 5:31-32) Another of the fundamental

aspects in biblical prophecy in which the figure of the Woman intervenes is
in the relationship between Christ and the Church. Christ is the Husband and
his Bride is the Church, the protector of his goods, his message and his
Covenant, because he has known Jehovah, that is, he has received the
revelation (Hosea 2:19-20)
• A Virtuous Woman (Proverbs 31:10-31) The virtuous woman we find in
Proverbs represents the Church; Among the virtues of the Church we find
three that are of fundamental application in the biblical prophecy of the
Church of God:

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• The Arras: (2 Corinthians 1:22)

• The Revelation: (Saint Matthew 16:18-19)
• Power and Authority: (Deuteronomy 29:29 )

B. PROPHETIC REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IN THE

BIBLICAL PLAN
A leader is one who is vested with power and authority. The Church as a
representation of women is called to guide, instruct, lead and satisfy the needs of
humanity; For this reason, the Church as a representation of the Wife of the Lamb
has received certain privileges:

• It has a special place.(Song of Songs 6:8-10 ) Among the many women

(denominations) who participate in the message of Christ, she alone is his
chosen one, the Church of God.

• She is called to be head (Deuteronomy 28: 13) The women who

throughout history left a mark of leadership (like Deborah), were only a
shadow of what the Church would do in these times.

• He has the revelation. This allows the Church the privilege of directing
theology (Isaiah 2:2-36). This indicates that she brings knowledge
(because she is the Bride and knows her Husband) and the denominations
(maidens and concubines) feed on her (Isaiah 4:1)

C. FOUNDATION OF WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP

Throughout history we find great leaders (Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and
others); However, they all made mistakes and do not qualify as perfect leaders, the
only one who qualified was the Son of Man, who is Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the basis or pattern that women must follow for their Leadership is Jesus
Christ, the perfect man. That perfection is what God seeks in the prophetic woman
(The Church) and for this he has endowed her with all science and full knowledge
(Saint Matthew 5:48)

D. JESUS'S LEADERSHIP MODEL

For the leadership of the Church (the prophetic woman) to be productive and
effective, she must adhere to the leadership of her husband (Christ), who laid some
foundations that indicate the trajectory that the Church must follow in these current
times. Jesus' leadership was successful because:

• He was motivated by a vision . (John 4:34) What is your motivation as a

member of the Church? Is there a vision that is motivating your life?

• The basis of his leadership was service (Matthew 28:28) The church must
be an entity of support and service to humanity.

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• He was sure of his identity (Luke 23:21-22) Do you know your identity as
a church? Are you sure of what you believe and stand by it? A church
without identity is as if it did not exist. It has no fundamental bases.

• He was absolutely dependent on his Father (John 14:31) The church is

equally dependent on God. This implies that everything you receive is
heavenly.

• He dressed himself in humility and meekness (Mt.11:28-29) What is his

dress? Can humility and meekness be seen in his dress? (Proverbs 31:31;
James 4:6)

• He showed love and fellowship (John 15:13-15) Just as Christ loved her,
the Church must share love with all who need it.

CONCLUSION
The Church of God at the end of time will culminate its leadership role. In reality,
God's prophetic plan has a triumphant ending in store for her that clearly indicates
that God has placed his trust and heart in the Woman. The Bible shows us these
truths that the Church will enjoy:

• Wedding of the Lamb. Revelation 19:7-8; Isaiah. 62:5

• New Jerusalem : Revelation 21:2
• Majesty: Song of Solomon 6:10
Every woman who is part of the Body of Christ is called to exercise her leadership,
just as Christ exercised it. Women have a special place in the heart and the
Prophetic Plan of God. It's time to do our thing. Amen

By
Sister Vivian Lizeth Gutiérrez Luna
February 2010

The Author is a member of the Worldwide Church of God in El Salvador Chalchuapa Branch and has
served as a youth leader for several years. She is a Lawyer from the Republic of El Salvador and has a
Bachelor's Degree in Theology from the Miami International Seminary. He is currently pursuing his
Master's degree in Theological Studies abroad.

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