Why Do Many Women Believe They Are Called to Serve as Pastors?

Q: Why do so many women today sincerely believe that they are called by God to serve as pastors or hold ordained leadership roles, even when this seems to conflict with a complementarian understanding of Scripture? Is this something God is prompting or of the flesh? How should the broader church understand and respond to this growing phenomenon, especially when many of these women are knowledgeable, well-trained, and doctrinally sound?

A: First of all, I don't think that God is leading them. Is someone asking me if I can think of some elaborate exception to this rule? Yes, I could. There could be a house church where all the men are thrown in prison, or a missionary couple serving a distant tribe. But let's take these unusual exceptions off the table. We're talking about normative practice.

The simple truth is that God would never lead a woman to act in disobedience to His word. I think that a woman may be rightly responding to her desire to serve the Lord, that she's gifted to serve the Lord, and that she's called to serve the Lord in some way. Maybe she thinks the only way that can be channeled is through congregational leadership, or perhaps she's been poorly taught and believes there are no distinctions between what God has commanded for male leadership in the home and in the church. There are many different reasons, but apart from the rarest of exceptions, it is not the Lord behind it.

Regarding the argument that Paul is just expressing his opinion in 1 Timothy 2, I would say that there are many places in Paul's letters where he gives a similar phrasing or approach, and in every one of those, it's for the church in general. For example, in Corinthians, Paul says, 'Not I, but the Lord command.' He indicates that he is speaking as God's apostle, the continuing agent of God's revelation, and what he says should be regarded as seriously as the words of Jesus.

The reasons Paul gives in these passages indicate that this is something God intends as a pattern for the church in general, and the text itself supports that understanding. I have addressed many of these objections in greater depth in another video, and I believe they all come up empty.