Women Pastors


Note: I wrote this article after one of our recent breakfast meetings at the Saturday 84 Diner Men's Discussion Group.
Our discussion this morning began with the observation that many Churches have no Pastor. While there are "circuit riders" who serve some of these congregations without shepherds, the demand exceeds the supply. This is happening because some Pastors have become disillusioned with today's Church and resigned, and there are not enough students entering seminaries to study for the pastorate.
While some Church organizations have always ordained woman Pastors, most of the mainline denominations have not. However, in recent times, many Protestant Churches have begun to ordain female Pastors and Bishops. Historically, the Pentecostal, Charismatic, Word of Faith and many non-denominational Churches  - which are products of the 20th Century - have always ordained female Pastors.
This led to the never-ending argument about whether women can be allowed to be Pastors. I don't think we reached a consensus, and probably never will. We did conclude that the issue is not worth breaking fellowship over.
I Googled the subject to see what would come up, and there was quite a bit. There was a couple articles that addressed the subject I have referenced below. Wikipedia should always be viewed with a grain of salt, because it is not authoritative. Needless to say, just because a bunch of Churches are doing something, doesn't make it right, but it does show there is some consensus. Some liberal Churches are ordaining homosexuals, which I think is unacceptable, so the Church is becoming progressively more liberal.
For your information, I am ordained in a non-denominational full gospel Church, which does ordain women, including as Apostles and Prophets. I have done a thorough study on the role of women in the Bible, and find that God has used woman in important ways, often in positions of authority over men. In the New Testament, Jesus never addressed the subject, but Paul does in several of his letters, as noted in the articles. It is unclear if Paul is speaking for God or is he addressing the issue of traditions and the culture.
Blessings to you in Christ,
Rev. Jim Houchens

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