Men Only?

As our church looks again at the biblical qualifications for the offices of elder and deacon, we should revisit why Scripture teaches that these offices are reserved for men. But first of all, does Scripture teach this?

All of the New Testament lists of elder qualifications clearly address males. In Titus 1:6, the apostle Paul says an elder must be “the husband of one wife,” or “a man of one woman,” and the following verses refer only to male candidates. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul uses much of the exact same language. Likewise, in 1 Peter 5, the apostle Peter’s charge to the elders uses language directed only to males.

Regarding deacons, in Acts 6:1–7 Luke writes that the twelve apostles (who were the original elders and were all men) told the brothers/disciples (which could be read as “brothers and sisters”) to “pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” who would be appointed to lead the serving ministry of the church. And looking again at 1 Timothy 3, Paul gives qualifications for deacons similar to those for elders, assuming only male candidates who also should be “the husband of one wife.”

That should be enough to convince us, but various efforts are made by those who wish to reinterpret these passages of Scripture. In the Old Testament, they refer to Deborah’s leadership of Israel in Judges 4. But those who point to Deborah overlook the fact that she served during a time when Israel was upside-down morally and the men were cowards who demonstrated neither the faith nor the conviction to lead. During that time, “The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD,” Judges 4:1 says.

In the New Testament, they point to Phoebe in Romans 16. It should be acknowledged that the apostle Paul does commend her as a διάκονον or “servant” of the church. This is a form of the Greek word from which we get our word “deacon.” So was Phoebe then a “deaconess?” What did Paul mean by using this term to describe a dear female member of the Roman church?

Paul’s use of the word emphasizes an essential truth: that the women of the church are no less servants than the men are, even though only certain men hold the offices of elder and deacon.

A parallel example exists in the home. A husband and wife are spouses; the are equal partners in matrimony. In no way is the wife less of a spouse than the husband or less of a partner in the marriage than the husband, even though the husband is the “head” of the wife (Ephesians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 11:3). In a similar way, husband and wife can be parents, but the father is no more a parent than mother. However, the father is not and could never be a mother, and the mother is not and could never be a father. They are equal in value, but their God-designed roles are different.

Back to Phoebe, she was not a “deacon” in the authoritative sense that Paul describes in Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13, but she was most certainly a beloved and honored “servant” in the church. At Good Shepherd, we are privileged to have many such women. They serve in various ways for which they should be commended and respected. They are no less servants than the men who serve or the ordained men who have been elected and set apart for the office of deacon. This is similar to those women in our church who teach other women or teach our children from the Scriptures. They are no less teachers than the men are. The men and women are equal in value, but their roles are different.

This interpretation fits perfectly with what Paul writes in Galatians 3:28, where he states, “there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” He was not doing away with gender; he was stressing equality in Christ. Those who are born again have equal righteousness, status, blessing and inheritance in Jesus. This is not out of accord with God’s assigned roles for men and women in the home and church. Rather, it teaches us to perform our roles with the utmost humility, selflessness, love, and respect.

This difference between men and women is therefore an issue of assigned roles, not of intrinsic value. Women and men are equal in Christ, but equal does mean “same in every way.” Male headship is God’s design, not only for the home but also for the church.