Thoughts on the SBC, Female Pastors, & The List

When Complementarian and Egalitarian arguments devolve into childish boy vs. girl competitions, we need to get back to Scripture.

I think I may be part introvert. Last week I traveled to New Orleans to speak on a panel at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Don’t get me wrong, I love socializing, meeting new people, and public speaking, but it took me several days to recover from seeing that many people. I putzed around at home, thinking about writing and doing odd chores.

I’ll write more about ECAP and my panel at the SBC Convention soon, but something has been on my mind that I think is really important. As you may have heard, the SBC voted to defellowship several churches because they have female pastors. In addition, someone made a very detailed List of 170 SBC churches that have female pastors. These are not just lead pastors, but worship pastors, children’s pastors, women’s pastors, and family life pastors. And The List isn’t merely bullet points with church names and their convention or a link to the website. It has all the women’s names, photos, contact information, and biographical information. I’m sure this wasn’t the intent, but it comes off a bit creepy, with some describing it as a “hit list.”

At the Convention, Al Mohler made some good points. We want to be faithful to God’s will, even if it rubs us the wrong way. We want our churches to align with Scripture, not pop culture. The problem is, quite a few Egalitarians and female pastors are just as passionate about theology, they just understand or interpret the Bible differently. For example, some interpret Galatians 3:28, “There is neither … male and female,” to indicate that both genders may now hold the same offices in the church. You can agree or disagree with that interpretation, but the fact remains, the people who think this way genuinely love God and believe that this is his meaning.

From the Complementarian perspective, I’ve heard it argued that, in the time the Bible was written, women had much harder lives and were busy caring for children. Thus, the office of pastor was given to men, because God didn’t want to overburden women. That is thoughtful, and it’s certainly true that God takes a merciful disposition towards women and mothers.

Another Complementarian pastor recently tweeted, “It is glorious for a man to embrace public scorn for the sake of truth, because doing so aligns with his God given masculine disposition. But women have a different, feminine disposition and a different glory to pursue. By nature, women are more risk averse and more likely to shrink from danger. This is because God made women to protect the potential for new life that exists within their own bodies. Thus, it is in the nature of women to run from danger … This is why you can’t appoint a woman to the office of pastor.”

As a mother who has punched someone in the face to protect my child, I could go into all the reasons why this take is wrong. However, my momma-bear instincts are the least of what’s important here.

I think it's a mistake to define the office of pastor based on men's abilities or predispositions. One could just as easily argue that men are more prone to violence or abuse of power and conclude that no men should be pastors. This would be illogical. We cannot develop our theology this way.

Rather, we must recognize that the office of pastor is defined by God. It has nothing to do with how good or strong men are, and everything to do with who God is and what he’s telling us. Until we understand what God is communicating through the concept of pastor, we cannot comprehend his office. It is God’s office, not ours. That has to be our starting point.

Anyone who has read the Bible will note that the priests and most biblical authors were male. Not all, but most. This is because they were supposed to prefigure or picture Jesus, who became human as a male. When the people of God saw Moses, David, Nathan, or Samuel, they were supposed to be reminded of God’s promise to Eve and eagerly anticipate the Messiah to come. Just so, when members of the early church saw Peter, James, John, or Paul, they were supposed to remember Jesus, and long for the day he will come again. These men – though finite and fallen – were supposed to fix our eyes and focus our attention on Someone far above, beyond, and better than them.

In a similar way to how Communion wine pictures Jesus's blood, and Baptism waters picture God's Spirit, so a lead pastor pictures Jesus as he taught and cared for God's people on the mountainside. Like a living sacrament or an act of worship, a pastor shows us the Infinite in a finite way, the Perfect despite his imperfection.

Subsequently, it is my personal understanding that lead pastors should be male, not because men are smarter, godlier, braver, or better at leadership than women, but because the office of lead pastor is a picture of our ultimate Pastor, Shepherd, Brother, and Friend.

This does not mean that I think women can't or shouldn't fill pastoral roles, let alone teaching and leadership roles. I myself write. I speak and teach at churches, seminaries, and conferences. I advise pastors and leadership teams on how to handle abusive situations and protect kids. God has called me to this. If a man asks me a question I will teach him, and if I’m ever marooned on an island with a bunch of unbelievers, you better believe I’ll preach the Gospel to them. I know. I’m a rebel.

But note that I stipulate lead pastor, because I do not think music pastor, children’s pastor, or family life director are the same office. These are all separate things; different roles with different functions, serving different demographics, and having different responsibilities.

I find it bizarre that The List includes women in roles such as children’s pastor or family life director. I believe it exposes a misunderstanding of what a lead pastor is and does.

Even from a Complementarian perspective, prohibiting women from pastoring children or other women is extremely stringent, and many if not most theologically conservative circles allow for women teachers and deacons. In fact, I’d say most functionally have women in leadership, just not in title. For example, in a former OPC church I attended, there was a running joke that the women could do all the same tasks as the men, they just couldn’t hold a title. That’s problematic, even from a Complementarian perspective. It teaches through example that women can do just as much or more work than the men, but they shouldn’t be recognized or honored for doing it. It’s misogyny pitched as theology, and it has no basis in the Bible.

Throughout Scripture, God has called many women to pastoral and leadership roles. Miriam, the sister of Moses, was a prophet who led the people of God in worship. In Micah 6:4, God confirms, "I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam." Miriam was sent and called by God to lead.

There are numerous other examples. Deborah was also a prophet called by God to lead his people. Both Deborah and Miriam lead God's people in worship through singing, which makes a compelling case for female worship leaders or music pastors. Other examples of female leaders include Ruth, Lemuel's mother, Esther, Sarah, and Priscilla.

Paul called Priscilla his co-worker (Romans 16:3), not his servant, employee, staff member, or subordinate. Though Paul was an Apostle, he referred to her as an equal. This should signal to us that, for one, Paul was humble, but also that he did not view women as his inferiors. Though he was what we today might call a lead pastor, he did not consider Priscilla to be less than him. In fact, I don’t think a power dynamic entered into Paul’s mind whatsoever. He was focused on honoring Jesus and he rejoiced when others joined him in that cause.

But of course, if lead pastors are to picture Jesus, then abusive pastors are blasphemy. It is not a sin or a weakness to be a woman, but it is an abomination to be an abuser. A pastor who abuses anyone spits in the face of Christ and thumbs his nose at God. It cannot be tolerated.

And so, when we see Christians and leaders investing more time and energy into ousting women from all leadership roles, than they do in ousting adulterers, sexual predators, wife beaters, and pedophiles, we need to ask serious questions about their heart motives, wisdom, theological understanding, and qualifications to lead. I’m not talking about the author of The List here, but anyone who is more concerned about a female children’s minister than they are about a pastor who covers up rape or grooms kids. Surely, anyone with a lick of common sense can see the priority here.

But let’s go back to our pictures. During corporate worship, if lead pastors are a picture of Jesus, then the congregation (including men and boys) are a picture of the Bride of Christ. So we see, this is far less about gender, and far more about telling a beautiful story. Every worship service is to be a prophetic picture of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb promised to us when Jesus returns to wipe sin, death, and pain away forever.

These pictures, these offices, these worship services are not about us. They’re not about gender. They’re not about human power or hierarchy. They’re not about who can open the pickle jar. They're about God. They're about Jesus Christ and what he's done and what he's going to do for us. Once we get that straight, everything else falls into place.

As the church, we are on holy ground.
What we do here is far bigger than you or I.

And of course, none of this means that women are not called to be Christlike. We all are. It simply means that, particularly during corporate worship, the lead pastor is set apart for a unique role. That role is not about him. It’s not about masculinity or ego or earthly power. It’s about Jesus.

This isn't Complementarianism.

It isn't Egalitarianism.

I'm not sure that it has a name. It's just how I – in my limited, human, fallible way – understand God's Word and I hope and pray that it's faithful. I’m probably at least partially wrong though, so I encourage you to search the Scriptures, consider, and pray on your own.

Someday, you and I will get to Heaven. In that place, all our questions will be answered. All misunderstandings and faulty doctrines will come undone and fade like a dream. Until that day, I am honored and humbled to call you my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.

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