But what about the great women in the Bible?

Another rebuttal to the argument for women in pastoral ministry relates to women in the Old Testament who held leadership positions, such as Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah.

It is true that these women were chosen by God for a special service to Him and that they stand as models of faith, courage, and, yes, leadership. However, when it comes to pastors in the church in the New Testament era, the authority of women in the Old Testament is irrelevant.

In the New Testament Epistles, God presents a new paradigm for his people, the church, the body of Christ, and that paradigm involves a unique authority structure that does not apply to Israel or any other Old Testament entity.

A similar argument is made in the New Testament about Priscilla and Phoebe.

In Acts 18, Priscilla and Aquila are presented as faithful ministers for Christ. The argument is often made that since Pricilla’s name is mentioned first before her husbands (Aquila) she was in an authoritative position.

But this is not the case,  her name was mentioned first possibly because she was more prominent in ministry than her husband. Regardless, when we look at the account of the couple sharing the gospel with Apollos (Acts 18:26) they did so at their own home.

There is no mention in the Bible that Priscilla ever pastored a church, taught publicly or became a spiritual leader of a congregation of saints.

Additionally, at the end of Romans, Paul introduces us to Phoebe, a woman who is referred to as a ‘servant’ of the church in Cenchreae.

The Greek word used for ‘servant’ is ‘diakonos’, which is often translated as ‘deacon’ in many English versions of the Bible. Some argue that this indicates her holding a significant position of authority within the church.

However, it is important to distinguish between the general service roles, which could be filled by any devoted member of the congregation, and the pastoral leadership roles, which involve specific doctrinal teaching and authoritative decision-making.

While Phoebe’s role was undoubtedly important and indicates the high regard Paul had for her, it does not necessarily imply that she fulfilled the same functions as a pastor or an elder within the church. This distinction is crucial in understanding the specific leadership roles outlined in the New Testament.