Rough Draft–work in progress
The personal outcome focus of Disciple First changes the whole question of women as leaders.
The DFA Position on Women in Leadership
1. The Servant Model vs. The Authority Model
In traditional corporate church structures, the “Pastor” or “Elder” is viewed as an office of executive authority and governing power. 1 Timothy 2:11-12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man” is understood to exclude women from these roles.
However leadership as taught by Jesus is not a status of authority over people but a function of service to people. The Bible is our sole authority, along with the guidelines in our Member Handbook, which in reality are practical applications of principles from Scripture.
I the DFN model, because Gatekeepers protect boundaries (Safety) and Facilitators provide resources (Growth), neither role possesses the authority to dictate a member’s private life. We do not ask,“Who is allowed to rule?” but rather, “Who is equipped to serve?”
2. Same-Sex Mentoring as a Rule of Wisdom
Our priority of safety dictates that cross-gender relationships must be restricted in order to protect the safety of all. To protect “Safety First”, all mentoring, healing, coaching, etc. must be conducted on a same-sex basis.
3. Basing a rigid rule on unclear texts is poor hermeneutics.
We note two generally accepted rules to follow in defining a universal principle or command from a text: 1) clarity and 2) corroboration.
At first glance, 1 Timothy 2:11-12 would appear to pass the clarity test. “I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man.” The first reason, that Adam was created first, is clear, but the second one, that Eve was deceived and not Adam, actually contradicts the Genesis account, which notes that Adam and Eve were together at the time.
The command in 1 Corinthians 14 for women to “keep silent in the churches” is also illogical. First, it contradicts 1 Corinthians 11, where Paul explicitly gives instructions on how women should pray and prophesy in public gatherings. Second, the statement in verse 34, “as the Law also says”, is obscure, given that we don’t know what law Paul may have been referring to. There is certainly no such Old Testament law, and if it was a local law, that leads to to the conclusion that the instruction is for a specific situation, not a universal rule. Furthermore, in chapter 11, Paul mentions women prophesying.
We therefore find it appropriate, and not compromising the Word of God, to conclude that these texts do not meet the criteria for a universal princilple. We note that there is strong precedent for setting aside obscure statements out of uncertainty, the best example being 1 Corinthians 15:29, re. baptism for the dead. To do so does not reduce the authority of Scripture, but rather applies a consistent hermeneutical principle: universal principles should be clearly stated and corroborated in other texts.
4. Texts on gifting and sharing in the Body are gender neutral.
NT passages on gifting, encouraging and sharing together omit any mention of gender. Cf. Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Colossians 3, Ephesians 4-5, Hebrews 10:24-25, and others.
The only exception is 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, mentioned above It is noteworthy that in his very same letter Paul refers to
5. First-Century Cultural Logic
The NT references to Elders and Deacons as male only is logical for the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds of the first century. Women lacked legal standing, could not act as valid witnesses in court, and were largely excluded from public, civic life. We therefore believe their exclusion from Christian governance to be a matter of missionary strategy, not eternal theology.
Another example of cultural accommodation in the NT church is slavery. We believe that in all cases, the most important question is what will most effectively make disciples.
6. Effectiveness, Not Ideology
We must state that our endorsement of women in leadership has no connection with secular humanist/feminist concepts of equality. We believe that the trend of mainline denominational groups into theological liberalism stems from mlstake. This includes a focus on “elevating” women to positions of institutional status and power, importing worldly political dynamics into the church.
We reject the framing of elevating people to equality completely. Our focus is for all to be “under”–first under God, then under each other, submitting to one another out of revernce for Christ. Our desire for women in leadership is the utilization of their gifts for Kingdom effectiveness (Function First). As the Holy Spirit distributes gifts for the benefit of all, those gifts are to be cultivated and stewarded irrespective of gender.
Practical Examples of Gifting and Leadership
Besides the fact that texts on spiritual gifting clearly assume both men and women, here are two practical examples of how a woman’s perspective can and should be included:
- Scriptural Insight: when a woman has an insight into Scripture that is helpful for others, it makes no sense, nor does it fit any other Scripture, for her insight to be considered invalid or inappropriate to share because it comes from a woman. As in all exploration of Scripture, the Word itself is its own authority, not the messenger.
- Discernment: In difficult areas of healing and conflict, the personality makeup and experience of a woman can give her strong discernment into the emotional and spiritual needs of others. To silence this perspective is to rob others of possible benefit.
Summary Checklist for DFA
By adopting this position, Disciple First Aurora ensures that:
- Women can fully serve as Gatekeepers or Facilitators based on their proven character, spiritual maturity, and objective skills.
- Strict safety boundaries remain intact via mandatory same-sex mentoring.
- The Bible remains our ultimate authority, precisely because we refuse to distort obscure or culturally localized passages into universal tools of institutional control.
