What I Learned the Day I Team-Preached With My Wife by Adam Russell

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What I Learned the Day I Team-Preached With My Wife

What I Learned The Day I Team-Preached With My Wife

By Adam Russell on Feb 12, 2020

Vineyard Campbellsville

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This is the sort of admission that reveals just how mysterious marriage--and preaching--can be.

Scripture: None

Tags: wife, Preaching, Logic, Interaction

About two weeks ago I did something I’ve never done before—I preached the message with my wife. We did a tag-team session that turned out to be as enlightening for me as it was for anyone listening. This is the sort of admission that reveals just how mysterious marriage can be. We’ve been married for 15 years, and I’m honestly still learning things about her, and sometimes, like when we worked on a message together, I end up seeing parts of her that I’ve only ever caught out the corner of my squinted eye.

Here’s what I learned:

1. My wife is really smart.

Now I’ve known for some time that she was smart, but this week I learned that she is pretty much a genius. Honestly, I’ve probably valued her for her natural emotional intelligence at the expense of her significant logical and theological gifts. She doesn’t just "see things from a woman’s perspective"; she has an ability to look into the Scriptures and draw conclusions that reached further than we had time to communicate to our congregation on Sunday morning.

It was her insight that provided the frame for everything we had to say. I expected to do the "heavy Bible lifting," but after one short talk with her about the passage I threw all my sticky notes away.

2. My church needs more up-front interaction with my wife.

I’ve known for some time that people tend to tune me out after five to six weeks of regular preaching. (That’s not their fault; it’s just what human beings do.) In an effort to keep the presentation of God’s word fresh and because I’ve always valued having the community preach to the community, I have regularly employed the gifts that are resident in my church; however, it never occurred to me that my wife needed to be one of those voices. I’ve tried to protect her and distance her from other people’s unrealistic expectations, but I’ve probably been a little too thorough.

3. The weight of a sermon isn’t just impeccable logic, thorough study or smooth delivery—it is the Spirit of God breathing through an actual human life.

Obviously no one is arguing for flaky logic or clunky delivery, but pastors often overvalue the objective, measurable metrics of preaching and miss the intangibles. As soon as my wife stood up front and began to speak, there was a weight and an authority there that I simply do not carry. It means something for a mother of four who is in the trenches of parenting, homeschooling and pastoring to stand up and speak God’s Word.

So many in our church are struggling to manage their hectic schedules with God, and it is a powerful thing when someone in that very same spot speaks from it, and speaks to it. (The truth is I live there, too, but most people have ideas about pastors that sometimes diminish their awareness of the fact that my life with Jesus is very "daily.")

The church needs to embrace the priesthood of every believer even more, and one of the best ways to do this is opening the pulpit to the "non-professionals."

Adam Russell (website: Vineyard Campbellsville)

View all articles by Adam Russell

Adam Russell is the lead pastor and one of the founders of Vineyard Church in Campbellsville, Kentucky. He and his wife Heather have three children (River, Seth and Magnolia) and also own a local health-food store and a couple acres of wine grapes.

Talk about it...

Andrew Moffatt

commented on May 22, 2014

Nice Adam, my wife is an awesome preacher, and she and I share our ministry as members of a denomination that was founded by a couple who both preached and know the value of team. Well done!

Brenda Phillips

commented on Jun 3, 2015

You all are talking about what Paul said about what women should do and what they should not do. Read( Gal. 3: 23--29) and you tell me that same Paul said. Read( Matt.28:1--10)

Gene Cobb

commented on May 22, 2014

I am a Pastor who married a Pastor and together we have ministered for over 30 years, 21 years together at our present church. We share our lives and we share the pulpit! It is a most rewarding and fulfilling life and we get to preach Jesus Christ and help people through the joys and sorrows of their lives. And our Church Family loves seeing the scriptures from both view points. Thank you so much for this article! Hopefully other couples who co-pastor will write comments. We know so many churches who have husband/wife teams that Pastor and one of the greatest benefits we see is that the church truly becomes a family and all are ministered too. Face it we all need the insights of the female/male view point to see the scriptures more clearly. God bless you both as you minister!

Keith B

commented on May 22, 2014

Nevermind the Bible saying women shouldn't be preaching...

Steven Chapman

commented on May 22, 2014

My wife has team preached with me once. I would love to have her be part of our Teaching Team because I believe she has such valuable insights to share. But public speaking is not in her area of comfort.

Richard Scotland

commented on May 22, 2014

Good article and well said!

Doug Conley

commented on May 22, 2014

Right On, Keith!!!

Diana Grapes

commented on May 22, 2014

I don't see any biblical..back up to.any of your opinions!!!

Keith B

commented on Jun 5, 2014

Except the verses that say that a woman should not preach or hold authority over men in the church? I guess once we ignore THOSE verses...

Joe Salcido

commented on May 22, 2014

I'm with Keith B. I'm disappointed that Sermon Central's filter for articles has become so weak and anti-scripture. If Adam's wife was "preaching" to women then ignore my post but if men were present this is a clear violation of scripture.

Doug Turner

commented on May 22, 2014

Interesting, I have yet to find someone tell me that the gifts were gender specific. If you say they are not, then at what point and by whom gets to decide how someone gets to use their gift. If you think they are gender specific, could you please enlighten us as to how you come to the conclusion cause I have yet to hear a good explanation.

Keith B

commented on May 22, 2014

Have you read 2 Timothy? " I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet." No one is saying a woman can't teach, but she is not to teach or hold authority over a man -- specifically in the role of pastor. The Bible knows of no such thing as a woman pastor. They just do not exist.

Diana Grapes

commented on May 22, 2014

AMEN Keith..exactly.. I saw no scripture anywhere that says a woman can..preach.teach..yes..

Diana Grapes

commented on May 22, 2014

I suggest you do the research!

Keith B

commented on May 22, 2014

If you're a woman serving in a pastor role, you're the one that needs to read, Diana. No one is saying your'e less worthy, or that you can't teach other women...but you just cannot be a pastor. A female pastor is about as logical as a square circle.

Cynthia Pelletier

commented on May 22, 2014

This was a refreshing article. I am the lead pastor of a small but growing congregation. My husband and I do life...and ministry together. Although he is not an ordained minister, he DOES minister to our congregation in very tangible ways. He leads a growing men's ministry and is kicking off a First Saturday Servant Evangelism Team that will see folks from our congregation taking their skills - be they mowing lawns, ironing shirts, carpentry or plumbing...to our community and offering our help to the families in our neighbourhood. My husband and I have done team-preaching a couple of times - once sharing on the "Languages of Love" and another time on "Stewardship". I so appreciate his perspective on things. We are like iron sharpening iron... The congregation does enjoy it when we speak together - not only for the content but also it gives them an opportunity to have a deeper look at how we work together as a couple who are in love with Jesus and passionate for His Kingdom. There is always some laughter as well as some heartfelt transparency. We hope we are an inspiration and encouragement to our parishioners as well as other "Priscilla and Aquila" ministry couples out there. God Bless!

Christopher Thomas

commented on May 22, 2014

Interesting comments. I think this is when Jesus would call out the Pharisees for their oppressive self anointed regulations

Jason Smith

commented on May 22, 2014

This may be the place where He shows the "Pharisees" (as you put it) where their traditions (women speaking in church and having authority over men) contradicted scripture (Matthew 15, Mark 7).

Duane Coller

commented on May 22, 2014

Great article, and I've found the message to be true in my situation as well. I'm smiling as I read the comments. Not from smugness or superiority, but just from imagining what God might think of our arguments over what Paul meant or to whom and when it might have applied. Other than his own personal letter to a young pastor in a particular cultural setting very different from our own, I don't know of a single other passage, and certainly no teaching of Jesus that supports excluding women from speaking a word from the Lord. God used women in OT times to be judge over all the men of Israel, and various women are said to prophesy in the NT, and it doesn't say they are only speaking to women. Enough on that. I know some will hold to their denominational or seminarian positions no matter what, and that's OK with me. God loves us all, and when we get to heaven we will all understand that our denominations (of which I also am a member) were simply different groups of people who all agreed to be wrong about the same things. LOL.

Jason Smith

commented on May 22, 2014

Paul's instructions to Timothy regarding women teaching or having authority over men are not "cultural". The reasoning Paul gave is not based on society, but God's creation order (vs 13-14). If you believe it is cultural, would you also say that Paul's teaching to Timothy in the prior two verses on modesty also are cultural?

Bill Williams

commented on May 22, 2014

What about Paul's teaching that women have their heads covered in church?

Keith B

commented on May 22, 2014

What about it? Does he say they should cover their heads in church because of the order of creation? In 1 Tim 2, Paul says the prohibition was a general statement about men and women -- dating back to the order of creation. It wasn't just a local cultural issue -- it was in regards to order of creation.

Bill Williams

commented on May 22, 2014

I was addressing Jason's Smith's question about whether Paul's instructions concerning modesty were also cultural. You will notice that the discussion on modesty also has nothing to do with the order of creation, so you might want to point that out to Jason Smith as well, in order to be consistent with yourself. Keep in mind, however, that Paul's letter was not written primarily to the 21st century Western church. It was written to a pastor ministering to the Christian church in Ephesus, dealing specifically with issues. We know from the history, as well as from the book of Acts, that Goddess worship and female religious hierarchy were prevalent there. It is not difficult to imagine that the Ephesian Christians, in keeping with their religious culture, were elevating the females in the church above the males. Given this historical context, it seems reasonable to conclude that Paul's statement about Adam being created first, rather than Eve, as well as his prohibition against women teaching and exercising authority over men, was intended to correct the unbiblical practical of elevating one sex over the other. When looking at the historical context, it seems that Paul was persuading them not to follow the leadership models of the Gentiles around them. This interpretation, in fact, harmonizes with Christ's own teaching in Matthew 20:25-26 and parallels, that the disciples were not to exercise authority over each other as the Gentiles did.

Tim Nissly

commented on Jun 3, 2015

Bill, no offence meant here but that is just junk hermeneutics. It is hard to believe that Paul was making Spirit inspired commands and statements to all the church (transcending all cultures and all era's of time) to address a small historical concept. We don't just let history determine interpretation. Context is king but not without genre. These books are not historical-narratives they are polemic and instructive. It is very hard to come to the conclusion you did if we are to use basic hermeneutical necessities. Besides that, textual context is to be considered alongside of historical context. Again, we are going to disagree on this and it won't divide us but your interpretation is not as reasonable as you might think. Grace and Peace

Jason Smith

commented on May 24, 2014

Paul does command that the head covering to be worn while prayer and prophesying. Paul builds an argument that is based on the creation order amongst other things. I would also argue that there is nothing within the passage itself that would lead us to think that the command is cultural.

Nelson Schwamb

commented on May 22, 2014

My wife and I have team taught and she has taught by herself in our congregation many times, never "usurping authority" (KJV --1 Tim. 2:12) or assuming authority (NASB) but doing so under the authority of her covering (1 Cor. 11) -- Me, as her husband and pastor. She takes no authority away from any of the men in our congregation as they listen to her speak. We don't only have to deal with the 1 Timothy passage but the passage in 1 Corinthians 11 about praying and prophesying in the congregation of believers. Paul indicates here women may pray and/or prophesy while under authority. Prophesy has always been defined to me as the telling of future events or inspired preaching.

Jim Ressegieu

commented on May 22, 2014

You know Adam, as soon as I saw the title of your very fine article I just knew what I'd see in the comments section and I was correct. You know, I can just see it now...the day of judgment...Jesus calls all the women pastors out of the crowds and lines them up and says sternly, "Depart from me! You are condemned because you females dared spread the Gospel in my name from behind a piece of furniture called a pulpit. And you had the audacity to teach my truths and lead men to me." There are going to be a lot of surprised male pastors on that day as the women instead of being condemned hear the words from our Lord, "Well done good and faithful servant."

Keith B

commented on May 22, 2014

Except that there is no such thing as a female pastor in the Bible. Nevermind that they are explicitly restricted from serving in the role.

Bill Williams

commented on May 22, 2014

For the sake of argument, let's assume you are correct that the Bible prohibits female pastors. That is irrelevant to the point of this article. This article is not saying that the author's wife serves as a pastor. It is saying that on one occasion, he and his wife preached the sermon together. Preaching and teaching are not the exclusive domain of the pastor. On the contrary, elsewhere Paul instructs all Christians (including women) to teach and admonish each other "in all wisdom" (Colossians 3:16). He gives instructions in 1 Corinthians 11:5 on how women should pray or prophesy (a form of teaching) in public; later he instructs them, when they gather together, that they can "can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged" (1 Corinthians 14:31). As important as 1 Timothy 2:12 is to you, these texts are equally as important and inspired, and they need to be taken into consideration. I have no intention of changing your mind considering female pastors, as your mind is obviously made up already. But I hope you can at least agree that there is nothing in Scripture that limits preaching and teaching to pastors only.

Keith B

commented on May 22, 2014

The article says she preached. That is the role of a pastor. If that is the case, they are wrong, and she should not be doing that. As for the Colossians and Corinthians texts...none of them address the role of pastor or elder. I fail to see your point.

Bill Williams

commented on May 22, 2014

My point is that preaching and teaching is not the role of the pastor, exclusively. Can you give me a single text in the NT, just one, that says that preaching and teaching is the sole responsibility of the pastor, exclusively? And please, I hope to hear a response, because every time I ask a pastor that question, the conversation abruptly ends. If you can't find a text that supports the idea that preaching and teaching is the sole responsibility of the pastor exclusively, then please just admit it.

Keith B

commented on May 23, 2014

Actually, a pastor is an elder that preaches. What part of not teaching or having authority over men isn't clear, Bill?

Bill Williams

commented on May 23, 2014

In trying to prove your point, you're missing mine. Please read carefully, or we're going to keep speaking past each other rather than with each other. That preaching is a responsibility for pastors, I agree with you. What I am asking right now is if there are any texts in the NT that says that ONLY pastors are allowed to preach? It's a simple question, yes or no, and please give a text if yes.

Jason Smith

commented on May 24, 2014

I would argue that Paul is NOT dealing with the woman praying and prophesying in the assembly in 1 Corinthians 11 because this would bring the passage into contradiction with 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 which teach that women are to remain silent in the assembly.

Phil Goward

commented on May 26, 2014

Bill, You have quoted 1 Cor 14:31 a few times but I notice when someone mentions 14:34-35 you are silent. Will you please address this text as well? I am an associate pastor in a small church with 6 men and 1 woman on staff and this topic comes up quite a bit. It's not easy, sometimes, to follows God's word, but I can't get around 1 Tim 2 and 1 Cor 14 when it comes to women teaching in the church.

Stephen Allen

commented on May 22, 2014

Saints, we must guard ourselves from being so fearful of not being ?Biblically correct,? that we miss the spirit of passage we are so adamant about. The Pharisees were so focused on their ?Biblical correctness? that they missed the Love of God when He was standing before them. As God?s ministers, we continue to face that same challenge today. While expounding the truth of 2 Timothy and feeling justified that our wives can?t ?preach,? perhaps we should also consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 19 when He said, ?And the two shall become one flesh.? How then could He have called one partner into ministry and not the other? Don?t let religious tradition rob you and your followers of any of the gifts the Lord has entrusted to you and your wife. Blessings!

Joe Salcido

commented on May 23, 2014

Jesus was speaking on the topic of marriage in the scripture you referenced. Paul, also led of the Holy Spirit while writing the infallible Word of God was speaking of teaching. So Stephen, these are 2 powerful truths in scripture that you referenced but they are also 2 different topics.

Bill Williams

commented on May 22, 2014

This conversation come up every now and then on this site. Obviously, this is an issue in which Christians can read the same Scriptures, and reach different conclusions. That is fine. It is not a matter of salvation. This issue is not mentioned in any of the historic creeds. Let us disagree and give our reasons based on Scripture, but let us not allow ourselves to be divided on it. Whether or not we believe that the Bible allows women to preach and teach, let us remember that we are still brothers in sisters in Christ who take the Bible seriously.

Joe Salcido

commented on May 23, 2014

Bill, to give this a broad stroke by saying that it's not a matter of salvation well, neither is unwed pregnancy so do we begin advocating for child bearing out of wedlock? Also, please give me the name of 1 woman in New Testament history that preached, taught or pastored over men in the corporate church setting. With all that said I do believe that Godly women are to teach other women. Colossians 3:16 speaks of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs not women preaching, teaching and pastoring over men.

Bill Williams

commented on May 23, 2014

No, we do not begin advocating for child bearing out of wedlock simply because it is not a matter of salvation. On the other hand, neither do we marginalize nor cast judgement on those who do bear children out of wedlock, and that is my point. I didn't say we shouldn't disagree, nor did I say we shouldn't have the conversation at all. If you read my comment carefully, you would have seen that. What I said is that we shouldn't allow ourselves to become divided over it. We should not allow ourselves to marginalize or cast judgement on those who disagree with us. Really, is that too much to ask for those who claim to be brothers and sisters in Christ?

Bill Williams

commented on May 22, 2014

I greatly appreciated this article, especially for making a point that I have myself have argued on many occasions on this site: "The church needs to embrace the priesthood of every believer even more, and one of the best ways to do this is opening the pulpit to the 'non-professionals.'" As a "non-professional" who shares in the preaching ministry at my church, I want to give a hearty "AMEN!!" Nowhere in Scripture do we see preaching and teaching limited to pastors alone, and certainly not to one person alone.

Michelle Blair

commented on May 22, 2014

Women and Men of God. I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Namely because this has come up more than once, a "Duo for Christ". Hallejuah!

Sandra Leightner

commented on May 22, 2014

Great Article - thank you

Joe Salcido

commented on May 23, 2014

To the argument "my wife and I are a team" or "we do life and ministry together" I would say I hope so!! However, teams have roles. Would a Pastor council a woman by himself with no accountability? Politics have had a "progressive" nature in America and look where it has gotten us; as far way from the constitution as possible. Scripture does not allow us to be "progressive christians". We cannot be concerned about being PC but rather honoring God. This is the part where you're going to call me a Pharisee.?

Bill Williams

commented on May 23, 2014

I'm not quite sure what you find "progressive" about this article. What is advocated is nothing more than Paul's instructions that all Christians (both men AND women) teach and admonish each other in all wisdom (Colossians 3:16). Unless you find Paul's teachings "progressive," wouldn't you say that following his teachings is quite honoring to God? After all, yes, teams have roles. But if you're on a baseball team, regardless of whether you are a pitcher or an outfielder, you still have to be able to catch and throw a ball! All Christians, regardless of their place in the body of Christ, have the privilege AND the responsibility to teach each other and learn from each other.

Joe Salcido

commented on May 23, 2014

Colossians 3:16 KJV [16] "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Bill, where does this verse ask women to preach and exercise authority over men. And yes, I do believe in the teaching of Paul when he addresses the issue of this thread with great specificity. I Tim. 2:12. blessings.

Bill Williams

commented on May 23, 2014

1 Timothy 2:12, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet." Joe, where does this verse prohibit women from preaching? It doesn't. It specifically addresses teaching, not preaching, which is the same thing that Paul instructs ALL Christians to do for each other--with no distinctions made for sex--in Colossians 3:16. Now, the issue of this thread is not women exercising authority over men. Neither the article nor I have argued that point, so let's not get sidetracked by that issue. The issue we are discussing here is regarding preaching and teaching (and it is obvious from your use of 1 Timothy 2:12 that you and I agree that the terms "preaching" and "teaching" can be used interchangeably, for all practical purposes, so let's try to avoid any semantic gymnastics). So, my question to you is this: How do you reconcile your interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:12 as a general prohibition against women teaching men, applicable for all times and in all circumstances; with Paul's instructions in Colossians 3:16 that ALL Christians should teach one another, and with Paul's exhortations in 1 Corinthians 14:31 that ALL Christians prophesy so that all can learn, and with Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 11:5 on how specifically WOMEN were to prophesy? You see, my brother, the Bible has so much more to say about women teaching and instructing than just 1 Timothy 2:12. To ignore the entire Biblical context is to misinterpret God's word. Please do not be like Tony Bland or Keith B who, when challenged to support their assertions from the Scriptures, chose to leave the conversation instead of either supporting their assertions with Scripture or admitting the possibility that they might be mistaken.

Phil Goward

commented on May 26, 2014

Bill, I'm confused by this post. Do you, or don't you believe that the terms preaching and teaching are interchangeable? In the beginning of your post you say "it specifically addresses teaching, not preaching", and then in your parenthetical statement you say "You and I agree that preaching and teaching can be used interchangeably," could you please clarify?

Mark Reavis

commented on May 23, 2014

I'll have to side with Keith, err , the Bible on this one.

Bill Williams

commented on May 23, 2014

The fact that you give absolutely no Scriptural support for siding with Keith speaks volumes. As for equating the interpretation of any man with the Word of God itself, even if it is tongue-in-cheek...well, my brother, that just comes a little to close to blasphemous, for my comfort.

Mark Reavis

commented on May 23, 2014

I'm with Keith.

Bill Williams

commented on May 23, 2014

Brothers and sisters, please consider the following: There is one, and ONLY ONE, text in the NT that prohibits women from teaching men, and that is 1 Timothy 2:12....On the other hand, regarding preaching, teaching, and other related forms of instructing such as prophesying, we have (a) Peter's sermon at Pentecost declaring that the prophecy of Joel 2 where the Spirit of God would be poured out on ALL flesh so that daughters and female servants should prophesy had been fulfilled; (b) the witness of the four unmarried daughters of Philip the evangelist, who prophesied; (c) Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 11:5 on how women should prophesy; (d) Paul's exhortation in 1 Corinthians 14:5, 31 that ALL prophesy so that all may learn; (e) Paul's instructions in Colossians 3:16 that ALL Christians teach and admonish each other in all wisdom; (f) the witness of Acts 8:4 that those who were scattered from Jerusalem because of persecution (presumably including women) went about preaching the word; (g) the witness of 1 Peter 2:9 that all Christians are a royal priesthood that can proclaim (i.e. preach) the excellencies of Christ...and there are more texts I could give. Now I ask you, which is more appropriate: to interpret all of these texts in the context of 1 Timothy 2:12...OR, to interpret 1 Timothy 2:12 in the context of all these texts? Look, I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, and I don't expect anyone to do so. If you think the Bible is "clear" that women shouldn't teach men, that's fine with me. You've got one text to support your position. On the other hand, there are at least seven times as many texts that support the position that women have as much of a right and a responsibility as do men to teach, preach, prophesy, proclaim, or otherwise instruct using any other synonym in Scripture, in the context of the corporate body of Christ. Just something to keep in mind. This husband and wife, together, taught and admonished their brothers and sister in Christ in one message, in harmony with Paul's instructions in Colossians 3:16. It's hardly the end of Christianity as we know it.

Keith B

commented on May 23, 2014

So why exactly do you pit scripture against scripture? Women are not to be pastors or elders. Why do you feel you have the right to ignore the clear teaching?

Bill Williams

commented on May 23, 2014

Umm...I'm not pitting Scripture against Scripture. Those texts are in the Bible. I gave citations and a basic summary of what those texts say. I'm sorry if they are inconvenient to your interpretation. "Women are not to be pastors or elders. Why do you feel you have the right to ignore the clear teaching?" Dude, seriously, I conceded that point to you already, for the sake of argument. You win that point. Yay for you! My question to you specifically, and you can answer me here or below, is: do you believe that ONLY pastors should preach, and if so, what text can you give to support such an assertion. And please read me carefully, because you keep answering questions that I'm not asking. I'm not asking you if pastors should preach--you and I agree that they should. I'm asking you if ONLY pastors should preach? Or, to put it another way if this will help you, do you believe that anyone who is NOT a pastor should be prohibited from preaching?

Bill Williams

commented on May 23, 2014

Another point of clarification. It is not my intention to pit Scripture against Scripture. I do not believe Scripture contradicts Scripture. Earlier, I shared an interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:12 that both makes sense historically and that harmonizes with all of these texts I have provided. Rather than trying to pit 1 Timothy 2:12 against the rest of Scripture, I believe that this text, when properly interpreted in both its historical and biblical contexts, is perfectly in harmony with the seven texts I provided in this comment.

Jason Smith

commented on May 24, 2014

It seems you are assuming that because ALL (including women) are told to teach and admonish that this means that women are authorized to preach in the worship assembly, but this contradicts 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 which says that women are not to use their gifts within the assembly (1 Cor 14:34-35). They are commanded to remain silent.

Minister Sanders

commented on May 28, 2014

Jason, we must always look first at the context of scripture. And we knew that the reason Paul spoke of women spreaking in the church was not about prophesy or teaching the Word....it was about the wives being loud and disruptive in the church. In 1 Corinthians 14:35 the Apostle Paul says, "And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." When you apply good hermaneutics to this particular passage of scripture you clearly see that Paul was talking not about women trying to teach in the church but about wives being disruptive in church asking their husbands a lot of questions.

Tim Nissly

commented on Jun 3, 2015

Hey Bill, Grace and Peace. My contention is that your interpretation of Timothy 2:12 is not all that reasonable. But with that I would also say that the point most are trying to make is that it is the issue of women teaching and preaching to men. You won't find anywhere that women are prohibited from preaching or teaching...just exercising that authority over men. Also, to answer the question, "Are only pastors allowed to preach?" The answer is obviously no. Many can and many should. But that is really irrelevant to the discussion that most are trying to have.

Nathyya Soto

commented on Jun 5, 2014

I agree with minister Sanders. We must thoroughly study the Bible, In-depth. It isn't enough to simply read it. We must meditate on the Word, day and night, like it commands us to do in Joshua 1:8, meaning to dig deep into the meaning of what we read. We must see Why it was written and What purpose was it serving the people involved at that time. If woman weren't allowed to preach and/or say anything in public, God wouldn't use them the way that he does. There are many women in ministry, as long as the Lord called them and they let their lives and actions be guided by the Holy Spirit, that's all that really matters. We are here to please God and not man. Be blessed everyone!

Keith B

commented on Jun 5, 2014

On one hand you say that we must thoroughly study the Bible...then your conclusion is to use our cultural norms of today to get around what the text says. I find that ironic. The fact is, that Paul says the way we ought to do church is for women to NOT be in authority or teaching men. The reason, he says, is that Adam was formed first -- and then Eve as his helpmate. She sinned and caused him to sin. The order of things is male leadership. That's how God created us.

Anonymous Contributor

commented on Jun 3, 2015

Hello, grace everyone. First, we must ask ourselves, where did this all start, women preaching and teaching? The scriptures and history are clear on the roles of women in the church. it is not hard to see. But the spirit of our age and the world has crept into the church. It all started with the Pentecostals.They started this mess and confusion. I

J. Frank Soto

commented on Jun 4, 2015

G od Bless you. I totally agree with you. The Bible does not mention women preachers anywhere. It is not a matter of the women being inferior to man, it is the role that God established for men and women are different. If you cannot understand this by reading the Bible you need to study it deeper.

Lawrence Webb

commented on Jun 9, 2015

Brother Soto, you need to read Joel 2:28 which Peter uses for his Pentecost message in Acts 2:17. Both Joel and Peter say the Lord will pour out His Spirit and your son AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHECY. Also in 1 Corinthians 11:4-5, Paul sees no problem with women preaching as long as they keep their heads covered.

Harold Goff

commented on Jun 3, 2015

I am an old war horse ,not very well educated. My question to all of you is in 1 Tim. 2:12 when Paul speaks he says I . Is there any significance to that??

Annie Blacknall

commented on Jun 4, 2015

Might I caution you brothers in the words of Paul, 2 Tim. 2:14-19, that you not continue " STRIVING about words to no profit, but to the subverting of hearers, but study to show yourself approved unto God..shun profane babbling: for they will increase unto more ungodliness...The Lord Knoweth tem that are his." Amen!

Annie Blacknall

commented on Jun 4, 2015

Might I caution you brothers to end this discuss because Paul also said in 2 Tim. 2:14-23 that you "STRIVE NOT about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to show yourself approved..But shun profane babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness... The Lord knoweth them that are his". Also see 1 Tim. 5:21; 6:4; and Titus 3:9. Amen!