Should women who don't pastor a church be in the pulpit?


Jaguar Diehard

Jaguar Diehard

Active Member
A woman in my congregation who has been doing various missionary duties and is an outstanding speaker and Sunday School teacher has been called to the ministry. I am at a fairly progressive Baptist church of about 275 members that has recently been undergoing some major changes and now has been blessed with 7 ministers.

Of all these ministers, 1 is a female and she is not allowed in the pulpit. We have had female ministers speak who have their own churches and they were allowed in the pulpit, but others without a "Pastorship" were not.

I believe that the majority of the folks who are against this are the older sistas on the "Deaconess Board". What's funny about it is that this Lady's mother, a Deaconess, is also against it! The women of the church are livid and are grouping. I can see it coming to a head really soon. Our Pastor has been asked and has been "mysteriously" avoiding the issue in a public forum. He has told this particular Minister that she is probably undergoing a "test". I think HE is the one that is undergoing a "test".

Anyone have any similar experiences or general comments?
 
I actually think we hold too tightly to tradition. Who am I to say who the Lord has called to the ministry. If they have been ordained and called to preach the Gospel, then they should be allowed to sit in the pulpit.

It's sooooo sad that we will allow known adulterers to sit in the pulpit and even preach a sermon, but just because of someone's gender they are excluded/denied this privilege. We really need to get a grip and let go of traditons that man has implemented and instead learn to submit ourselves to the will of God!
 

I think that this same discussion is going on over on the Prayer Board. You might want to check that one out too.
 
A Double-Standard in the 'Chuch'

Although I think alot a people claim to be 'progressive' in their religous practices, most of us still cling to most of the customs listed in the Bible.....And there are passages that relegate women to subservient roles. And that was the culture during the time the Bible was written. And while Western society has progressed and given women the same rights as men, we have convieniently chosen to not follow the teachings of the Bible, when they relate to women being 'submissive' and having subservient roles..... That would make us kinda hippocritical, but we all can accept it, and we go on with our lives.....Cool huh?

But, in the midst of all our equality, we still hold onto some beliefs about women, when it relates to their place in society, when compared to men. And I don't always get this (myself)....

We had a similar situation at my Gramma's church (Missionary Baptist). A long-time member had moved away (to Chicago) and had lived her life. She became an Ordained Minister in Chicago (AME), but when she retired from working, she moved back to Mississippi. And she became active again in her 'home' church. And while she was well-known and widely recognized, the Pastor wouldn't let her come and sit in the Pulpit with the other Ministers. And what was disturbing about it was this: They'd sometimes have other Ministers come to the Service, and when they were recognized as being a Minister, oops I mean a Preacher, they'd get invited to come sit in the Pulpit also. But the woman wasn't allowed. She had to sit on the Front Pew....And while several younger people didn't understand the obvious discrimination going on, NOBODY MADE AN ISSUE OF IT!!! Not even the female Minister herself.......And when I asked my Gramma about it, she said "That's just the way it's always been, so why change?" And I say it been how it's been because there haven't been alot of women Ministers. But since there are now, why do we act as if they don't exist!!? But the 'killer' part about it is this: she'd get asked to participate in certain parts of the service, and she'd be asked to give prayers, and what-not. But even then, she couldn't come stand in the Pulpit!!!!!!! She would stand at the Podium off to the side....

I've never understood why that is......
 
This is a non issue around here. Our Associate full time minister is female. She preach every other Sunday. We have atleast five female ministers in our church. Most of the churches I visit have female ministers in the pulpit.

It was not always this way, but over the last 25 years things have changed. Even the Primitive Baptist Church has one with a church. She mentioned it at the MLK Celebration when she got up to present the scholarships.
 
Not an issue at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Our pastor and church membership (nearly 4,000 w/an annual budget of $2,500,000 from TITHES and OFFERINGS only!) are forward-thinking, progressive and Scripture believing servants of God. More than half of the ministrial staff is female. The four main associate ministers are female and SIT every Sunday in the pulpit. They preach, run the outreach center and programs, visit the sick, marry, bury, give communion, WHATEVER, in the Lord's work. These God called women are vessels of the Holy Spirit and are recognized and respected in every way.

(AT&T, not God, are calling some of these narrow minded knuckle heads!)
 
I see em doing that ish here in Dallas...but where I come from...that is a NO NO. It's an unheard of occurence. Those women usually branch off and start some non-denominational cult...I mean clique...I mean church.
 
The way I feel if God Called her to preach, she should have the right to sit where the preachers sit. If Preaching isn't the gift, she should be sitting were the people with her gift are sitting.

PEACE!!!
 
I hear all you people talking about "If God Called you to preach"!

Well if this was all about God then where someone sits would be a non issue. The pulpit is designed to give man the sense that he is above someone. There is no reason that anyone HAS to be sitting anywhere. If you are truly called by God, it won't matter where you sit. You want me to believe that because you sit in the pulpit or the back row that has anything to say about what type of christian someone is. This is an issue that man has created to try and elavate themsleves above other men....and it is another of the petty issues that churces deal with instead of dealing with the real issues!

If you are a true minister and one who is truly called by God, stop throwing a fit about where you sit, and do the job that you have been called to do. And I don't remember reading anywhere in the bible where it says you can't do your work without sitting in the pulpit! And this goes for men and women. Because I have seen some "preachers" throw a tantrum because they had to sit in the pwes instead of the pulpit when visiting a church!


Now the issue of women being pastors and being ministers is an entireyly different issue within itself......but I won't go there right now.
 
Originally posted by Suge
I hear all you people talking about "If God Called you to preach"!

Well if this was all about God then where someone sits would be a non issue. The pulpit is designed to give man the sense that he is above someone. There is no reason that anyone HAS to be sitting anywhere. If you are truly called by God, it won't matter where you sit. You want me to believe that because you sit in the pulpit or the back row that has anything to say about what type of christian someone is. This is an issue that man has created to try and elavate themsleves above other men....and it is another of the petty issues that churces deal with instead of dealing with the real issues!

If you are a true minister and one who is truly called by God, stop throwing a fit about where you sit, and do the job that you have been called to do. And I don't remember reading anywhere in the bible where it says you can't do your work without sitting in the pulpit! And this goes for men and women. Because I have seen some "preachers" throw a tantrum because they had to sit in the pwes instead of the pulpit when visiting a church!


Now the issue of women being pastors and being ministers is an entireyly different issue within itself......but I won't go there right now.
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You are correct where you sit has nothing to do with how good of a christian you are or whether anyone is higher than anyone else. I would guess that pulpit has nothing to do with religion, but I'll check on that. I think that the podium (pulpit) is where the speaker resides. With the speaker in the church being the preacher, the preachers were designated to sit there. There are scriptures to which those that believe only men are called to preach use to defend their belief. As I stated earlier, God can use whoever He wants to do whatever He wants and though I know He will never do anything to make any part of His word a lie, I know that we have to be careful in our interpreting His word and not allow ourselves to make it what we want it to say.

To me the location of individuals in church are simply the way to make it clear to attendees who is there to fill what roles (ex: Preachers in the pulpit, choir in the choir stands, ushers on the doors and in the aisles, deacons down front or to the right of the church, deaconest also down front or to the left of the church, etc..). Just like at a wedding you have the family and friends of the bride on one side and the groom on the other. Just like at a sporting event, you have one team on one side and the other on the other, the media in another area, the announcer(s) in another, the fans in another, etc... So, it shouldn't be a matter of who is more important than the other, but what their very important role is. We all are blessed with one or more gifts and it ain't that all of us are preachers. It is our responsibility to serve that role to be blessed abundantly.

You are also correct that it is wrong for someone to get upset about where they are allow to sit when they visit. To visit is to go to someone elses structure of worship. It isn't right for us to think that we have the right to force those we visit to change their structure of worship to that which we are use to. Not sitting in the pulpit doesn't reverse God's calling you to preach. Your getting upset and causing disorder definitely doesn't hold up to doing things "decent and in order".

PEACE!!
 
Maybe this can answer some of you guys questions, First we must remember that during the time the scriptuers written for this old saying pastors go by was during a male dominated society so Paul was writing this to the Hebrews
1 Cor. 14:34-35
34: Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak: but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
35: And if they will learn any thing let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

But this is where alot of preachers in todays world in which we live in don't pay attention to because women are treated as our equals and god told them of a time to come when women would be called upon to deliver the word as well as men:
Acts 2:17
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God , I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your SONS and DAUGHTERS shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.

I hated to be so long but I have been trying for the last couple of weeks to answer many of the questions and bring forth a correct understanding.
 
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