Glenda Suiter

Elder/Council Chair

Cathy Zylman

Deacon/Secretary

Denny Eitner

Elder

Dee Smith

Deacon/Treasurer

council@gvcrc.org

Grace Valley Christian Reformed Church's
Stance on Women in Office

[Excerpts taken from “Building God’s Church Together” from The Reformed Church In America

Reformed Church Press © 2020 Christians for Biblical Equality – CBE International]

We hope this life giving and meaningful information will help believers faithfully address women in leadership in the church.

The church is a group of people called by God to show the world what the kingdom of God is like by doing the things that Jesus did - by loving God and by loving our neighbors.

God gave us a blueprint for the relationship between women and men.
Genesis 1:26-28 – Male and female are specified as being created in the image of God and called together to be stewards of what God had created.

Joel 2:28-29 is a glimpse into God’s repeated desire for women and men to work together in healthy partnerships.
‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.’

How do we build on the foundation God laid for this?
Genesis 3 tells us how God’s design for women and men changed from partnership to struggle because of the consequences of the fall. Christ, the promised seed of the woman, overcame the fall. As we are now new creatures freed by Christ, we should not foster any of the tragic consequences the fall introduced, including man’s rule over women?

Galatians 3:25-29, ‘But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are on in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.’
Jesus flipped expectations of power and authority in the church upside down. In the parable he told in Matthew 20:20-28 he clearly explains it does not mean ruling over each other but serving each other and giving of ourselves to each other.

How might the way we understand Bible verses impact the way women and men work together in the church?
Throughout the New Testament Jesus calls unlikely people from unlikely places and professions. The rhythm of the unlikely being chosen to be messengers of the good news continues with just a few verses standing out with a potentially contrasting message. We need to treat these passages carefully, understanding the specific situations that lead to the words being written.

1 Corinthians 14:33-36 Is Paul intending women to be silent in church for all time? Looking at 1 Corinthians 11, it does not appear to be his intent. It is possible Paul was addressing a problem of women talking during the service and causing disruptions due to the cultural and dialect differences. Women and men sat on opposite sides of the church during services. Preachers and men used a business dialect which was different than the informal dialect women used. Women would discuss what was being said amongst themselves and sometimes shouting across the room to their husbands with questions. Then 1 Corinthians 11:4-5 Paul is instructing men and women how to prophesy in an orderly fashion which made sense culturally.

1 Timothy 2:8-15 Is Timothy really commanding women never to teach? The instructions in this passage are part of the same paragraph and flow of thought, so it would be inconsistent to regard the dress code in verse 9 as culturally relative, and therefore temporary; and then regard the restriction on women’s ministry as universal and permanent. (Douglas Groothuis)

In the same passage women are being encouraged to learn which was far more revolutionary. They are urged to remain silent so that they could learn. Anytime there is an imbalance or misuse of power, it is against what God intends for women and men in their life of ministry together.

What does it mean for men and women to work together in healthy ministry partnerships in the church?

1 Peter 2:4-5, ‘Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’

In Romans 16 Paul introduces his co-workers, 10 women and 18 men with very powerful and descriptive words. The same Paul who wrote 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14.

In looking at the stories in which Jesus violated the cultural norms of his time in every single encounter he had with women. As he did with everyone, he lifted them up in ways that defied social expectations. Through his example we see God’s vision for men and women in action.