Can Women Be Pastors?

Church Questions

by Greg Gilbert

Concise, Scripture-Centered Guide Answers Popular Questions about Gender and Church Leadership Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. Church Questions is a series by 9Marks that seeks to provide Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions about church life. Each booklet offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment. In this Church Questions booklet, Greg Gilbert answers the question  Can women be pastors?  Gilbert explains why God reserved the office of pastor and elder exclusively for men by examining the structures of authority God established from the very beginning. Focusing on texts in Genesis 1–3 and 1 Timothy 2, Gilbert makes a case for why God’s original design for church leadership is not arbitrary, but part of his good and beautiful plan.

Genres: Church, Christian, Ecclesiology, Womens, Theology

54 pages, Paperback

Published March 29, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Greg Gilbert (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of What Is the Gospel?, James: A 12-Week Study, and Who Is Jesus?, and is the co-author (with Kevin DeYoung) of What Is the Mission of the Church?.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are more persuasive cases for Christianity’s ancient, traditional view, but that’s partly because they are longer. As a booklet, this isn’t meant to answer every valid “but what about ____?” question. Nevertheless, Greg Gilbert does a fine job situating the 1 Timothy 2:12 prohibition in its larger creational, even cosmic, biblical context. For those with ears to hear, the result is a vision for men and women in the church that is not arbitrary, much less bigoted, but positively beautiful.

[Greg Mathis · Rating 4 out of 5]

TLDR: No.

[Madelyn Crawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharp/clear explanation of 1 Tim. 2.

[Joshua Biggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book doesn’t answer every question, but seems to me like a good, accessible resource to any sympathetic reader. And though this book is intentionally brief, Greg does fit a lot of good commentary in these 50 short pages.

Honestly the only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because at one point Greg refers to paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 2 as “crystal-clear”… I agree with the main conclusions of this book, but that phrase seems like an overstatement. Greg leaves room for a variety of applications to the commands of 1 Timothy 2 though, which is appreciated.

[Amélie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am fost curioasa daca aceasta brosura aduce o abordare clara a rolului femeii in biserica. Ea raspunde destul de clar si fara loc de interpretari la faptul ca doar barbatilor li s-a dat acest mandat de a pastori Biserica, insa femeilor le este permis sa invete in cadre precum scoala duminicala, intalniri pentru femei.

A reiterat in principiu lucruri pe care deja le stiam/le-am auzit legate de pastorire.

[Avery Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid and faithful exposition of scripture concerning an extremely nuanced and thorny topic.

[Tangie Zellmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A close up view of 1 Timothy 2 through the lens of Genesis 1-3. The author helps reveal some of the cultural context behind Paul’s writing to Timothy. I was helped by it.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author personally read it to me. Very plain, logical, and convincing.

[Amber Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can women be pastors? Greg does a phenomenal job diving deep into scripture to explain 1 Timothy 2:12. He takes us back to the beginning of scripture when sin entered the world and how the details of sin entering into humankind started the downfall and confusion of authority like we know it today. Paul’s command in 1 Timothy 2:12 is “rooted in the very structures of authority that God established in the garden of Eden.” (p 39) “Paul is actually celebrating and defending the life of the church as a reestablishment of Eden, a reconstitution of what God intended human society to be in the first place.” (p 48)

Greg not only helpfully points us to God’s infallible word to answer this important question but he also reminds his readers that “Women are cherished image-bearers of God, they’re indispensable members of the church, and they should serve in the life of the church in every way imaginable—except holding the office or exercising the function of pastor/elder.” (p 15)

This book should be read by all those who identify as Christians, even if you don’t struggle with the question. It will bring clarity to how important authority is and how it should be handled the way God intended.

[Chloe Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic resource I'd recommend to anyone. My only qualm was at the end where Gilbert discusses activities that do or don't go into the "red zone" getting close to prohibition by 1 Tim 2.
I think it would be easy for some men, especially in more fundamentalist cultures, to decide that it would be safer not to get anywhere near the "red zone" and thus keep women from participating more publicly in the church. With that in mind, I would have appreciated a short explanation of why it is important and necessary biblically for women to have those opportunities — it's not just a matter of protecting people from getting their feelings hurt, it's actually a much more complex matter of whether a church is faithfully displaying Christ and his regard for all of his sheep, especially those who are not automatically elevated by the world.

[sophie rhoads · Rating 3 out of 5]

good exegesis of the 1 timothy passage, appreciated how it pulled from genesis for it’s biblical foundation. i do wish he would have gone more into hermeneutical interpretations, the arguments made for this passage being a response to the culture at the time, and how we can follow this command of paul yet we don’t wear head coverings, etc.

more of a hermeneutic being explained would have been more beneficial to me personally, but this is a good starting point for someone posing this question with no knowledge of the scriptures that speak on it.

i liked the application discussed at the end with the “red meter” example; helpful to think through the practical application of the scripture, while expressing where evangelicals differ in their convictions.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and concise, truly to the point.

[Wood Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short but helpful to answer this important question. This book is great for pastors or church members. This book brings helpful insight and Biblical answers to this difficult question.

[Jennie Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear, biblically sound explanation. Didn’t agree with every point in this small booklet, but overall it’s written sensitively and yet with strong biblical back-up.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not the first book I’ve read in the 9Marks series, and overall, I’ve found the series to be theologically solid and grounded in careful biblical interpretation. However, this particular book fell short of that standard.

As someone who holds complementarian views and fully affirms that the office of elder/pastor is reserved for qualified men, I expected a more robust and biblically grounded defense of that position. Unfortunately, the book relied too heavily on personal bias and the specific practices of the author’s own church, rather than presenting a clear, scriptural argument. Though he does pull out many scriptural passages.

Gilbert begins well, affirming the equal value of men and women and God’s design for both to exercise dominion—points with which I completely agree. But his explanation of the fall introduces a troubling framework: he suggests an inverted authority structure from serpent to woman to man, implying that men hold a higher inherent authority than women. This goes beyond the question of pastoral roles and veers into a hierarchy of value, which undermines his earlier affirmation of equality.

The most helpful portion of the book was the application section at the end, where Gilbert explores practical questions. However, even there, he leans heavily on what his own church does, and while he admits that others might take different (but still biblically faithful) approaches, the result is more confusion than clarity.

I’ve heard stronger, more thoughtfully developed arguments for complementarianism than what’s presented here. In a longer format, perhaps Gilbert could have explored his points more fully, but as it stands, this book doesn’t satisfactorily answer the question it claims to addr

[Logan Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional.

[Salvador Blanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grateful for a small, well-argued book answering a question that seems to be among the first when people join a church.

Favorite quotes:

"The authority structure God establishes between husbands and wives in Genesis points to what Paul expects of all men ("don't dominate") and all women ("don't usurp") in the church. The church, the new covenant community of the Messianic King, is where the structures of authority that been destroyed in Eden are now re-established" (40).

"Adam chose to join the Serpent's war and rebel against God. He chose to put a torch to every good thing God had established, believing Satan's lie that those authority structures were oppressive. But in the church, everything should be different. As Christians, we've flown the white flag and ended the rebellion against God. We've bowed our knee to the loving King of kings who offers us mercy and salvation at his own cost. In the society of the church – these little embassies of the high King of heaven – we work to rebuild what we originally destroyed, not wrestling against the King and his order, but seeing, embracing, and doing our best to enjoy the beauty, wisdom, and glory it always has had, right from the beginning" (48-49).

[Benaiah Neetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most books written on the complementarian–egalitarian debate are dense and academic—far beyond what the average Christian would realistically finish, let alone start. Greg Gilbert’s book, however, provides a refreshingly concise and accessible answer: “No”—God has designed from creation that the leadership, preaching, and teaching of His Word are to be exercised by qualified men. In our day, shaped by feminism and the sexual revolution, this topic can quickly become incendiary. Yet God’s commands are not arbitrary or restrictive; they are for our good, meant to bring order, joy, and human flourishing. This will be the first book I recommend to anyone seeking a biblical understanding of the issue.

[Gprugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was helpful and convincing, as someone unsure on the topic and looking to understand it better. Very concise too.

I would have been helped by some time spent on the question, what if women feel called to bring the gospel somewhere and there are no male teachers there. I guess the answer is "don't establish a church unless there is a (male) pastor"? I also thought some of the self-deprecating humor directed at men was occasionally condescending/flattery, though only mildly so.

[Mark D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short discussion of 1Tim 2:12. It’s 9Marks, so of course the answer is no.

I thought Gilbert’s discussion at the end regarding what activities might push the needle into the red zone was weak…I don’t think he addressed well the issue of many churches not being consistent in their complementarianism.

Those who disagree with Gilbert are unlikely to take much from this book.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is always a controversial topic in our world. In this short booklet the author uses Scripture to answer and teach on this point. It is well written and takes Scripture as a whole, rather than a verse or two out of context. What does the Bible teach us about women as pastors? You may want to read it to find out.

[Chris Joines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book out there that I have read on this topic. It’s an important one and Greg Gilbert does an excellent job at answering this question with Scripture. It’s about order not superiority.

[John Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading through these, thinking about giving them to my church family. In this one, Gilbert works through 1 Timothy 2:12 in light of Genesis 1–3, arguing that Paul's command is not arbitrary but established in God's good design for His creation.

[Ava Horsburgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both a gracious & precise explanation of 1 Timothy 2 in regard to whether women can be pastors or not. As a young woman in the church, I appreciate this exposition of scripture & I now feel like I better understand the "why" behind such a common reformed Baptist belief.

[Kelton Zacharias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read ~after~ preaching on the same topic, to avoid copying too much. He does a great job getting deep into Genesis 1-3 in just a few pages, and has a helpful discussion of the implications of the prohibition of 1 Timothy 2:12.

[Seth Hensarling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Answers the title question succinctly using 1 Timothy 2.
It is irrelevant to judge the pamphlet on questions it doesn't answer.
Expected to be convinced. Pleased to also be compelled by God's design.

[Ethan McCreary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful understanding of male-eldership.

[Paul Abdallah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful brief explanation of 1 Tim 2:12. Deals with some practical questions at the end, which were helpful!

[Tanner Ligon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and informative, love that

[aiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilbert's exegetical work in this book is sharp and solid, and yet he approaches the issue with considerable sympathy and a pastoral perspective—definitely deserves 5 stars.