The Results are in: What do people think about women in church leadership?

Thanks to all who participated in the survey on women in church leadership. You have shared some great insights and given me helpful information. While it was not my original intention, the comments were so great I felt selfish not to share them. I hope that is okay (please let me know if it isn't). Finally, please note that the purpose here is UNDERSTANDING. Therefore please be respectful and refrain from being critical of those who are also devoted to Christ, yet may disagree on this peripheral issue. Thanks :)

My full report on this topic is still forthcoming, but for now I will share the information that has been given to me. (I am short on time, but wanted to share)

These results come from 86 women, 8 men, and one who did not specify. While the sample of men was smaller, gender did not seem to create a bias in one direction or the other. Church represented include Church of Christ (1), Disciple of Christ (1), charismatic (1), protestant (1), reformed (1), Nazarene (4), Presbyterian (1), Pentecostal (4), Wesleyan (1), Anglican(1), Apostolic (1), Assemblies of God (1), none (1), Grace Brethren (2), Lutheran (3), Catholic (3), Baptist (5), Southern Baptist (1),  Methodist (5), Non-denominational (37), non-specified Christian (2), and Vineyard (18).

Please answer the following questions based on your experience at the most recent church you have attended. Have you ever heard a woman preach at a main service or gathering?

Yes: 69%    No: 31%

Have you ever observed a woman serving in a leadership role such as pastor or elder?

Yes: 67%  No:33%

Do you feel that it is acceptable or Biblical for a woman to be pastor of a church?

Yes: 74%   No: 26%

Comments:

"Not 100% sure that she should"

"Not sure"

"With her husband, yes. Not lead pastor."

"Yes!!!!!"

"But not a senior pastor"

"Acceptable AND Biblical"

"I think a church is much stronger and alive when men are in active leadership roles.

Not sure. Part of me does but I am not sure of the context of the scriptures that talk against this."

"http://carm.org/should-women-be-pastors-and-elders"

"I grew up Methodist and had a female pastor then. Our youth pastor currently serving is female."

"I haven't really researched"

"Whenever the Lord calls someone, man or woman, they need to obey His call. Some may argue women in leadership in the bible were exceptions. I think God must have wanted to make sure they were noted as leaders for a reason. If someone is strong in character and mature in faith, they should pastor if called. Also, God has a right to assign the roles of the church to whomever He wants. And if a woman powerfully and accurately preaches the Gospel, and people respond, how could He be mad about that."

Would you feel comfortable with a woman as your pastor?

Yes: 66%   No: 34%

Comments:

"I've had women pastors in the church I attended and have a woman pastor in my family. All are great women and capable of their jobs."

"Women speakers have a whine to their voice, especially preaching. Or they try to be 'manly'"

"Unsure"

"I had a woman pastor for about a year many years ago. She was nice and a good preacher, but I'm not sure a woman carries the same authority."

"Not in a larger church (1,000+) but yes for smaller churches - but I would adjust"

"I was saved under the leadership of a woman pastor in 1974."

"It's against God's word"

"I don't think I would, maybe it's the small part of me that is traditional"

"Character and effectiveness are most important."

Do you feel that women are encouraged and nurtured to pursue whatever the Lord has called them to, without limitation. If not, please explain.

Yes: 70% No: 30%

There is a lot more to this statistic. The yes's and no's to this question do not correlate with the yes's and no's on the previous questions. This question seems to have different meaning for different people. Several who answered "no" to the prior 4 questions skipped this one. Women who chose "no" to the prior questions, but  "yes" to this one seem to be content in their current roles. Women who chose "yes" to the prior questions and "yes" to this seem to feel supported. Women who chose "yes" to the prior two questions and "no" to this one likely feel a need for change are the reason for my investigation of this topic. 

Comments:

"Not in every instance or denomination"

"in vineyard, yes. in the church at large, the glass ceiling is very prevalent, especially based on interpretations of Paul's writing. women are given predefined roles in the church and ministry just bc of their gender"

"providing it is scriptural"

"I feel that too often, people use passages in the Bible to keep women at lesser roles in the church."

"I have always desired to preach/teach more then that i feel led but my church does not let women lead anything but women's and children 's ministry with the pastor completely in the loop."

"depends on church"

"I do, but I believe that whatever we are "feeling" that The Lord has called us to do has to be measured against His word. If it's in contrast with His word, we're misunderstanding.

"

"My church teaches that women shouldn't be leaders over men"

"Read the bible"

"I think they see women in lesser roles"

"I don't think that women would be effective at evangelizing to Muslims, at least not the men. Especially in places like Saudi Arabia."

"Depends on the church and support system around her

"it's still a mans world in many ways"

"Just because I'm not comfortable with it, does not mean that God will not use a woman pastor to His glory and the growth of His church somewhere."

"In my church they are, but in many others they are not."

"Sometimes"

"not everywhere. only in some churches."

"women should not be in position of authority over men"

"In some Christian circles, but not in all."

"I feel oftentimes it is predetermined by many religions that women have their roles and it is not on the pulpit."

"We do not have women priests in my church"

"I do believe that in a lot of cases they are, but, unfortunately, I have been in churches where this is not the case."

"Women are not looked to as heads of households. Biblically they fall beneath their husband but I do believe God will use any willing vessel. He made a donkey speak once."

"Traditionally certain roles are held by men and I think a lot of people still feel it just feels right to have a man In leadership"

"If it's something more non-traditional, there may be lack of support simply because the idea is inconceivable."

"In many churches, in many churches it seems to be a men' good old boy network"

"I feel most churches think men should run the show"

"Organized religion is ruled by men in all cases that I've ever seen"

Please include any other relevant thoughts, feelings, experiences, theological beliefs, etc that come to mind when you consider the topic of women in church leadership.

"I believe the Bible says that a woman is not to teach a man, however, it's not typical that a woman lead an army, but Debra did."

"I do not believe you have to attend or belong to a church. I'm against organized religion as a whole."

"Some denominations have grown into accepting women in God led positions, others have not and some may never get to that point. The woman so denied has to ask herself where she can be most useful to her God and calling. Either by staying and being denied yet faithful, or leaving to where her gifts maybe fully explored and engaged. All of this with mush true soul searching and seeking of God's guidance."

"My degree is in youth ministry and recreation and i graduated from vineyard leadership institute. As i was applying for youth ministry jobs i was qualified for, i couldn't believe the number of letters i received stating, "we are only accepting applications from qualified men". "Thanks but no thanks". It's really quite sad that there is so much biblical illiteracy in the church itself."

"I am thankful that our Pastor's wife also teaches us. It helps empower women and shows us that, we too, have an important role in the ministry and marketplace, not just at home."

"Women can do what they want to do and work for with God's help. If things don't work out God has something better for you!"

"Women in church leadership roles have been a part of my life for so long I haven't really thought about it being any other way for quite a while."

"I think of myself as an un-liberated women in a male dominated world. and I think most churches personify this. I have my own biased against a woman being the lead pastor, mostly because of the mentality of our world. Women can't win. We treat each other poorly, If you dress nicely your a rich bitch showing off, if you wear a short skirt your a slut, if you dress modestly, your a prude...... i think men can't follow a woman because they see women as sex objects. I would be curious to read your study when your done, I hope it gets published. good luck"

"We have one woman pastor at church, which is quite unusual and I love it. She has a totally different insight into subjects than our male pastors. One of her gifts, though, is also a drawback - she is so in tune with her emotions that sometimes her emotions get the better of her and she has a hard time getting through the sermon without choking up. It can be very distracting at times."

"I think if God guides them to a leadership position then that is the position they should take. Women have very sensitive spirits and I feel like they can relate in a totally different way than a man. That being said, I also think the prejuduce of a woman being in that role may hinder some people from listening or paying attn to a woman."

"I believe (as a female worship leader and former youth leader) that in many leadership roles, The Lord calls Men to fill those roles (just as the gospel was first preached to the Jew and then to the Gentile), but when they don't step up to the plate, He will call a woman to do the work. In many churches, without women in leadership roles, there would be no one there to do the work. However, although I could be comfortable with a woman in many leadership roles, I would never be comfortable with a female pastor, because I believe the Bible is clear on this matter, and if you don't obey Him, why would I want you to lead me?"

"People take out of context verses in corinthians and use it as an argument against women in a church"

"I know that there were OT and NT prophetesses. So I can't understand why in my church there is this teaching that women can't be Sunday school teachers in classes with men in them and can't be pastors."

"I have mixed emotions on this and feel someone like Joyce Myers is definitely called to preach I just don't know in regards to the bible saying women cannot be pastors."

"I feel there is a movement where woman are stepping up and wanting more of God's heart!"

"The strongest woman I know is our senior pastor's wife, a pastor and preacher herself, a worship leader, women's ministry leader, co-church planter, children's ministry leader, and helped pastor one of the largest youth groups in Australia years ago. I am proud to call her one of my best friends, and learn something from her wise and beautiful heart every time I have the opportunity to speak with her."

"The man or husband is the head of the household and that carries over to church leadership"

"Great topic...never really prayed about this."

"With all of the obstacles that women face as far as becoming leaders in all areas of society, I think it is more likely that a woman who achieves a leadership role in a church does so because of a calling."

"I love Joyce Meyer. I watch her more than any other TV preacher."

"I believe that Junia is a Biblical example supporting women in ministry leadership rolls, including the roll of pastor."

"I believe women need to be involved in the leadership of the church. Wisdom is not limited by gender. It has been my experience, however, that most women pastors are from very liberal denominations. I haven't really seen any in conservative or holiness denominations. I also believe that churches that have a majority of men in active leadership positions have a healthier congregation. Men are more reluctant as a whole to publicly declare a need for a Savior, and when you have more women than men in leadership at any particular church, you will have less men, especially those in the 20-40 age range attending. They need to see strong men in authority in the church, not ashamed of serving Jesus. We all need to see more of that, actually."

"May those whom He calls, be equipped and come forward with lots of blessings and guidance. Amen."

"Having served in leadership positions in churches I found that I was not treated well by the men in leadership."

"I see no difference as to the gender of the pastor. If god calls a person to ministry they should obedient to that call."

"God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called. ...... "Your sons and daughters will prophesy"......... I have heard many female preachers/leaders and they are great, and anointed by God himself......"

"They Should Not BE In Leadership Roles."

"There are plenty of female pastors at my church, and most of them are downright amazing. I can't understand why any church would restrict people like them from leading based on the fact that they don't have a Y chromosome."

"Although the Word shows many more men in leadership roles, God does give us women in leadership roles, both old and new testaments. I believe he has called us all to serve."

"I have always been taught that if we (meaning men or women) don't worship God then the rocks will cry out! If God can accept rocks crying out to him then he must expect that men & women both will step up & take on the roles of the calling he has mandated for them!"

"I think women were essential in Jesus' ministry. The Bible is actually pretty revolutionary when it comes to women's rights. There are many instances where women are referenced and credited with things that were crazy revolutionary."

"I believe we have all been called to do everything God has called us to be, which includes preaching, teaching, evangelizing, leading. My anointing isn't any different than the anointing a man has. I do believe, whether a man or a woman, we should be under some form of covering."

"If there is not leadership, we stumble. I don't care their gender as long as I feel they are being lead by God."

"We need strong leaders and we need to train them, support them, love them and hold them accountable regardless of gender."

"People are people and God loves us all."

"I think women are very compassionate and should be encouraged to be in leadership roles."

For now, I will share this article from Christine Caine, who shares encouraging advice on this topic.