Reflections of a Woman in the Church
Issue 008
APRIL 4, 2018
WRITTEN BY OLIVIA BLASE
Olivia Blase lives and works in Holden Heights (Orlando, FL) as a program coordinator at Kaley Square. Olivia got her degree in International Studies and Community Development from Nyack College in New York. In the summer of 2015 she went to Orlando for a summer internship turned full-time job at a large church, where she served for two years as a communications manager and global missions liaison. She has had the opportunity to visit churches in over ten countries.
What is a woman’s role in church (or better yet, in the Church)? I have many questions on this topic, but I believe Jesus gives us an answer to this question. This answer is at the end of this article, and you can skip there if you like. Alternatively, take a moment to explore the mind of a woman as I examine this topic.
I am a woman who loves Jesus, who is committed to investing in the fellowship of believers, and is passionate about serving those I come in contact with so that they can experience Jesus’s love. But I have a lot of questions about my role in the Church. I don’t necessarily question my role in the world, as the three aforementioned life goals define that (as does Jesus’s answer below). However, a lifetime of being told by Christian men and women that my opportunities for leadership in my churches are limited have raised some faith-jolting questions.
These questions, although they make me want to know God’s character even more, aren’t just theological in nature. They impact my self-identity and worth. And I am not the only person asking them. In my twenty-five years of following Jesus, I have heard countless other women – young and old – ask these questions. Many men have voiced them as well. I have traveled to over twelve countries and met believers in most of them. Even in the Global South, majority patriarchal societies, I have encountered Christians who ask these questions.
These are some of them: “Does my lack of leadership opportunity at my church, or my church’s lack of interest in me as a leader, mean that I am inferior?” “Since I am only allowed to lead by teaching children, does that make children inferior?” “Is it truly not God’s will for me to be a leader in my church or a spiritual leader in my home?” “Does God speak to me and direct me like He does to men?” “Is God displeased at my frustration that I will never get to address my church congregation from the pulpit?” “Is it prideful of me to desire to lead my church as an elder?” Etc.
“I don’t necessarily question my role in the world... However, a lifetime of being told by Christian men and women that my opportunities for leadership in my churches are limited have raised some faith-jolting questions.”
As I consider these questions, I cannot help but reflect on experiences and people in my twenty-five years of life who have shaped these questions and some of the views I hold on women’s roles in churches.
I have been shaped by a variety of female leaders that were not always acknowledged by others, nor by themselves, as spiritual leaders. My single grandmother’s humble and joyful love for Jesus and others brought four kids and their families together despite divisive politics, polarizing religious views, and stark lifestyle differences. My mom raised my sister and me, choosing to stay home and invest in our education and lives. She was as much a spiritual leader in our home as my father and invested as much as he did in our church. I had several female mentors over the years who poured into me and others, sharing wisdom and walking us through life’s trials.
As I reflect on the impact these women made on me and many others, their ability to patiently nurture is evident. This is a quality that I see sorely lacking acknowledgment in churches as a crucial leadership quality outside of children’s classrooms and women’s Bible studies. These women were unique leaders because they did not see only the problems in my life that needed fixing, but opportunities to pour into my character and help me grow as a person. They led in their churches behind the scenes, often forming personable relationships with congregants that helped them know the heartbeat of the church in a way that busy pastors and leaders did not. These women held perspectives, knowledge, and humble wisdom that, if called upon more often by church leaders, would help shape the spiritual lives of more than young kids and women.
Traveling and seeing Christians and churches in other countries has impacted the questions that I have about women’s roles in the Church. These experiences have most influenced my mindset that Western Evangelical churches can no longer monopolize the answers to these questions. My first cross-cultural experience was on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico where the small church that hosted us was made up almost entirely of women. Even as a young teenager, I was impacted by seeing that congregation convene without the politics of needing a married male pastor or youth pastor or a group of male elders. From then on, as I traveled to majority patriarchal countries like Cambodia, Gabon (Western Africa), India and Cuba, I encountered women who also led their churches – unacknowledged– by showing up faithfully, serving, and pouring out with as much dedication as they showed in maintaining their home lives. And in some churches, women were the primary leaders out of necessity.
These international experiences have influenced my understanding of the early Church and the need to consider cultural contextualization. A growing number of theologians and Christian leaders are considering the cultural contexts of the churches in Ephesus and Corinth in regards to Paul’s writings on women’s roles. And I dare to hope that perhaps Scriptures that have made me question my worth in the body of Christ unveil a more complex narrative of the early Church that complements Jesus’s example of seeking out, naming and befriending women in a radical way for that time.
I know many Christian women who will never question their worth or value because they are told they cannot be spiritual leaders to men. I know Christian women who believe they have as much a right as any man to preach from the pulpit. I know Christian women who have left a church because women hold positions of high leadership. I know Christian women who leave churches because women do not hold positions of leadership. As I ask questions and reflect on my own life and the views that I hold on this topic, I pray that as I find answers, I do not let them divide me from my sisters and brothers. And I pray that a watching world sees the beauty of the Gospel in the answers.
In a roundabout way, that leads me to what I ultimately believe is the answer to the question, “What is a woman’s role in the Church?” In the midst of varying views, Jesus’s words are ultimately what we must return to.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
– John 13:34-35.