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“Momma… do you think that God only brings women into church leadership when a church is mature enough?  In Romans, Paul writes to a deacon named Phoebe before he says says ‘Hi’ to anyone else… and a bunch of other women are named.  But when he is addressing baby churches he seems to keep it very basic for them.  Like He won’t give them women in leadership because they haven’t matured … they wouldn’t be able to handle it.  Because Paul does refer to how he has to talk one way to some churches and more evolved to others…. that milk or meat bible verse, ya know…. So it sounds like everyone is right on some level….” This oldest of mine has been working on this paper for weeks.  It seems every day he is surprised to find out another person thinks women are not fit for church leadership.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2The Voice (VOICE)

3 My brothers and sisters, I cannot address you as people who walk by the Spirit; I have to speak to you as people who tend to think in merely human terms, as spiritual infants in the Anointed One. 2 I nursed you with milk, as a mother would feed her baby, because you were not, and still are not, developed enough to digest complex spiritual food.

 

 

 

“what do you mean….’everyone is right’?  I have read the book he is reading… and albeit it is amazing… I know that is not in there.

“Well  the churches which think women shouldn’t be in leadership, because of the verse in Timothy…(which by the way Timothy was sent to clean up a big immature church mess),.. are just aware of how much maturity exists in their body.  When they have grown past the milk stage and are eating spiritual meat, maybe then God gives them women in leadership. Because clearly Paul is not only friends with but works shoulder to shoulder with women church leaders.   Sort of like He made Adam first… and when Adam was ready He brought Eve.  Men pursue a wife…. but the idea is that you don’t get a wife until you are more mature …,” he laughed rolling his eyes, “I mean the idea is to be more mature.  So churches who are given women in leadership are just places where they have a closer idea of what their identity is in God… like God sees us all and loves us all… but humans get hung up on stuff like  ‘men seem stronger and better leaders’…  but a more mature Christian could receive from wherever the Spirit and the Presence of God is moving… man pastor … woman pastor whatever.  So it can be that every one is right…. if a male pastor is the only thing you can receive from because you aren’t ‘there’ yet, that’s okay as long as you are evolving.  But it’s still a dumb idea to think that somehow men are the only ones who can lead when the Bible is full of women leaders…. but if it’s just based on the maturity of the church itself, that makes more sense.  Because when they have matured and can handle listening to women and not hung up on a pastor being a ‘she’… and more just inspired by the Jesus moving through her then they will also be to a place where they can handle bigger spiritual concepts.  Like when they aren’t thinking he or she… just about the love of Jesus.”