Tony’s cell phone rang. It soon became apparent from his end of the conversation that the other person was interested in publishing my book, An Army of Ordinary People. “Put it on speaker,” I whispered to Tony. As the conversation continued, the person the other end said, “Of course, we’ll put both your names on the front cover. This book is far too important to have been written by a woman!” It was at this point that I lost my sanctification. I didn’t mind Tony’s name on the book—we’ve written together before. But I was profoundly frustrated by the idea that a woman couldn’t do anything of significance. (Thankfully, "An Army of Ordinary People" has now been published by Tyndale House—under my name!) Sadly, the attitude towards women in the church is often medieval, even in these days when society generally recognizes women as equals. Over the years, I remember being told: · A woman can lead—as long as it’s through her husband. · A woman is equal to a man but her role is different and, by implication, not as important (like George Orwell’s “All animals are created equal but some animals are more equal than others (Animal Farm)). · God will only use a woman if there is no man available to do the job. I don’t believe this is deliberate misogyny. A patriarchal interpretation of the Scriptures has led to the belief that women cannot hold positions of strategic leadership within the body of Christ. In many churches, women are limited to certain roles. They can make the coffee, (actually a specifically male role as demonstrated by the book of He Brews) and teach a children’s Sunday school class… God has given many women desires and gifts that characterize leadership. As a physician, I was capable of making life-and-death decisions, but for years I was not allowed to take any kind of strategic role in church because of my gender. The voice of the female half of the army has been silenced. This has produced a hemiplegic body. (Hemiplegia is a medical term used to describe a paralysis of one side of the body, as for example, after a stroke.) Obviously there are notable exceptions, but in general women are not allowed to develop to their full potential within the church. Thankfully the Holy Spirit is beginning to change this. There is an increasing understanding that the Scriptures do not prohibit women from leadership roles. God is using women all over the world to extend His Kingdom. Women have started over 80 percent of the house churches in China. Heidi Baker, with her husband, Rolland, is responsible for more than 10,000 churches in Mozambique and other African countries. In India, recently, I met a middle-aged housewife who, with the team she has trained, has started more than 6,000 churches. Any group that prevents women from functioning in leadership because of their gender is dismissed as archaic and irrelevant by today’s Western society. Women played an important part in Jesus’ ministry. Some traveled with him and helped to support His ministry (Mark 15:41; Luke 8:1-3). A woman anointed him for burial (Matthew 26:12). They did not desert him at His crucifixion (Matthew 27:55). After his resurrection, the first people Jesus revealed Himself to was a group of women; He entrusted the message of His resurrection to them (Luke 24:1-11). Jesus did not treat women as second-class citizens but as valued equals. Some of his most strategic, theological conversations were with women. Think, for example, of Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in John 4, or his dialog about the resurrection with Martha in John 11. Women were included in the gathering in the upper room after Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:14). Joel’s prophecy in that context specifically mentions that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on both men and women and they will all prophesy (Acts 2:17-18). Phillip’s four daughters were examples of this (Acts 21:9). Of the twenty-seven different named people in Rome mentioned in Romans 16, eight are women. Six of them are described as laboring in some way with Paul. One of them, Junia (verse 7), is even singled out as an apostle. Priscilla and Aquila instructed Apollos in Ephesus (Acts 18:26), Priscilla’s name being mentioned first in the original Greek manuscript. One of the main reasons that women are so restricted within the church is that certain Scriptures apparently forbid their taking any role of significance. And all of us, both men and women, want to obey the Bible. But these challenging verses can, with integrity, be understood differently. For a fuller treatment of some of these passages, see my blog (www.simplychurch.com). The posts on the challenging scriptures are here (for 1 Corinthians 14) and here (for 1 Timothy 2). Could it be that the attitude of the church in the West towards women is actually preventing the move of God we all long to see? Could a fresh look at the challenging passages with an open mind change this situation? Recently a small group of women came together to seek the Lord about the situation of women in the church. The Lord showed us clearly that it needed Barak as well as Deborah and Jael to see victory in the story in Judges 4 and 5. If this is just a movement of women, it will, by default, become a feminist movement perceived as having an ax to grind. This is not what we want. We dare not move ahead without the support of the men. However, if men will join in promoting women and encouraging them to take their place alongside them on the frontlines, it will become a Kingdom movement. We are very grateful that God is raising up courageous Barak’s to join us. There is currently a ground swell—a sense of the brooding of the Holy Spirit—over the topic of women in ministry. I believe that very soon we are going to see a movement of men and women—not a radical feminist movement of women reacting to the injustices of the past, but a move of God’s Holy Spirit that frees women into their destiny. We will see Galatians 3:28—“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians – you are one in Christ Jesus”—fulfilled in our lifetime. What could happen if the other half of God’s army, the female warriors, took their rightful place alongside the men to follow the Holy Spirit’s strategy in the world? The Kingdom workforce would be doubled! Felicity Dale was trained as a physician at Barts Hospital in London, where she and her husband pioneered simple church concepts while in medical school and later in the East End of London. Now living in the United States, they are actively engaged in church planting. They founded House2House magazine and have authored several books, including Renewing the Mind, Simply Church, and the Getting Started manual on planting house churches. The Dales speak regularly at conferences throughout the world. They live in Austin, Texas.
