Featured Women deacons

I agree but in many churches they do, rule that is; not serve except communion.

 

In the ORBs I have been around, the title "deaconess" means "the wife of a deacon". They don't have any authority whatsoever, but are to be a "helpmate" to her deacon husband. During communion, the deacons and deaconesses prepare the table, but the Elders and/or Deacons are the ones who give the blessings over the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine or wine. The deaconesses serve the women, and the deacons serve the men.

 

Thanks, Baptist Believer. I appreciate this explanation, and agree with it whole-heartedly. After all, aren't we taught the the Lord will humble the proud and exalt the humble?

 

Here's a good treatment of the issue. I suggest reading it.

"No, the problem in the church is not strong women, but rather weak men who feel threatened by strong women, and have tried various means, even by dubious exegesis to prohibit them from exercising their gifts and graces in the church."

 

Ok, You've found us out! All us complimentarians KNOW the egalitarians are right...We've worked very hard to keep what we know to be the truth hidden from our congregations and women in order to keep hold of our positions of power, because we want to make sure that women don't have any say in what goes on. We definitely don't want any women exercising their gifts and graces in the church. Wanting to be faithful to the scriptures in what they teach about gender roles has nothing to do with it...we made all that stuff up.

(Disclaimer: The above is not true)

 

If it's not true, why won't you let women serve as God calls them?

 

1. Because you asking us to do something we truly believe to be unbiblical...

2. Because we believe it to be unbiblical, and because we believe God does not currently call people to do things his word says they should not do, it logically follows that if a woman desires to be the next pastor of our church, we believe it is not a true calling from God. Other examples of this principle would be:
-A single 30 year old man who said the Lord was calling him to one-on-one counseling with teen girls.
-A man with 4 wives who said he felt called to be our pastor.

3. Now, this does not mean her calling to teach God's word and help people understand and apply it is invalid...simply that she must apply that calling within the bounderies Scripture has given (as we truly believe, not that we are making up because we don't like women.)

4. To attribute the entirity of complimentarianism to gender hatred or fear is simply unfair, untrue, and not helpful to the discussion...proven by the fact that there are people who truly believe that their wife to be wiser, more godly, and more gifted than them, but they also truly believe putting her in a pastoral role would violate God's revealed design.

 

Good post. We humans are always tying to help God out because we don't think God said what He meant. We substitute our judgment, like the prevalent thought in liberal Christian circles: "Why shouldn't two men or two women that truly love each other be allowed to marry, after all, God is love and He made them that way." See, the word of God is not honored anymore. When God said that marriage was between a man and a woman, He meant it. A gay marriage is rebellion against God and His plan for mankind. And I don't mean to be cruel, but a woman Pastor is also rebellion against and His plan for the church. Those who do not think God is serious about the local church better re-read the scriptures.

 

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

 

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

 

Phoebe served as a deacon (servant), with all the Scriptural authority given to that office. And that, by the way, would be none. When we say that women cannot fill the office of a deacon, it is in reference to the current unScriptural office. Deacons are servants, not elders. Deacons are for mowing the grass, feeding the shut-ins, cleaning the meeting house, repairing squeaky auditorium door hinges, etc; not heading committees & boards. Any deacon who holds authority within the church is NOT a deacon. He/she is an elder. The confusion stems from a departure from the Biblical paradigm of multiple equal authority elders leading the church & multiple deacons fulfilling the menial tasks of the church.

 

Mark Dever in A Display of God's Glory:

 

One reason that women are so active in Church is that many men are simply too lazy. One of the requirements to be a deacon in a Church of which I was a member is that they attend all worship services, including SS and Church training, unless providentially hindered. I have seen the time when we could not get a quorum for business meeting on Wed. night because of the absence of deacons.

I was Director of Church Training in that Church for three years many years ago. Most of the deacons would not come. I asked the pastor if he would teach a special class for the deacons since they would not stoop to attend a class with lesser beings. He was perfectly willing. I attended a deacon's meeting where I presented the idea to them, reminding them of the covenant they had made with the congregation. I leave the rest to your imagination or perhaps your experience.