Can Women Give Sermons in Church?

Looking Beyond the Question

Written by Pam Rehm

The question of whether women can give sermons in church keeps coming up.  As a Christian woman, I see it everywhere.  Many churches now ordain women as pastors, bishops, and elders.  Some branches of Judaism even have female rabbis.  Women are leading in ways that would have been almost unthinkable just a couple of generations ago.  So it makes sense that some women wonder, “If we’re gifted in teaching, encouraging, and serving, why can’t we also give sermons or serve as pastors?”  I want to look past the debate and consider how God has designed women to serve in His family and His Church.

The Modern Conversation About Women’s Roles

In the last fifty or sixty years, women’s roles in churches have changed a great deal.  So many denominations are ordaining women as pastors, elders, bishops, and other spiritual leaders.  But, as Christian women, we must look past whatever society or tradition is pushing.  What really matters is what God says in the Bible.

I understand why women feel they should serve in these roles.  Many women are natural teachers, organizers, leaders, and encouragers.  Some women have a lot of biblical knowledge and wisdom.  Some are even gifted speakers.  Others have spent years studying God’s Word.  So, if women can do all that, then why shouldn’t they give a sermon?

For Christians, it’s not just about what we can do.  It’s really about what God tells us to do.  The Bible says plainly in Isaiah 55:8-9 that God’s thoughts aren’t like ours.  What seems fair, logical, or instinctive to us isn’t always how He sees things.  That’s true in family life, worship, and, yes, church leadership.  Before we settle on what seems fair, we have to step back and ask God, through His Word, what He wants.

God Has Always Used Women

Some people assume that, if the Bible limits certain leadership positions to men, women must matter less or play only a small part in God’s plan.  But that’s just not true.  Not even close. From Genesis to Revelation, God worked through remarkable women.  Think of Miriam standing with Moses and Aaron during Israel’s exodus, leading other women in worship (Exodus 15:20-21).  Or Deborah, who led Israel with wisdom and courage at a time when the nation was desperate and afraid.  Her faithfulness became part of Israel’s deliverance.  Ruth’s loyalty still inspires; Hannah’s prayers shaped the prophet Samuel; Esther risked it all for her people, saving an entire nation.  None of these women held a formal religious office.  They didn’t need a title to make a huge impact.

We have only mentioned a handful of the remarkable women found in the Old Testament.  There are many more whose faith and service could be discussed as well.  When we look at the New Testament, we find even more examples.

When we jump to the New Testament, we see the same story.  Mary submitted herself to God’s plan, playing a central role in bringing Jesus into the world.  Elizabeth recognized Mary’s unborn child through the Spirit’s prompting.  Anna spent years praying and worshipping in the temple, recognizing Jesus as soon as He appeared.  In Acts 18, Priscilla teamed up with her husband Aquila to mentor Apollos, deepening his understanding of God.  Philip’s daughters were known for their prophecies.

As I study these women, one thing stands out to me.  None of them were chasing a position or a title.  None were pastors, bishops, or elders.  They simply obeyed God in the role that He gave them.  They were not “just” background characters.  Each one had a unique function or role and each one carried it out.  Their lives remind me that being faithful is more important than being visible.

Equality Does Not Mean Sameness

So, women have always been right at the center of God’s work.  But how did God set up His Church?  One of the biggest hang-ups in today’s conversations about gender is the idea that equality and sameness are the same thing.  As a mom of both a daughter and a son, I can see that equality does not mean sameness.  I love both of my children equally, but they are very different in personality, temperament, and interests.  Their differences do not make one more important than the other.  Likewise, the Bible says that men and women are equal before God but the Bible clearly shows that God has given them different roles and responsibilities.

In fact, the Bible says that God does not value people based on gender, race, social status, nationality, or position.  Everyone who responds to God’s calling can become part of His family and inherit eternal life in His Kingdom.  The apostle Paul stressed this spiritual equality in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Peter reminded husbands that their wives are “heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7).

These verses make it clear that men and women are equally valued by God when it comes to salvation.  God does not reserve salvation for one gender and not the other.  Every person He calls has the opportunity to become part of His family and inherit eternal life.

Equality does not remove God given differences.  My children are equally loved, equally valued, and equally important members of our family.  I never expected my son and daughter to be exactly alike. They have different strengths, different personalities, and different interests.  I never saw those differences as a problem, in fact it’s what makes them unique.  They were simply part of who God created them to be.

Even the relationship between Jesus and the Father had order and submission.  Jesus submitted to the Father but never became less divine (John 14:28; 1 Corinthians 15:28).  God’s design includes structure, order, and complementary roles and responsibilities that work together for the benefit of His people.

The Connection Between Sermons and Spiritual Authority

Preaching a sermon is more than just sharing thoughts about the Bible.  It is spiritual leadership and authority, which includes instruction and sometimes correction.  Paul describes one of the duties of church leaders as teaching sound doctrine and protecting the flock from doctrinal error.

Titus 1:5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Timothy was told in 2 Timothy 4:2 to “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

Before we decide who should give sermons, we first need to understand how the Bible defines spiritual leadership within the Church.

Paul’s Instructions Concerning Teaching Authority

If preaching is about spiritual authority within the congregation, does the Bible set any boundaries about who should fill that role?  Paul gets straight to the point in 1 Timothy 2:11-14.  He says that spiritual leadership and teaching the church are not the roles and responsibilities for women.  

1 Timothy 2:11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

Paul’s statement links teaching and authority together.  Since preaching a sermon involves teaching a congregation and exercising spiritual authority through instruction, many Christians understand this passage as applying directly to sermon delivery.

Paul based his instruction on the order of creation rather than local customs, social or cultural acceptance.  This suggests that the principle was intended to go beyond the culture of the first century.

The Pattern of Church Leadership

Whenever Paul describes elders and bishops, those who are tasked to teach and lead, he uses male terms.

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:1:  “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” He then explains in verse 2 that a bishop must be “the husband of one wife.”  Paul also instructed Titus in Titus 1:6 to appoint elders who were: “the husband of one wife, having faithful children.”

These passages establish the qualifications for those responsible for teaching, shepherding, and overseeing the congregation.  Since preaching sermons is one of the primary duties of elders and pastors, the biblical pattern places this responsibility within male church leadership.

What Can Women Do

So what does this mean for Christian women today?  We’re not unimportant.  The Bible gives us beautiful, meaningful, and impactful ways to use our gifts while honoring the order God has established in His Church.  The Bible tells us how we can serve to build up the body of Christ.

Titus 2:3-5 instructs older women to “admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”  This is not a small or insignificant thing, especially in the world today.  As a mother, I have come to appreciate how much influence women have, often in ways that are unseen.  The lessons we teach our children, the encouragement we give other women, and the example we set can impact other people for decades.

Many women in the Bible are good at showing hospitality, service, music, writing, counseling, visiting the sick, or helping those in need.  The early church relied heavily on women who opened their homes for meetings, cared for the sick, and supported traveling missionaries.  Priscilla, with her husband Aquila, helped instruct Apollos privately, not from a pulpit, but through personal teaching.  We can do the same today through mentoring relationships, small group studies for women, and one-on-one encouragement.

God also gives women spiritual gifts that are unique and bless the congregation.  No matter what spiritual gift we have, women can exercise tremendous influence for the coming Kingdom without preaching a sermon.  In fact, looking back, some of the women who influenced me most never stood behind a pulpit. They taught by their example.  They showed me how to serve, how to persevere through trials, and how to remain faithful to God.  Their influence has lasted far longer than many sermons I have heard.

For those of us who are wives and mothers, our faithfulness in the home carries a great deal of weight.  A godly mother and wife can shape the next generation of leaders and demonstrate the beauty of biblical womanhood to the world.  Even single women or those without children have equally important roles.  There are many unmarried women who have served faithfully in the early church and throughout history.

Our value and usefulness to God isn’t measured by whether we stand behind a pulpit and preach a sermon.  It’s measured by our obedience, humility, and love for Christ and His people.  When we embrace the roles God has designed for us, we usually find more peace and purpose than we ever could by stepping outside His order.