“The Structure Of The Church”

Monday, January 02, 2017

Local churches must be incorporated to receive tax exempt status. They then must select officers to comply with the law.  My question is: can a woman be selected as an officer, specifically the office of treasurer and then engage in doing all of the tasks required of a treasurer to conduct the church business? Some say it's fine – if she only fulfils the responsibilities delegated to her by the trustees, in this case all men.  Others say no, it's a position of authority, and unscriptural, as men are to hold those offices.  I'd like a Bible answer, book(s), chapter(s), and verse(s), as this question is effecting the work of a new congregation that I am a part of.

Sincerely,
Officer Ignorant

Dear Officer Ignorant,

Everyone agrees that women can be servants in the church – the question isn’t whether women can serve; it is how they can serve.  Phoebe was a servant of the church (Rom 16:1) and was praised for her service.  Priscilla was also commended for her labor on behalf of the church (Rom 16:3).  The Bible clearly shows women working in the church and in a very positive way.

To answer your question, we need to look at what positions women are forbidden from taking in the church and what the leadership structure of the church looks like.  Let’s take a look at the leadership structure of a congregation first.

The early church was led by the apostles.  In the very beginnings of the church, the apostles were in charge of all the teaching (Acts 2:42) and daily affairs of the church (Acts 4:34-37).  Eventually, the work became so immense that the apostles began to delegate some of the responsibility to qualified men (Acts 6:1-4 shows the apostles appointing men to have authority over the daily distribution of bread to christian widows).  The system of the apostles being in charge and delegating some of their authority to others would eventually no longer work because the apostles were only twelve men.  How would the church function once they were gone?

The answer is ‘elders’.  The apostles eventually began to appoint elders in every congregation and then commended those elderships to lead in a godly way (Acts 14:23).  Not just anyone could become an elder – 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9 give the qualifications for elders.  One of those qualifications is that an elder must be a man.  Elders have ultimate oversight of a congregation.  Elders are in charge of everything that occurs within a local church (Heb 13:17).  However, just like the apostles before them, elders have a right to appoint deacons to help handle various tasks.  The elders are ultimately in charge, but deacons are given a certain level of authority over others as the elders see fit (1 Tim 3:13).  Deacons also are required to be men (1 Tim 3:12).  Elders and deacons are always men and they are the only ones allowed to have authority over others within a local congregation.

As we mentioned before, women are seen serving in many capacities in the church, but they are never seen in positions of authority.  Women are forbidden from having authority over men in the church… they are also forbidden from publicly teaching men (1 Tim 2:12).  Women cannot be preachers or have positions within the church that allow them to have dominion (the word ‘dominion’ means ‘act on their own authority over’).  Women are encouraged to teach other women (Tit 2:3-5) but to take a less authoritative role than men within the church and family.

This is a very long answer to your question, but your question needed a lengthy answer.  If the role of treasurer is a position where this woman will be making decisions and governing men within the church, then she cannot be the treasurer.  However, if the treasurer doesn’t make any decisions that are usurping the authority of the men of the congregation, she can serve.  Once again, women can (and should) be servants in the church as long as:

1. They aren’t publicly preaching and teaching to men.
2. They aren’t in positions of dominion above men.

Paul explains the reason for this structure in 1 Tim 2:13.  Adam was created first, and Eve was created as his helper.   In both the family (Col 3:18-19) and the church (1 Cor 14:34), this principle is carried out.  Eve was no less valuable than Adam, but she was designed for a different role.

Share