Can a woman be a pastor?  Please provide me with verses that back up your answer.  Be blessed.

Sincerely,
Lady In Waiting

Dear Lady In Waiting,

No.  Pastors (Eph4:11) – also known as elders or bishops (Tit 1:5-7) – are always men.  The qualifications for pastors are given in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  One of those qualifications is that he must be “a husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2, Tit 1:6) – that clearly rules out females from becoming pastors.

I have a friend that is a new Baptist member, and I visited her church, and there was a woman that had asked to become a member of their church; they then proceeded to vote on it.  Where do they get the authority to do so?  Can a church deny membership to one wanting to be a member?

Sincerely,
Taking A Tally

Dear Taking A Tally,

Baptists get the authority to vote on people becoming members from page 17 and 18 of the Baptist Church Manual… which is interestingly enough not the Bible.  You can read a copy of the text here (scroll down to the section titled “How Members Are Received”).  This practice is unscriptural and has no basis in Bible authority.

The Bible teaches that we are added to the church when we are baptized for salvation (Acts 2:37-41).  People join a local church once they become christians and unite themselves to that local group of saints.  If a christian moves to another part of the country, they simply explain their situation, or they are commended to the new brethren by others who know them (Rom 16:1-2).  Either way, the Bible system never comes close to resembling a vote.  Read carefully the Baptist Manual link… their process of membership (which very few Baptists realize) consists of:

1. Confess that you are saved.
2. Be voted on.  (The vote determines whether they believe you are saved, whether or not you have the right to be baptized, and whether or not you will be allowed to be a member).
3. Receive a Baptist baptism.

The Bible way is so much simpler: believe (Jhn 3:16), repent (Acts 17:30), confess (Matt 10:32), and be baptized (Mk 16:16, 1 Pet 3:21).

What is the kingdom of heaven?

Sincerely,
Looking For The Keys

Dear Looking For The Keys,

The kingdom of heaven is the church.  Jesus and John the Baptist both preached that the kingdom of heaven was soon going to happen (Matt 3:1-2, Matt 4:17).  Jesus also told His disciples that some of them would see the kingdom come in their lifetime (Matt 16:28).  Later on, the apostle Paul said that all christians were currently in the kingdom (Col 1:13).  Jesus preached that it would soon happen, and Paul said that the kingdom was already present… what big thing came into being between Jesus’ preaching and Paul’s?  The church!  On the day of Pentecost, the church began (Acts 2:1, Acts 2:38-41).  The church is the kingdom of heaven.

I felt the call to ministry about two years ago, and I thought that God was calling me into youth ministry.  Then I started learning about all sorts of other places God could use me, and I began thinking about where specifically in ministry He may be calling me.  I still really want to be a youth minister, but I'm not 100% certain that’s where God wants me.  So how can I know what specific facet of His ministry He wants me to be in?

Sincerely,
Job Searching

Dear Job Searching,

God calls us to work through His gospel, the Bible (2 Thess 2:14).  The Bible never says anything about "youth" ministers.  'Youth minister' is a man-made title created by man-made religions.  The Bible gives the list of all the roles within the church in Eph 4:11-12.  Since the apostles and prophets have long since ceased (see "The Lost Art of Prophecy" for more details), the only roles in the church are evangelists, pastors (also known as elders and overseers - 1 Tim 3:1), deacons (Php 1:1), and teachers.  Any faithful church should only have people filling those offices.  Churches that employ secretaries, outreach ministers, benevolence ministers, archbishops, cardinals, reverends, fathers, etc. are not following the Bible pattern.  God gave us the Bible word-for-word (1 Cor 2:13), and therefore, we should follow that pattern in using Bible words to describe Bible things.  Departing from that pattern is a step in the direction of apostasy and a warping of the Scriptures.

What is the proper way to take the Lord’s Supper if you are taking it by yourself because usually I find that an elder is administering it after the service, and I thought proper verses were to be said while taking it?

Sincerely,
Solitary Contemplation

Dear Solitary Contemplation,

The Lord’s Supper isn’t intended to be taken alone.  Communion is intended to be taken on the first day of the week with the whole church (Acts 20:7).  In fact, the Corinthian church was condemned for not taking the Lord’s Supper in an orderly fashion (1 Cor 11:20-22).  The solution to the disarray of the Corinthian church was for them to patiently wait for one another before taking the communion and to do it in an orderly fashion as a group (1 Cor 11:33).

There are no specific verses that need to be said before taking the Lord’s Supper, but it is important that we reflect upon Christ’s death and examine ourselves before and while participating (1 Cor 11:26-29).