Missional women have always played a vital role in the advancement of the gospel. The church—as the bride for whom Christ bled, died, and was raised—ought to be a place where women are loved, taught, respected, heard, and deployed for service. They should thrive as Christ’s ambassadors in the world, as they are built up in him.
True, humble, gospel-centered leadership in the church will foster this kind of environment.
Just a quick glance at Paul’s ministry shows that he sought to equip and encourage women in the gospel. In Philippians 4, he says that Euodia and Syntyche “labored side by side with [him] in the gospel” (Phil. 4:3). He also commends a number of other female co-laborers in Romans 16.
Remember, these texts were penned by the same guy who taught male headship in the church and home! But Paul didn’t see male headship as a contradiction to women being co-laborers in the gospel; he believed they went hand-in-hand. In fact, women ought to be co-laborers for the sake of the gospel because of male headship, not in spite of it. Male-led doesn’t mean male-dominated. And it doesn’t mean women are left to the sidelines. It means they are active participants in the mission.
Male-led doesn’t mean male-dominated.
So we want to see women trained and equipped for all God has called them to be and do. But what does this actually look like? How does this happen in the local church? Sadly, confusion over what roles women can and can’t fill in the church has often left pastors and planters feeling paralyzed as to how to move forward in discipling and deploying women.
So today we have two guests on the podcast to talk about these things: Matthew Kruse and Patti Rosell. Matthew is a pastor at Seven Mile Road Church in Boston, and he’s been involved in Acts 29 for more than 13 years. Patti is a member of Matthew’s church, and together they’ve started Kalos Conversations, a ministry to help churches train and mobilize women in the church.
You can listen to this episode here.
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