Women Have Roles, Too (Part 1)

The lectureship at Faulkner, as a whole, focused on women and the power they've been given by God. This is a current social topic and has been for the last several years as men and women, both, have tried to understand exactly what the women's role was concerning spiritual matters and ministry. One of the most intriguing classes that I was a part of this week was titled, "Women Have Roles, Too" by David Baker.

And it had nothing to do with teaching children's classes, fixing food for the potluck, cleaning the building, and other tasks that we, in the past, have typically given women of the congregation.

I would like to share with you some of the thoughts he had concerning this subject.

First, Bro. Baker, suggested that we are all partners in ministry working together. So, how do we convey we are all partners in ministry? It's important we look at some biblical examples of women in the bible to understand the partnership.

Let's look at Mary Magdalene (Luke 8). She is a wonderful example of what women can bring to the table in regards to ministry. She had a past in that she had been possessed by demons seven times and probably viewed as a social outcast because of these experiences.

To put Mary Magdalene into perspective, her name is mentioned more times out of all the Mary's in the bible, except for Mary the mother of Jesus. That's great company to be in. She was listed as one of Jesus' devout followers.

So, what makes her so special? She was a partner in Jesus' ministry. According to Luke 8 she became part of a privileged group of women from Galilee who, along with the twelve, accompanied Jesus as he traveled and ministered from town to town. She also was a key contributor to the advancement of the kingdom as part of a group of women who helped support Jesus and the Twelve out of their own means.

Why is this so surprising that a woman, like Mary, was a partner in ministry? Women lived more sheltered and confined lives, not typically having conversations with men, especially in public. Education was a male privilege. Also, women didn't have a voice in legal matters and were not accepted as credible witnesses in a court of law.

As you know, Jesus lived a radical life usually associating with people that others would not. He radically broke tradition in all three of the aforementioned matters. He talked to women in public and didn't isolate himself from women like other rabbis. He gave his male disciples a lot to think about when they heard Jesus teaching women the same deep truths He taught them. Jesus saw women to be beneficial to be a partner in his ministry instead of assigning them tasks to complete. Women, also, became key witnesses to some of the most crucial events in human history - the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus.

What does this say about women's roles? David Baker put it like this, "Jesus called the twelve men to follow him, but he wasn't starting up a male fraternity or monastery for men. He was creating a family, a body, whose key trademark would be their love for one another and cooperation in the mission of God."

In the next post we will look at what Mary Magdalene taught the Twelve and men about the ministry of women. We will make some observations about the role of women in ministry, what kind of women we need involved in ministry (especially youth ministry), and what our job is to help women.