5 Things You Should Know About the Women in Ministry Debate

A lively conversation continues to occur surrounding the topic of women’s ordination and their roles in the life of the Church, with signs pointing to notable shifts and some saying a “crack-up” is underway within evangelicalism.

The ongoing debate is over what the Bible really says about complementarianism and egalitarianism, and the implications that has for the Church, the home, and society.

At Mere Orthodoxy last month, writer Jake Meador said in a column titled “The Evangelical Gender Crack-Up” that the general agreement among evangelical Christians about how to approach gender issues is no longer holding. That is to say, the “consensus that has existed amongst most conservative evangelicals for some time is beginning to fracture — and in more than one direction.”

Central to this discussion is the role of women in ministry. Complementarians generally believe that women are forbidden from holding certain offices in the Church, while egalitarians insist that Scripture does not warrant such restrictions.

Here are five things you should know about this ongoing, often-spirited theological debate.

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