Gender Has Little to Do With Someone’s Capacity to Lead?
Lisa Bevere wrote this on her Instagram recently: “GENDER is NOT the PROBLEM in LEADERSHIP; our challenge is a posture of PRIDE and a tendency toward PREJUDICE and judging others. These will BLIND SOMEONE who is otherwise a good leader. HUMILITY, EXPERIENCE, FAITHFULNESS, EDUCATION, and VIRTUE are just SOME of the qualities that QUALIFY LEADERS, but gender alone does not a leader make. Gender alone doesn’t QUALIFY a leader, so gender alone can’t DISQUALIFY one.”
Then she further clarified it with this one: “For the record, I do not pastor, nor am I an elder or deacon, but I do often speak on Sunday mornings as a mother in the House of God, and ministering does not equal exercising authority over anyone; it is giving witness to what God is done. It’s sad that anyone one would imagine that I think that being a leader usurps our marriage roles. John and I have been married 37 years and raised a family together.”
Her husband responded to this by writing: “Such a great post @lisabevere! You have led well our team and countless others for so many years. You’ve been faithful to God’s Word and His Spirit. When I look at the Evangelist Philip in the book of Acts, he had four daughters who proclaim God’s word. I’m so glad that he understood that they could be leaders in speaking the Word of God even though they were female. He understood that God Almighty communicated through the prophet Joel in the last days both men and women would proclaim God’s Word. So yes, gender should not be the basis of whether or not someone should lead or not lead. Thank you!!!”
We have a problem here, women. I pray that it’s obvious to most of you. Gender is a problem in leadership. God has made it very clear that it’s men who are to be in leadership positions in the churches. God ordained men to be in all leadership positions all throughout the Bible with the exception of Deborah. We are clearly told how the New Covenant churches are to be run. Elders and Deacons (the leaders and teachers in the churches) are to be men. Women are also forbidden from teaching men in the churches.
Women are nowhere called to preach on any Sunday as “a mother in the House of God” as Lisa does. It seems most female preachers want to leave out these verses: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church” (1 Corinthians 14:34, 35) and “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence” (1 Timothy 2:11, 12).
Concerning what Lisa’s husband said about the Evangelist Philip and his four daughters, this is what Gill’s Exposition of the Bible had to say about it: “which did prophesy (Acts 21:9); not explain and interpret Scripture, or preach in public assemblies; for these were not allowed women, neither in the Jewish synagogues, nor in Christian assemblies; but they were endowed with a gift of foretelling future events, as was promised such should have in Gospel times.” Women, it’s a dangerous but common practice to try to defend your choices by finding examples in the Bible while ignoring God’s clear commands to us in the Church Age.
In the homes, the husbands are to lead their families. Wives are to submit to and obey their husbands, yes, in everything, since God made the husband the head over the wife. God has called men to be the leaders all throughout His Word. Yes, Lisa, gender does matter greatly to God when it comes to leading.
For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
1 Timothy 2:13-15
10 thoughts on “Gender Has Little to Do With Someone’s Capacity to Lead?”
She does have a point, even if it’s not the one she wants to be heard— gender alone does not qualify a MAN to be a leader in the church, that much I can agree on. However, gender does indeed disqualify a woman from being a leader in the church, like it or not, doesn’t matter. Just because you don’t agree with the Bible, doesn’t make it not true. I also find it telling that she posts this
“and ministering does not equal exercising authority over anyone”
and in her husband’s response:
Such a great post @lisabevere! You have *LED* well our team and countless others for so many years.
That kind of sums it up that she is indeed usurping authority as even her husband says she led their team.
Wow such blasphemy. Male headship was established before the Fall. The roles are clear. Equal in the eyes of God but there is a hierarchy on earth. Women are not to lead in the church and at home that is so clear. It just saddens me to hear stuff like this. People twisting scripture and just living for themselves.
this is just yet another excuse to deny the fundamental differences between men and women…
I recall seeing Lisa speak at a church once. Certainly, her statement is unbiblical. In addition, her husband is in the wrong for backing up her comment and failing to correct her {cf. Ephesians 5:25-26}. So sad to see men toeing the feminist line.
As for Deborah, she does not help the feminist’s cause, for Israel was in a national state of shame during the time of the judges. Deborah is an indictment on men’s abdication of their God-given headship. While God can use anyone in any way He chooses, He has not changed His order. We’re in a time today where women seek out leadership and authority over men, and sadly, many of the men allow women to steamroller over them and have their way. This is no cause to celebrate female achievement, but rather to repent toward the Lord and begin following His order and His ways.
Life is short, why kick against the goads? Is it a big deal to not lead for a few decades knowing that a wonderful eternity is ahead of you?
Amen!!
I think your title is misleading compared to the actual article.
No one doubts women can be good leaders. They lead large families while their husband is at work: coordinating schedules, managing household finances, running homeschool, enforcing discipline, etc. Many women work for their husbands or fathers in family businesses and are in charge of certain departments or areas of business. Women also run women’s retreats, plan weddings, and plan other social gatherings. When girls are gathered with friends as children, they lead games (both imaginary and physical).
For this reason, I think the title is misleading. No one doubt’s women’s capacity to lead — it is just that in certain areas God asks them not to (church, husband), because they have other jobs to be doing, and because God knows best.
There are amazing qualities of leadership and organisation needed to run a home and bring up children as any grateful husband will acknowledge.
But God made us to be part of and within a family unit under the protection and authority of our husband. To to use those skills as a homemaker and mother.
But authority outside of the home, in Church, politics and the work place is for men.
This is something that confuses me a lot because at my church there many times in which a woman will be the one to give the sermon. Is this having authority over men? I recently discovered a YouTube channel, her name is Allie Beth Stuckey and she is a Christian and conservative political activist. A lot of her videos are about explaining and teaching about the Bible. Is this having an authority over men? What about a mother teaching the Bible to her son? Can a women only teach to other women about biblical womanhood, or can they teach the Bible in its entirety to other woman? I’m genuinely confused and would like some clarification on this.
The Bible is very clear on this issue, Shary. Older women are to teach the young women biblical womanhood. There is not biblical justification for women preachers in the churches. Allie can speak about political things and things pertaining to women but she should not be teaching the Bible since this ministry has been given to men.