MALE AND FEMALE ROLES IN MINISTRY

We are a complementarian church (rather than an egalitarian or patriarchal church), in light of the Bible’s clear teaching that the Lord God has created human beings, in His image, in two complementing sexes (male and female).  Genesis 1:26-28

Men and women enjoy equality (of worth and status) before God and difference in functionality (most obviously, but not limited to, their physical constitution) – especially in the division of responsibilities in the home and in the church.  Genesis 2:18-22, Acts 1:21-22, Ephesians 5:21-33, Colossians 3:18-21, 1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:1-7, 3:8-13, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 3:1-7

As men and women, we are to live and work together according to our complementary callings and giftings to bring glory to God in the family, in the church and in the world.  Romans 16:3-5, 1 Corinthians 12:1-27, Ephesians 4:11-16, Colossians 4:2-3

This complementarian design is not only a feature of this present creation, but also of the new creation – since redemption restores (not replaces or erases) God’s creation design.  Therefore, we are committed to seeing both men and women reconciled to God through faith in the Lord Jesus, renewed in the image of God by the power of the Spirit, and thriving together as a redeemed counter-cultural community displaying the glory of God’s new humanity.  Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 2:11-22

The outworking of these complementarian convictions, drawn from these Scriptures, must reflect the fact that not all practical matters are specifically addressed in Scripture and that not all Christians with complementarian convictions apply them in the same way.  There are black/white issues and grey-area issues.  For example:

Complementarianism NECESSARILY means:

• The church requires the contributions of both men and women in order to become and achieve all that Christ intends for us
• The church is led (as under-shepherds of the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ) by a team of Godly and gifted male elders
• The church will train and ordain men as pastors
• The church will commission men and women as deacons and members of staff
• The church will be taught in our weekly corporate gatherings by Godly and gifted men (primarily our pastors and elders)
• The ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper will be led by Godly men (our chairmen and pastors) assisted by others (both men and women)
• The services in our weekly corporate gatherings will include contributions of men and women: as they serve in practical ministry, as they bring prayers, readings, reports, songs and children’s talks
• The mid-week monthly gatherings of our men and women’s ministries will provide contexts for gifted men and women to develop their skills in leading and teaching the Bible to other men and women respectively

Complementarianism CANNOT mean:

• That men can thrive and develop their gifts in the church while women are restricted from exercising theirs in appropriate settings
• That women are unsuitable or ungifted to faithfully and helpfully teach the Bible in appropriate settings
• That men and women can mature and reach their full potential as God’s joint-image-bearers without cultivating healthy God-honouring relationships with members of the opposite gender in the spiritual family of the Christian church

Complementarianism, as we understand it, ALLOWS:

• The services in our weekly corporate gatherings will be led by Godly and able men
• The practical ministries of the church can be led by men and women, who are overseen by our elders
• The mid-week prayer meetings can be led by and contributed to by men and women
• The mid-week home groups can be led by men and women, using materials that have been prepared by/approved by the elders
• The specialist ministries for children and youth can be led by and taught by men and women
• The missionaries of the church can include both men and women (regardless of marital status) sent to do gospel ministry around the world

For more, see the Danvers Statement produced by the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, which mirrors our complementarian convictions: https://cbmw.org/uncategorized/the-danvers-statement/  (adopted as reflective of our position and practice by the elders in June 2019)