Pastor: Gift, Office, Gendered? 8 Questions Explored

Her husband asked me incredulously, “Why are you in seminary? Do you plan to become a pastor?” He was questioning the validity of a female pastor. In his church tradition, only men served as pastors. A common assumption is that male seminarians will become pastors, though not because they have the gift of shepherding or have received a divine call to the church, but simply because they are male. 

Too often, a woman must legitimize and defend her leadership gifts and call to teach or preach. During a panel discussion about women in church leadership, a female seminary professor stated, “I prefer a man to be the tip of the spear.” Rather than making a scriptural argument, she expressed personal comfort with her church tradition of male pastors. Church traditions affect powerful persuasion, some good and some whose roots don’t trace back to the Scriptures.

1. Does a Traditional Argument for Limiting Women’s Leadership Exist?

For centuries, Catholics and Protestants have argued against allowing women to hold church leadership positions (or be ordained) because of “an inherent ontological incapacity.”1 Scholar William Witt explains, “Women were characterized as less intelligent, more sinful, more susceptible to temptation, emotionally unstable, incapable of exercising leadership.”2 The church fathers, Thomas Aquinas, Tertullian, Jerome, and many others, significantly influenced views on women by arguing that women were inferior to men. They, in effect, imported patriarchal cultural views about women into their biblical interpretations.3 I wrote about refuting this lie here.

In the mid-twentieth century, however, beliefs shifted. Witt explains, “The historic claims about women’s essential inferiority and intellectual incapacity for leadership simply disappeared. Instead all mainline churches—Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Anglican—recognized the essential equality between men and women, including fundamental intellectual and moral equality.”4 As a result, churches formed new theological positions. Some lifted their restrictions on the teaching and leadership of women.

In the Protestant world, evangelicals continue to limit the authority, teaching/preaching, and leadership of women, though there exists a range of limitations from church to church. Traditional Catholics continue to oppose women as priests; only males may administer the sacraments. However, as Witt documents, Catholics “do not object in principle to women exercising authority in the church or to women preaching or teaching.”5

Some say history shows a 2000-year tradition of limits on women in public ministry, and they would be wrong.

2. How is “pastor” used in the Bible? 

The Greek word poimēn is translated into English as “pastor” or “shepherd.” Shepherd is used throughout the scriptures as a metaphor for a caretaker of a flock. A metaphor that applies to females and males (as discussed soon). And, a flock represents God’s people. “Shepherd” is also used in the literal sense for one who tends a flock, including female shepherds like Rachel (Gen 29:9), Zipporah and her sisters (Ex 2:16–21), and the Shulamite woman (Song of Songs 1:5–8). Did you know the Scriptures include female shepherds?

God is described as the shepherd (ra’ah in Hebrew) of Israel: “He gathers up the lambs with his arm; he carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along” (Isaiah 40:11; Ps 23). 

Jesus names himself a poimēn—shepherd of the nations who will separate his sheep from the goats (Matt 25:32). The “good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11; Heb 13:20). Jesus expresses compassion for sheep who lack a shepherd’s care (Matt 9:36; Mark 6:34). He calls himself as “Teacher” (John 13:13). Peter describes Jesus as the “Chief Shepherd” (archpoimēn). Indeed, Jesus is the model shepherd.

The apostle Paul uses poimēn in one of his spiritual gifts lists, gifts given “for equipping of the saints,” in the phrase “pastors and teachers” (Eph 4:11). Thereby, linking the function of shepherding the body with teaching truth.

3. Who are the named pastors in the Bible? 

Neither Pastor Josiah, Pastor Johanna, nor Pastor (fill in the blank) surfaces in my Bible. According to the Scriptures, not one person is described as a “pastor” in the early church. The early church functioned through house churches. Its structure was fluid and developing. Only later in church history, during the Protestant Reformation, did “pastor” replace “priest” as an identifying term for a church leader. 

4. Is “pastor” an office or a gift? 

The Holy Spirit disperses spiritual gifts. Every Christ-follower receives one or more gifts. Spiritual gifts are not gendered or qualified by humans. Some theological traditions consider “pastor” and “elder” interchangeable terms and view them as church offices, rather than spiritual gifts. The Bible provides character qualifications for the office of elder which apply to “anyone (tis) aspiring to the office of overseer (elder)” (1 Tim 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9).

Harold Hoehner, a former New Testament Chair at Dallas Theological Seminary (and now with the Lord), wrote, “Inexplicably, it is common to confuse gift and office, although they are clearly delineated in the NT.”6 He asserts, “Eldership is an office, whereas pastor-teacher is a gift.”7 Hoehner adds, “There would be no problem in ordaining women who have the gift of pastor-teacher for a particular service or ministry, because neither are an office.”8

5. How does Paul describe church leaders? 

Paul describes his fellow ministers as co-workers (synergos), brothers or sisters, and ministers (diakonos). Likewise, he characterizes his female and male co-workers’ actions: “to work hard,” “to lay one’s life down,” “to serve,” and “to wash the feet of the saints.” These ministers of the faith include Timothy, Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila, Junia and Andronicus, Apphia, Euodia, Syntyche, Silas, Phoebe, Mark, Luke, and others.9 

At times, Paul used multiple descriptions for one person. In Romans 16:1–2, for example, he commends Phoebe and describes her as a sister, a deacon (diakonos) of the church of Cenchrea, and a patron (prostatis) to him and many others. In Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church, Nijay Gupta writes, “Paul talked about them [his co-workers] as ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ ministry leaders, carrying out the hard work of the gospel mission.”10

6. Do we see women functioning as shepherds and teachers in the Scriptures?

We learn the answer to this question within Paul’s descriptions of his female co-workers:

Priscilla, a “co-worker in Christ Jesus,” planted and led house churches with Aquila, her husband, in Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. They taught Apollos the “way of God to him more accurately.” Like good shepherds, they risked their lives for Paul. (Rom 16:3-5; Acts 18:19, 24–28).

Euodia and Syntyche, church leaders in Philippi, “contended at my [Paul’s] side in the cause of the gospel along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers” (Phil 4:2–3).

Junia is commended by Paul for having “been in prison with me” and as “an outstanding apostle” (Rom 16:7).

[Chrysostom, a church father, commended Junia for her role as “a woman apostle!”]

The daughters of Philip—“Four unmarried daughters who prophesied” (Acts 21:8–9). Prophets spoke “about the great deeds God has done” (Acts 2:11, 17–18). Paul described prophecy as providing instruction and encouragement (1 Cor 14:31) for building up God’s people (vv. 3–4).

Women who led house churches: Lydia (Acts 16:13–15, 40); Chloe (1 Cor 1:11); the Chosen Lady (2 John); Priscilla (see above).

In addition, the Gospel writers acknowledged and praised women for exercising influence that built up the body of Christ. Here are two examples,

Photini, the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at Jacob’s well, learned he was the Messiah, and evangelized her village (John 4:5–39). Jesus praised her to his disciples, “Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life” (v 36).

Tabitha, a “disciple” (mathētria), was so beloved in her community that they sent for Peter when she died, and he raised her from the dead. The Scriptures tell us “her good works,” including ministering to the poor and caring for widows (Acts 9:36–43).

7. What are the theological views on women as pastors?

The most conservative complementarians argue that women weren’t given the titles of pastor, elder, or teacher in the early church to support their belief in male-only church leadership. As stated in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: “We are persuaded that the Bible teaches that only men should be pastors and elders… It is unbiblical, we believe, and therefore detrimental, for women to assume this role.”11 Some complementarians affirm women in a pastoral role for children, women, and worship, but restrict women from serving as a “preaching pastor” or senior/lead pastor.

Southern Baptists (the denomination I grew up in) have at various points in their history affirmed women as pastors, though the majority have not supported women as senior/lead pastors. At the June 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) conference, elected messengers voted on the Law Amendment, an amendment that would “add new language to Article 3 of the SBC Constitution, defining cooperating churches as those that affirm, appoint, or employ only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” Approximately two decades previously, the SBC constitution was changed to state that the function of a pastor is an office “limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”12 Those in support of the Law Amendment wanted more explicit language, but their amendment has failed twice (in 2024 and 2025).

Egalitarians reject limitations on women’s gifts, abilities, and callings based on sex alone. Cynthia Westfall states, “The New Testament describes certain women with exactly the same terms that it describes men who are called to leadership in the churches.” Westfall views Paul’s model for leadership as “service-based and collaborative.”13 

Marg Mowczko, an esteemed scholar and egalitarian, notes, “In his general instructions about ministry, Paul never says that the ministry of teach/teaching, or of pastor, is off-limits to women. See Romans 12:6–8, 1 Corinthians 12:28, and Ephesians 4:11.”14

 Andrew Bartlett highlights the weaknesses and strengths of the complementarian and egalitarian views in his book Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Light from the Biblical Texts. He asserts, “Women participate in the life of the Spirit as much as men… There is no statement in the New Testament that spiritual gifts for leadership are given only to men.”15

8. What is a pastor? 

A pastor, female or male, is a person set aside for a holy calling. They serve as a fitness trainer of body and soul, combining their passion for God and their calling to strengthen and train up the body of Christ (Eph 4:11; 2 Tim 2:2). Pastors are shepherds, called to model the Good Shepherd, providing spiritual nourishment and care for their flock (John 10:11). They are gifted to teach truth, required to rebuke what is false, unjust, or evil, and to lead under the Holy Spirit’s guidance (John 14:26; 16:13). In summary, a pastor humbly aims to equip people, individually and corporately, to know God, to grow in Christlike maturity, to make disciples, and to serve others with their Spirit-given gifts. 

5 Key Takeaways:

• Pastor is a spiritual gift, not an office.

• The Holy Spirit sovereignly bestows the gift of pastor-teacher to both sexes.

• Women have shepherded people and taught God’s truth since the era of the early church.

• Church leadership teams that include women model the complementary nature of men and women.

• Recognizing, affirming, and making space for women with the pastor-teacher gift and calling is biblical. 

Would you like to learn more about the spectrum of views on women in public ministry? Join the waitlist for Dr. Hester’s online course, Theology of Women Academy. In this course, you’ll learn the spectrum of biblical, historical, and theological beliefs and related arguments on women and gain clarity and an informed foundation to develop your views on women in the church and home.

Footnotes

1.  Ontological inferiority means inferiority in nature or being. William Witt, Icons of Christ: A Biblical and Systematic Theology for Women’s Ordination (Baylor University Press, 2020), 29.

2. Witt, Icons of Christ, 29.

3. Judy Wu Dominick, “How Some of the Early Church Fathers’ Views on Women Affect us Today,” lifeconsidered.com, February 12, 2020.

4. Witt, Icons of Christ, 29.

5. Witt, Icons of Christ, 7.

6. Hoehner, Harold W. “Can a Woman Be a Pastor-Teacher?” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 50/4 (December 2007): 766.

7. Hoehner, “Can a Woman?” 763.

8. Hoehner, “Can a Woman?” 768.

9. Mowczko, Marg, “There are Women Pastors in the New Testament,” May 9, 2021. https://margmowczko.com/women-pastors-in-the-new-testament/

10. Gupta, Nijay K., Tell Her Story, (Intervarsity Press, 2023), 107.

11. Piper, John, and Wayne Grudem, eds., Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, 60.

12. Wingfield, Mark, “Here’s What Didn’t Happen at This Year’s SBC Meeting,” June 11, 2025, https://baptistnews.com/article/heres-what-didnt-happen-at-this-years-sbc-meeting/

13. Westfall, Cynthia, “What’s In a Name… or a Title? Women’s Leadership and Ministry in the Pauline Churches,” CBE Conference, Aurora, CO, 2024.

14. Mowczko, “There are Women Pastors.”

15. Bartlett, Andrew, Men and Women in Christ, (I