Yes, I'm a Chick Preacher and God Approves of This Message
I’m going to get up on a bit of a
soapbox this morning. While this isn’t a
topic I address much I just felt the need to here for this blog. The issue I want to discuss is women in
ministry. I can’t tell you everyone’s
journey, but I can tell you mine.
God called me into ministry through
a divine encounter when I was in the 6th grade. Many have heard me retell this story over and
over again. The idea of ever facing
issues about it due to gender never occurred to me. However, it didn’t take too long for the
opposition begin to pour in. I have been
told by a particular denominational group that I couldn’t have a call of God on
my life because I was a woman. I have
been told the same by another church who is so religious about the subject that
won’t even let women teach boys past the 2nd grade. I have sat and looked at the scriptures
regarding the subject countless times, prayed, and discussed this topic with
many.
When I entered the ministry I
suppose that I had a naïve thinking that I wouldn’t have to deal with this
discussion any more, but in truth I do on a semi-daily basis. We get emails to the ministry regularly
looking for a Mr. Anna. I have found in
many circles the idea of a woman preaching tends to be okay anymore as long as
both spouses are in ministry too. People
assume my husband is the one who preaches all the time, and I’m just the
sidekick. Most people just don’t get it
when I try to explain to them that my husband is in ministry, but he is
anointed for business and if you call us to preach I am what you get. I have found still even in various
charismatic circles that preachers tend to be an ‘old boys club’. That’s cool
with me, I’ve always been in circles where I’m one woman in a group of men, God
prepared me for this. There is a book
chain that will not carry my last book because of a couple reasons, but mainly
I’m a chick preacher.
Many people assume this makes me some
kind of woman’s-lib-sign carrying-bra burning-protester. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I 100% believe in having a Biblical
covering. My husband and I are a team,
and while I’m the more public of the two, I am well aware who the head of my
household is. I practice and believe in
Ephesians 5:22. I am under coving by a
pastor too.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is the
scripture that is so miss quoted, and used when arguing this topic. I’ve had in shoved in my face often in
a not so loving way. In this scripture
Paul is telling the women to be quite in church. HOWEVER, what people don’t realize when they
miss quote this scripture is Paul is not telling woman they can’t preach. These women were going into the churches and
heckling their husbands when they were trying to preaching. Telling them to be quiet was about order in
the church. You can’t take a couple of
scriptures and make a dogmatic rule about it.
You have to look at the whole. The
Bible is full of a lot of woman in ministry: Deborah, Aquila, Priscilla, Mary, Miriam,
oh and Anna (grin).
I find this argument and sexism in
the church so beyond sad. It’s just
another way the enemy keeps the churches divided. It’s another way that it’s keeping Godly
anointed women from pulpits, and frustrating the call on many of their
lives. As much as I get frustrated at
times I think of Godly woman like Joyce Meyer and Kathryn Kuhlman and thank the
Lord there are many women in ministry that have paved the way in some respects
for me as well. I hope that I can do the
same for the next generation. May my
daughters not have to endure some of the things I have in the name of the
gospel. May I break the ‘glass ceiling’
so to speak so that they can go further.
To quote myself here, “Never underestimate the power of God, especially
when it’s being preached by a woman in snazzy heels.”
No matter your age, gender, and race
may you realize that God does have awesome plans for your life. There might be an order of things, but no one
in the body of Christ is any better than the other. We all have a job to do, and we will be
accountable for that job.
Remember God has awesome plans for
your life. Get excited.
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