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As we continue on our journey, we will update this page with our confident conclusions and those conclusions we are not yet sure of. 


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Where we have a good deal of confidence that the passages we have looked at speak to the topic of gender and leadership. 

Genesis 1-2 (Humankind at Creation)

  • Men and women are both made in the image of God. (cf. Gen 1:27)
  • God purposefully created men and women (cf. Gen 1:26,27; 2:7, 22), giving them distinct roles (cf. Gen 2:15, 18) within a common mission (cf. Gen 1:28).
    • Update: See note on 1 Cor for how we see this picture continued in the NT Church
  • The term helper (cf. Gen 2:18) does not infer that the woman is lesser (helper (Heb: ฤ“zer) is used most often in regards to God Himself (cf. Ex 18:4; Deut 33:29; Ps 70:5)). 
  • The created order, as described above, is deemed very good by God (cf. Gen 1:31)

Genesis 3 (Examining the Effects of the Fall)

1. The consequences of the man and woman's disobedience are severe and far-reaching:
  • There is a relational separation between God and the man/woman where there wasn't before (cf. Gen 3:8-10, 12, 22-24)* 
  • The man (with the woman) is expelled from the garden and the tree of life to work the ground (cf. Gen 3:22, 23) 
  • Childbearing will be a painful effort with intensified labour pains (Gen 3:16) 
  • The ground is cursed, meaning food will be reaped from it through painful labour (Gen 3:17-19) 
  • Where there was harmony in the (as yet not necessarily specific) roles in the mission God gave them and in the relationship of the man and the woman, there is now conflict (cf. Gen 3:12, 16) 

The Gospels (Searching for Patterns in the Gospels)

1. Jesus models and sets the standard for leadership as seen in His:
2. Jesus is Lord, and all leadership falls under this Lordship (Mt 28:18; Lk 1:32; Jn 13:3; 14:6)

3. Women are included and embraced as Christ's disciples (Lk 8:1-3, 21; 10:8-42), invited into worship (Lk 21:1-4; Jn 4:21, 12:1-8) participants in salvation (Lk 8:21; 11:10; 17:5; Jn 3:18-21; 6:40, 51) and the advance of the kingdom (Lk 1:26-33; 8:1-3; Jn 4:39; 20:17). 

1 Corinthians 7, 11 & 14 (Marriage, Headcoverings & Worship)

  1. Orderly worship is a reflection of our God of order. (cf. 1 Cor 14:33, 40)
  2. Women could - were even expected - to participate in prayer + prophecy alongside men in accordance with orderly worship. (cf. 1 Cor 11:4,5; 14:39-40)
  3. Men should be men and women should women, as per God's created order, in such a way that edifies the church. (cf. 1 Cor 11:2-16)
  4. In God's plan for His Church, we see continuity with the male/female interdependence, mutuality, and equal value with distinction God initiated in Genesis 1 & 2. (cf. 1 Cor 7:2-7, 10-11; 11:3; 14:5)

 1 Timothy 2 (Instructions to Men and Women)

  1. God cares more about the internal adornment of men and women than the external. Internal adornment flows outward in worship and good works. (cf. 1 Tim 2:8-10)
  2. Women should learn well (namely with a teachable spirit). An implication of this is that women should indeed be taught matters of the faith. (cf. 1 Tim 2:11)
  3. Paul does not allow some form of teaching/authority over men by [some, all, one] wom[en/an] in the church of Ephesus. (cf. 1 Tim 2:12)
  4. Paul anchors his instruction that women are not "to teach or to have authority over a man" (v. 12) in Genesis 1-3. (cf. 1 Tim 2:13-15)

 Acts 18, Romans 16, Others (Examples of Female Leadership in the New Testament)

  • Women were [recognized/esteemed/commended], often with leadership terminology, for the numerous ways they demonstrated their faith and devotion to God in service. Often, this recognition is interspersed with praise of men for the same things. (Cf. Rom 16:1-16; Phi 4:2-3; Col 4:15; 2 Tim 1:5)
  • Women and men were both essential to work in partnership and colabourers for the mission of God. (Cf. Rom 16:3, 6, 7, 12; Phi 4:2-3)
  • Women continue to be some of the "firsts" in the early church (i.e., first believers in an area, for to see the resurrected Lord, etc.) and there is an evident pattern of them then being commissioned to action and the women responding in obedience. (cf. Acts 16:14; 18:18; Rom 16:7)
  • There were prophetesses in the early church. (cf. Acts 21:8-9)

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Ideas which are not yet conclusive, but are noted because they might be inferred/implied in the passages we have studied. We will continue to look back at these as we work through other passages.

Genesis 1-2 (Humankind at Creation)

  • Having been both made in the image of God, there is inherent equality in dignity, value, and worth between men and women. (cf. Gen 1:27)
  • Though there are distinct roles given to the man and to the woman, it is not clear what those distinctions are (i.e., in what way is the woman a helper (cf. Gen 2:18) to the man).

Genesis 3 (Examining the Effects of the Fall)

  1. Since power differential (may?) be a result of the Fall (cf. Gen 3:16), does the cross nullify this?
  2. What (if any) significance is there to the fact that the command to not eat the fruit was first given to the man? (cf. Gen 3:16-17)
  3. What (if any) significance is there to the fact that it was the man who named the woman (not God nor the woman who named the man)? (cf. Gen 3:20)
  4. What (if any) significance is there to: the order of creation in Gen 2:7, 22 (the man then the woman); questioning in Gen 3:9-13 (the man then the woman); or the curses in Gen 3:14-19 (the serpent, the woman, and then the man)?
  5. Who let the serpent in?
  6. When Eve ate, was it a source of folly or disobedience?

The Gospels (Searching for Patterns in the Gospels)

  1. Are there lingering/lasting implications that the original 12 disciples chosen by Jesus to lead His Church were all men? (Jn 6:70; 15:16)
  2. Are there lingering/lasting implications that the first to recognize Jesus as the risen Lord and proclaim this news to others were women? (Lk 24:1-12; Jn 20:11-18)

1 Corinthians 7, 11 & 14 (Marriage, Headcoverings & Worship)

  1. What type of speaking is prohibited (cf. 1 Cor 14:34), and what are the grounds for this prohibition?
  2. Which, if any, standards (e.g. hair length) are culturally conditioned? (cf. 1 Cor 11:13-16) To what extent might we apply, adapt, or ignore these standards in our modern context?  
  3. In what way is man the head of the woman? (cf. 1 Cor 11:3) [note: this was contributed by a group member as a question following the meeting]

 1 Timothy 2 (Instructions to Men and Women)

Regarding 1 Tim 2:11, "A woman is to learn quietly with full submission."
  • Who or what are women to submit to in 1 Tim 2:11? (Church? God? Scripture? Elders/teachers? Men? Others? All?) 
  • What does quietness (1 Tim 2:11) mean? (Complete silence? Submitting?)
Regarding 1 Tim 2:12, "I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet."
  • When Paul says "I do not allow," is he offering his opinion/suggestion, or is this an instruction he expects compliance with as an apostle of Christ? (cf. 1 Tim 2:12) 
  • Understanding that Paul's instruction for women not teach or have authority over men (cf. 1 Tim 2:12) applies, at minimum, to the church in Ephesus:
  • Is this instruction also expected for all churches of that time? (cf. 1 Tim 3:15)
  • Is this instruction also expected for all churches of all time? (cf. 1 Tim 2:13-15; 3:15)
  • What does authority mean or imply? (cf. 1 Tim 2:12)
  • Are authority and teaching separate or linked? (cf. 1 Tim 2:12)
  • How does this verse connect to passages like 1 Cor 11:4,5; 14:39-40; and various examples of women in the New Testament with prominent roles in the church?
Regarding 1 Tim 2:13-15, "For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense."
  • In what way do Genesis 1-3 support Paul's instructions regarding women's teaching and authority over men?

 Acts 18, Romans 16, Others (Examples of Female Leadership in the New Testament)

  • How does our understanding of 1 Tim 2:12 connect with the evidence of the ministry of women in the NT, particularly with Priscilla's instructing Apollos with her husband? (Cf. Act 18:26)
  • How does our understanding of 1 Cor 11:4,5 and 14:34 connect with the evidence of the ministry of women in the NT, particularly with the example of Philip's daughters? (Cf. Acts 21:8-9)
  • If Paul is describing Phoebe as filling the office of deacon in the church of Cenchreae, what does that role entail? (Cf. Rom 16:1)
  • If Paul is describing Junia as "outstanding among the apostles," (NIV) does this imply she is an apostle? What does that mean? What would her role have been? What implications might there be for that today?