Is there direct evidence to support a woman being called to a leadership position in the church?

SHOW ME THE DIRECT EVIDENCE

I’m going to introduce to you to the surprise direct evidence which supports the allegation that a woman could be called to a leadership position of the church. But before I do, I would like you to consider the following information. During the time immediately following Christ’s ascension, we can agree that there were apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers in the early church. As unbelievers became born-again, over time, some of them were called to these positions of leadership. Here’s my question for you to consider.



How were they recognized as being called to one of the leadership offices?

Let’s take a look at the office of pastor, which we discussed in great detail earlier in chapter 2. Here are some of the ways to recognize if a believer is called to this spiritual position.



The Holy Spirit calls and qualifies the pastor.

The word qualifies means the Holy Spirit works in the life of those who are called to this office and produces in him/her His qualities (e.g., love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance) so that over time His fruit along with the qualifications (e.g., blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, patient, not a brawler, not covetous, one that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity) for this leadership office and the unique spiritual skill ascribed to it (that being apt to teach) would be evidenced before the assembly of believers.Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1-4



The calling of a person to the office of pastor would be evidenced to the assembly by an authentic testimony.

This testimony would reveal that this person was full of the Holy Spirit (those whom the Holy Spirit directs; those who are spiritually minded) and wisdom (skilled in teaching). In the Book of Acts, we see the testimony of being full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (skill for practical affairs) evidenced regarding the choosing of the seven deacons for the Jerusalem Church. As these testimonies became consistently apparent to the assembly of believers and those in leadership, eventually, each of those who were to be considered for approval was identified, voted for by the assembly, and brought before the apostles for appointment.

I think we would both agree that this testimony could serve as direct evidence to the appointment of a believer to an office leadership gift. Do you agree with me on this analysis? With that said, I would like you to read the article that follows and consider whether it constitutes direct evidence with respect to a well-known pastoress of our day. Acts 6:3; 1 Timothy 3:2; Acts 14:23



JOYCE MEYER BIOGRAPHY

If you have ever watched [Enjoying Everyday Life, a Joyce Meyer Ministries program, you would have often wondered how can a victim of sexual and emotional abuse is able to talk so assuredly about God’s grace, His plans, and His love. Joyce Meyer is definitely “blessed.” [As a] charismatic Christian speaker and author, Meyer went through a great deal of turmoil in her early life but rose from them all to build one of the world’s largest Christian ministries in the world. Her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration in Jesus [Christ, and her program commits to redeem the words of Jesus Christ by helping people inculcate them in their lives]. She claims that it was God’s words that helped upturn her doomed life. She serves as a practical Bible teacher, sharing her experiences and testimony and her life-changing message from God. Lately, Meyer has earned wrath from the media for her excessively extravagant lifestyle. However, unscathed by the comments, she continues in her effort to help others redeem their [lives].



Childhood & Early Life

Joyce Meyer was born as Pauline Joyce Hutchison on June 4, [1943,] in St Louis. Young Joyce was taken care of by her mother initially, as her father served [in] the army during the Second World War.
After her father’s return from the army, Joyce was shattered, as he abused her not just sexually but mentally, [emotionally,] and verbally as well. He was a controlling person.
The exploitation left a deep imprint on [Joyce’s being] as she developed a derogatory sense of self. Though she looked perfect to onlookers, Joyce had become a victim of multiple personality disorder. She went to school but could not concentrate; neither was she allowed to participate in any after-school activities.
At a young age, Joyce was filled with a sense of self-pity. She was hardly manageable and developed a controlling, manipulative, insecure and harsh [behavior]. She experienced a feeling of guilt and [adopted negative] thinking that was powered by suspicion. [And even worse,] was that she never felt safe anywhere.
Despite being victim [of maltreatment, Joyce did not give up on her studies and completed her graduation from O’Fallon] Technical High School in St Louis.


Career

Following her graduation, Joyce went [into wedlock with a part-time car salesman,] but the marriage hit the rocks in just five years. She then married Dave Meyer in 1967. Meyer had an influential effect on Joyce, [who, with his support and encouragement,] calmed down a bit.
It was while driving to work in 1976 that she [claimed] to have received a personal message from God. The incident left a deep impact on her as she discovered a real love for God’s Words and inculcated an ability to understand and comprehend it completely.
After receiving the message from God, she became a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in St. Louis, a congregation of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. She got [started] at the ministry by taking up the chair of a teacher at a local cafeteria for an early-morning class.
She became an active participant of the Life Christian Center, a charismatic church in Fenton. Soon she was appointed as the church’s associate pastor. Her teachings of the Bible gained so much popularity that the church became one of the leading churches in the area.
Her popularity as the Bible teacher gained her much prominence and reputation. Adhering to the overwhelming demand, she commenced a daily [fifteen]-minute radio broadcast on St Louis radio station.
In 1985, she resigned as an associate pastor and founded her own ministry. It was earlier named, [Life in the Word] and was started on the Superstation WGN in Chicago and Black Entertainment Television (BET). She was offered to air her show on six different radio stations, spreading from Chicago to Kansas City.
In 1993, her husband, Dave Meyer, persuaded her to expand her network to television as well. Subsequently, a television ministry was started under the name, [Enjoying Everyday Life] which became a huge hit.
Operational till date, [Enjoying Everyday Life is broadcast in forty languages on nine hundred] TV and radio stations, potentially catering to more than 4.5 billion viewers across the globe. Headquartered in Missouri, it has a workforce of about [one thousand employees in its twelve] satellite offices.
Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics [focusing on mind, mood, mouth,] and attitude. What has made her show irresistible is the fact that she candidly communicates about her experiences and her learning and inspires viewers to learn from them and apply the same in their [lives]. Her practical approach to [the] Bible is quite unique and ground-breaking.
Over the years, she has authored nearly [one hundred books, which have been translated into more than one hundred languages and have catered to about twelve] million readers. The extensive demand [for] the books and super successful response from readers and critics has led her to become one of the New York Times bestselling authors.
In addition to hosting a television ministry and writing books, Joyce conducts several domestic and international conferences every year that motivate people to start enjoying their everyday [lives]. Her annual [women’s] conference has been quite a big hit, amassing more than 200,000 women from across the globe per year.
Joyce claims that [it’s through her teachings that she aims at meeting the needs of the suffering and encourage people reach out to the gospel] in a practical way. For the [same,] she commenced Hand of Hope, a foundation that serves as the mission arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. It runs several programs, providing food, medical [care,] and disaster relief supplies.
In 2000, she co-founded the St Louis Dream Center along with her husband. The Center aims at serving the inner city through [a hands-on program that is] targeted at treating the needy, [lost,] and hurt through the love of Christ.62
Wow, what a story! So, here are the remaining questions that need to be answered, which I’ll leave up to you to contemplate for yourself.

Does Joyce Meyer’s testimony indicate that the Holy Spirit was working in her life, producing in her soul His spiritual qualities of character and manifesting these not only by helping others, whether believers or unbelievers, but also in effectively addressing in her personal life the predatory sexual circumstances in her personal life due to her father’s abuse?

Does her testimony indicate that the qualifications and divine skill pertaining to the office of a pastor had been satisfied?

Does her testimony indicate that she was called of God to the office of a pastor?

With all that has been written, it’s now up to you as a spiritual juror to come to a conclusion.

I’ll ask you this question.

Are you convinced by this study that a woman can be called to a leadership position in the church?

If you want to share your answer with me along with the why you came to whatever conclusion, you can email me at rondolord.hotmail.com

I’ve so enjoyed writing about this topic and I hope you’ve had just as much enjoyment in reading about it.

God Bless!



Endnotes

62 “Joyce Meyer Biography. “THE FAMOUS PEOPLE,”

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