What Does the Bible Say About Women Pastors?
1) Direct answer
No. The Bible does not authorize women to be pastors or to teach and exercise authority over men in the church.
2) Scriptural explanation
- 1 Timothy 2:11-14: “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man...” Paul grounds this in creation and the fall, not in culture.
- 1 Corinthians 14:34-35: “Let your women keep silence in the churches… for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” That speaks to public authoritative teaching in the assembly.
- 1 Corinthians 11:3: “The head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” God set an order.
- 1 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 1:5-6: The overseer/elder must be “the husband of one wife,” ruling his own house well. The office is given in male terms and tied to male headship.
- Titus 2:3-5: Older women are commanded to teach the younger women—what to teach and to whom is clearly defined.
- Acts 2:17; Acts 21:9; 1 Corinthians 11:5: Women can pray and prophesy under proper order (with a covering), but that is not the same as holding pastoral authority.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- God’s order is Christ over the man, and the man over the woman. That is not about value; it is about the roles God set.
- The New Testament gives explicit qualifications for pastors/elders. If God intended women to pastor, Scripture would say so. Instead, it repeatedly restricts teaching authority over men.
- Examples sometimes raised—like Deborah or Huldah—show that God can use women mightily, but those were not New Testament church offices. The church’s government is laid out plainly in the pastoral epistles.
- Phoebe was a servant (Romans 16:1). Service is honored, but that text does not place her in the overseer role.
- If women pastors were approved, Scripture would not forbid women to teach or to have authority over the man in the church. The Bible does not contradict itself.
4) Reinforcing statement
Now notice, this does not silence a woman’s ministry in its God-given place. Women can:
- Pray, prophesy, testify, sing, and serve.
- Teach children and younger women.
- Labor in many helps and ministries.
But the pastoral/elder office and the authoritative teaching of men in the assembly are reserved to qualified men, as the Bible says.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Does God ever change His mind about His Word?
65-0418E §78
.... I have myself, and I know it's the truth. I know it's true, but that's not the sign that you're God's selected child, see. No, indeedy. He said, "Many will come to me and say, 'Lord, haven't I prophesied and done all these great things in your name?' " He'll say, "Depart from me, you that work iniquity, I never knew you." You speak with tongues and then refuse to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ? Something wrong somewhere. Yes, indeed. Any of those things, any of those orders God give. There's something wr...
Remembering the Lord
63-0122 §60
...ight run with patience the race that's set before him ---looking to the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ. Yeah, remembering Him, as we lay aside every weight. Women letting their hair grow; men quit being Ricky, and come on into church and do what's right. And all this other kind of stuff, and pastors with deacons on their board married three or four times, and all these things---compromising, because they pay heavy on the plate and all. Have to knuck down to some organization because they tell you th...
Why are we not a denomination?
58-0927 §110
Now notice this now, that these women preachers, when they come in, they thought to take the authority; but it's absolutely not permitted by God to do so. And let ... just while we're right on this subject here, this women, see, in it. Now, it said, "If there be any man among you, who's spiritual, or a prophet, let him acknowledge that what I write is the commandments of the Lord. But if he's ignorant, just let him be ignorant." And that's why this tabernacle does not stand and ordain women preachers, women deacons...
The unfailing realities of the living God
60-0626 §56
..., that a woman couldn't even come into the second or third court, let alone in the pulpit. They had special police in the temple to keep the Gentiles outside there, and the women next, and then come the Levites, and then to the holiest of holies. They couldn't even come to the second courts. That's exactly right. And today we've made women our idols. Too many of our leaders let pretty women and things like that in--induce them, let beauty of the--the spiritual woman, the church...
Hear ye Him
57-0807 §18
It used to be wrong for Holiness people, and Methodists, and the people that tried to live right, the women to wear manicure, or ever what you call the stuff you put on your face. (I know that's the wrong word, but I can't never think of it.) Anyhow, it used to be wrong, but now you can't tell one from the other. It used to be wrong for the Christian women to bob their hair. Something went wrong somewhere. The Bible says it's wrong. Now, either you've got out of the harness, or your pastor got out of the will of Go...