The elder team has been asked by several within our church to clarify our views regarding the
eligibility of women as regular members of our teaching team. Within our church’s conference,
CMC, there are varying views regarding women teaching in church. CMC reserves ministerial
license and ordination for men and allows individual congregations to reserve other roles such
as teaching to men if they choose. When OCC was founded, we did not elect to do so, leaving
any discussion of women teaching out of our bylaws. This was consistent with our goal of
enabling all within our community to use their gifts to edify the church. We followed a similar
approach with many other issues of secondary importance, allowing believers with differing
views on a variety of topics to worship together in our community. Because the question of
who should stand up front and teach is an intrinsically practical one, adopting a stance of
openness regarding this issue has meant that women have frequently been a part of our
teaching teams since the beginning of our church.

It is not clear that the default posture in the setting of disagreement regarding this topic should
be the most restrictive one. The historical tradition of the church since at least the 3rd century
has been largely opposed to women teaching (see Augustine, for example), but that doesn’t
mean it has been correct in doing so. The reasoning of many of the early church fathers and
important figures in the Reformation was that women were not to teach because they were
mentally and spiritually inferior, a view that most proponents on either side of this topic in
American Evangelicalism now broadly denounce. If Scripture restricts the role of teaching to
men only, then we should follow its teaching. But if it does not and we do so out of deference
to tradition or personal preferences, we risk improperly elevating human tradition to the
detriment of both the church as a whole and the women among us with gifts of teaching.

The exegesis of relevant Scriptural passages is complex, often more so than proponents of
either side of the argument admit. Paul’s letters were addressed to congregations in a markedly
different cultural setting, and it is difficult to determine which of his remarks regarding women
teaching should be universally applied and which were only addressing a specific situation faced
by the recipients of his writings. Christians on either side of this debate use their judgement to
determine which texts fall in what category. For example, very few churches adapt a truly plain
reading of 1 Corinthians 14:34 that instructs “all women should be silent in the churches, for
they are not permitted to speak.” We assume instead that Paul’s command was either
addressing a specific problem in Corinth or that “be silent” meant something other than “make
no noise.” Otherwise, this command would seem to contradict Paul’s earlier instructions in 1
Corinthians 11 for how women should properly pray and prophesy, which are both typically
audible practices he seemed to expect they would be doing.

The central text to consider is 1 Timothy 2:11-12, where Paul says “let a woman learn quietly
with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to authentein a man; rather, she is
to remain quiet.” The meaning of the text hinges on appropriate translation of the Greek word
authentein in verse 12. This word is not used anywhere else in the Bible and is not the typical
word for “exercise authority over” as some translations render it. This word could instead mean
“domineer,” with a negative connotation that implies the activity Paul is referring to was not
merely instructing others but doing so in an inappropriately controlling manner (one that
neither male nor female should employ). If the second translation is more accurate, Paul’s
instruction would be far more likely to be addressing a specific local question, rather than
establishing a universal principle.

The position of many Christians who feel Scripture does not allow for women to teach is often
based on the pattern of male leadership seen in Scripture, consistency with the concept of male
headship within the home referenced in Ephesians 5 or Colossians 3, and a view that texts like
those mentioned above were not only addressing local situations in the first century but
providing timeless precedent for how teaching should occur in the church.

We cannot summarize all the important points noted by proponents of either side of the
argument. The translation and interpretation of the texts in question are controversial, and
godly men and women with much greater learning than us have arrived at different conclusions
when trying to answer the same questions. Since we believe that all Scripture is inspired by
God, it is essential that believers continually seek to ascertain its meaning, even when the
passages are unclear or seem to conflict.

Members of our elder team do not all share the same view of Scripture’s witness regarding this
question. Despite disagreement within the elder team, we feel the church policy should remain
as it is. We approach this question humbly, seeking to maintain community while allowing for
differing beliefs among us. We would like to clarify that a stance of openness towards women
joining the teaching team does not indicate a necessity for women to be on the teaching team.
The teaching team will continue to be formed by individuals with interest in teaching who are
thought to be good candidates by the elder team, without prioritizing men or women.

The elder team seeks to model appropriate discourse regarding this topic by submitting to one
another in Christ and choosing to love one another despite disagreement. We urge the
believers at OCC to do the same! We recognize, however, that sitting under female teaching
may be burdensome to the conscience of someone who feels strongly that Scripture does not
allow women to teach. If this is an issue that compels you to seek fellowship in another body of
believers, we would be saddened but applaud your dedication to Scripture’s authority. We love
the fellowship of believers found at OCC! May we continue following the command of Jesus to
love one another so that everyone will know that we are His disciples.