Women Leaders and Pastors at Netcast Church

As we continue to grow at such a fast rate, I am receiving more and more questions on our theological views on certain topics. Today I was asked about female leaders and pastors within Netcast Church. Below I have addressed our position on this.

There is perhaps no more hotly debated issue in the church today than the issue of women serving as pastors/preachers. As a result, it is very important to not see this issue as men versus women. There are women who believe women should not serve as pastors and that the Bible places restrictions on the ministry of women, and there are men who believe women can serve as preachers and that there are no restrictions on women in ministry. This is not an issue of chauvinism or discrimination. For Netcast, it is simply an issue of biblical interpretation.

Netcast will ALWAYS have females in leadership positions within the church, to not have that would be a horrible thing on many levels. First it does not forge the the unity and diversity that the scriptures demand. Second, the church would be missing incredible characteristics and qualities that women bring to the table that far exceed a mans ability to bring. Lastly, it shows a horrible de-valuing of the beauty of God's creativity in making us both male and female.

That said, we view the scriptures as teaching that the local church and governing body will be made up of male leaders who are responsible of the overseeing and shepherding of biblical direction, teaching and theology of the church. Let me further explain. Netcast is complementarian in our understanding of God’s revelation of role distinctions on the basis of gender. The position is deemed “complementarian” in that we affirm that man and women are granted roles and responsibilities which “complement” each other in the home and church. This position is to be distinguished from antifeminist chauvinism which asserts the unbiblical superiority of males. Contrary to chauvinism, complementarianism not only affirms but celebrates the essential equality of the sexes. Man and woman are equals in regards to worth, value, personhood, and dignity. But equality does not demand equal access to all positions and offices of the church.

God has ordained that men are to serve in positions of overseeing the authority of the spiritual teaching in the church. This is not because men are necessarily better teachers, or because women are inferior or less intelligent (which is not the case). It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership, in their lives and through their words. Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3-5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching, but rather who they are responsible to teach. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men. At Netcast we will permit a woman to teach men but only under the authority of a male elder board, which we believe provides the spiritual covering over that teaching. This does not make women less important, by any means, but rather gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with God’s plan and His gifting of them.