Role of Women in Church

The evolution of the role of women in the church mirrors their roles in society. During the Greek-Roman and Jewish culture, when the gospel was being formulated, women were viewed and treated the way possessions were. The gospel portrays Jesus trying to reach across the traditional norm to reach out to women. Jewish rabbis objected to women learning the Torah, and Jesus made women a cornerstone in his ministry. There are various women in the department, such as Mary Magdalene and the Samaritan woman, who show that Jesus did not hold the traditional belief that women were unable to comprehend spirituality. Jewish men had minimal contact with women, but Jesus allowed women to touch him, and he touched them. A group of women usually accompanied him in his ministry.  

Paul established that women and men were equal members of the church, and they formed the body of Acts equally. In the epistles, women are expected to follow the principle of equality and submission side by side. Women and men in the epistles hold different responsibilities and roles in the ministry and within the family unit. In the early church, women held various duties such as educationalists, missionaries, and caregivers, but they were generally excluded from clerical and leadership positions in the church. The rise of Protestantism led to a few churches giving women a few leadership roles. This is explained by the fact that Christianity emerged in a patriarchal society where men occupied authority positions, and women were seen as the nurturers. In modern times, churches have evolved to allow women to lead and have equal standing with men. A lot of Protestants churches ordain women now, and some branches of the Catholic Church have women as reverends. More still needs to be done to encourage women into leadership positions in today’s church (Kroeger, 2008) . 

Reference  

Kroeger, C. (2008). The Neglected History of Women in the Early Church. Christian History Institute .