Our prayer for Exodus Church is that we would be a family of counter cultural men and women who are equipped and mobilized for ministry in the church of Jesus Christ. We believe that when both men and women are equipped and mobilized that the beauty of Jesus shines brightest for ministry.
In an earlier post, I explained from 1 Timothy 2 our position that the New Testament does not allow women to serve as elders in the local church. However, that doesn’t mean that women can’t serve important roles in the local church. Jesus valued women in his ministry (while never making one a disciple). Women were the first to witness the resurrection. The New Testament is very clear that women are able to participate in the ongoing mission of Jesus in the world.
Other than the office of elder, there are thousands of roles women can fulfill to serve Jesus in his global mission.
Here are a few of the examples from the New Testament…
- 2 Timothy – Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught him the Scriptures
- Titus 2 speaks of older women who are to teach younger women
- Acts 16 – Lydia was an instrumental part of the core tea
- Acts 18 – Priscilla and Aquilla discipled Apollos (and notice that Priscilla’s name comes first)
Our prayer at Exodus is that the women (and men) who call Exodus home would be equipped and mobilized to serve Jesus in the world. Rather than seeing women as a segment of our family to endure or avoid, our elders want to be men who equip the saints for the work of ministry — including the women in our church.
We have an awesome opportunity for our women to be equipped & mobilized for mission and ministry. The Women’s Retreat will be a special time for our ladies. Please make plans to be a part of this.
What a vision! An army of godly, countercultural women equipped and mobilized for God’s mission in the world.
May it be, Jesus. May it be…
For more on our view of women…
