Date

7-2021

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

David B. Roberts

Keywords

Women, Pastor, Elder, Leadership, egalitarian, complementarian

Disciplines

Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

There is considerable debate in our society today, articles are written, and books are authored, all on the subject of a woman's role in ministry. With this topic being approached from multiple angles, the most straightforward approach is often ignored, overlooked, or marginalized. It will be argued that the Bible, interpreted according to the grammatical, historical method of interpretation using normal grammatical word usage, does not allow a woman to be appointed to or to occupy the role/office of an elder/pastor. In this paper, an examination of the Trinitarian model will be explored in terms of its roles and the authority-submission structure. Then that model will be traced through the Imago Dei, showing that man was created under that schema. God created both the family and the model upon which it is built. This model has foundational roots within the relational nature of the Trinity. Especially as it pertains to the respective member's role and hierarchy, using the same model, it is then applied to the church's foundational organization to assess its biblical applicability. If so confirmed, it would thereby establish a hierarchical nature of Christ's church. Against this model, it will provide the necessary backdrop from which our thesis can be evaluated biblically. The research survey revealed a type of slow, glacial movement that is starting to infiltrate the congregational thinking of Atlantic Shores Baptist Church. As a result, a class was devised and planned to be taught to the life group leaders who would, then, lead their groups through the material. This is the planned approach to address the survey results for Atlantic Shores Baptist Church.

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