| ## Women's Ministry

In relation to women's ministry, our doctrinal statement sets forth:

### Women and Ministry

"We believe that in the body of Christ men and women stand spiritually equal and constitute the Church universal. We believe women have had and always will have their God-given gifts and roles within this body. Accordingly, as the primary role of believing men is to be husbands and fathers, so the primary role of women is to be wives and mothers. But modern secular feminism has destroyed the importance of these positions and blurred the differences between men and women. We encourage women to have personal ministries. But the Scriptures are clear that male leadership is called to the local church positions of deacon, elder, and pastor-teacher. No amount of debate can water down what the Bible says about the individual and distinct callings of both sexes, in regard to gifts and positions. We equally encourage women to pursue diplomas but the role of pastor-teacher is Biblically reserved for men."

### Materials Published by Women

It is our intention to honor the scriptural mandate that a women is not to teach or have authority over a man (1Ti. 2:12). We understand this restriction to prohibit situations where a woman is teaching, whether in a public or private setting, in a position of authority over adult male students.

We do not construe this passage as prohibiting the educational ministry of women to men in all situations, such as when teaching under the authority of men or producing materials available for voluntary study outside of a classroom setting. When reading materials published by women, a man is not subjecting himself to the authority of the woman.