Does She Have a Role in the Church? A Woman’s Perspective (Part 1 of 2)
A Woman’s Perspective by Rachel Lofton
Over the years, I have found that there are quit a few religious organizations that believe a woman cannot preach or teach within the congregation and they use one particular Bible verse to prove their doctrine.
“Let your women keep silence in the church: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.” 1 Corinthians 14:34
A few years ago, a woman from a specific denomination came into my home with a gentleman that she goes out and witness with and she became upset with the fact that I was speaking to the gentleman that she was with.
“You speak with so much authority, what are you?” she asked.
“I am many things, I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, a minister.” I replied.
“Yes, that is what I mean. Do you speak to the congregation?” she said. “Yes!” I exclaimed.
“Don’t you know what the Bible says about women speaking in the church?” she responded.
She went on to use the Bible verse previously stated and I immediately explained to her that she misunderstood the interpretation of that verse, this was an isolated incident. Paul was not speaking to every church, he was only speaking to the church of God at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2). The women there were causing confusion by speaking things that was contrary to the word of God. This is why Paul told them, “Let your women,” meaning the women within the church on Corinth, not every woman in every church.
It has never been a doctrine of God’s that a woman cannot preach or teach within the congregation. As a matter of fact, the Bible states that Deborah was a prophetess and a judge and that the children of Israel (Yisra’el) came up to her for judgment, Judges 4:4-5. The Bible also indicates in Deuteronomy 17:8-10 that if any problem shall arise that is too difficult to decide, it should be taken before the judge during that time and whatever judgment is made, the parties must abide by them. This means that at the time that Deborah was a judge, all of the children of Israel (Yisra’el), both men and women, had to accept and abide by the decision that she made, which included her husband.
Don’t get me wrong; she still had an obligation to be obedient to her husband within the household. I think that people have the tendency of getting the roles confused. Her duties as a judge and a prophetess were completely separate from her duties 
as a wife to her husband, as a woman of God, she knew how to differentiate between the two. As a judge, she understood the law of a woman being obedient to her husband and didn’t go against it.
Anna, who was a prophetess, had a testimony that she did not depart out of the temple (Luke 2:36-37), which is similar to Joshua, son of Nun (Exodus 33:11). Anna served the Lord, fasting and praying in the temple day and night.
These are just two examples within the Bible where a woman held an office in the church. God anointed women just as he anointed men to uphold his law within the church. When it comes to truth, the Bible says that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), which means, you can be man or woman, God will use you according to his anointing.
