Can Women Be Preachers?

Yes. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament reveals to us the Lord uses women to preach.

Exodus 15:20: “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.”

Judges 4:4: “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.”

II Kings 22:14: “So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.”

Nehemiah 6:14: “My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.”

Luke 2:36: “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;”

Acts 2:16-18

16 “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;”

17 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:”

18 “And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:”

Acts 21:8-9

8 “And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.”

9 “And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.”

The Lord places us in the church where He chooses.

I Corinthians 12:18: “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”

When the Lord speaks to the church or any group of men and women, He usually speaks to the male gender. However, what He says applies to both the males and females.

Two misunderstood scriptures:

I Timothy 2:11-12

11 “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.”

12 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”

I Corinthians 14:33-35

33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

34 “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.”

35 “And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

In I Corinthians 14:33-35 the subject is confusion.

Some of the Christian Churches were having a problem with women talking when they were not supposed to.

I Corinthians 14:26, “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”

I Corinthians 14:30

30 “If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.,”

31 “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.”

33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

Study I Corinthians 14.

The key to understanding these scriptures is the word ‘silence’ and it is in both scriptures. In these instances, ‘silence’ means to refrain from unnecessary chatting, unproductive, or assertive speaking when they were being taught. The word ‘silent’ means forbidden to speak and this is not the word used. The women could speak in an acceptable manner at an appropriate time.

The women were also probably in charge of the children, and this could cause them to miss all or parts of some services. Should the wife not understand or miss some part of a service, her husband could teach her at home.