The question of women in church leadership is a subject of intense debate in some Christian circles. At least two views are held by many sincere Christians. There are some who believe that when the New Testament was written it was entirely appropriate for the apostle Paul to put limits on the role of women in church, but that those limits were tied to the culture at that time. Today, in a culture that is more egalitarian between genders and in which women are expected to lead in business and politics, those restrictions are not as applicable and perhaps might be destructive. The opposing view cites passages in which the apostle Paul deliberately makes statements that transcend cultural boundaries. In certain passages, Paul expresses authoratitve and clear statements about the relative role of men and women because of their nature, citing transcendant concepts of gender and events from Genesis.
As with other similar topics that can be hotly contested and divisive, we provide a different and more liberating approach to that question. First, regarding the very important role of spiritual leadership, as is discussed in the article on authority and submission we do not use a formal man-made process for choosing who our spiritual leaders are. Those in our church who feel they meet the qualifications of spiritual leadership as stated in that article may feel free to exert themselves in fulfilling the roles of spiritual leadership. Likewise, the decision to pay special heed (i.e., "submit") to someone else's words and counsel lies solely within the heart of the individuals on the receiving end. Thus, the question of women in spiritual leadership is completely encompassed and put to rest by the principal behind our overall approach; that is: Spirit led authority. Each person should ask themselves, "Am I qualified to provide spiritual leadership?" and should also ask themselves, "Should I give special heed to the words this person is saying?"
Next, we address the question of the mechanical aspects of leadership. The overarching principle we employ is that in the Large Group, we strive to remove things that may be stumbling blocks to others while in the Small Group provide more freedom for individual choices. Thus, from a mechanical standpoint, anyone (man or woman), may start and lead a Small Group. That Small Group can choose to answer the question of women in the mechanical aspects of leadership, e.g., leading prayers, worship, and providing lessons, however they wish. Specifically, if the Small Group desires, women can even preach if the Small Group prefers preaching to group discussion. If the Small Group so chooses, women can lead prayers and lead worship, too. In the Large Group, we provide the counterbalance to the Small Group approach. In the Large Group, we require that women refrain from those types of actions. In the Large Group, men lead prayers and provide teaching. For those who feel that decision is too binding, we ask that they forebear; after all, it is only once per month.