THE TOP FIVE QUESTIONS I GET ABOUT WOMEN ELDERS

In March, we released a free resource called “Women in Leadership: A Biblical Vision of Kingdom Partnership” on Rockharbor’s website to guide our elders’ 2024 discernment process, which led to welcoming women as elders (they had already been serving as pastors, preachers, and leaders in many ways). On that page, you’ll find the free ebook, an hour-long presentation with slides, a 15-minute announcement video, and an hour-long podcast with Dr. Lynn Cohick on the why, how, and what of Rockharbor’s process. When we commissioned our first female elders in November 2025, we posted a clip of that historic moment there as well. This whole journey has been full of joyful, holy moments and, for many women, has begun to bring healing after years of being silenced by the church. From time to time, people in our church still reach out with questions. Many of these are already addressed in the ebook and the conversation with Dr. Cohick, but these videos are meant to offer a few succinct responses, knowing there is always more to be said. The top five questions we get are: 1. “There are no women elders in the Bible.” 2. “But isn’t Paul super clear?” 3. “What about male headship?” 4. “Why did Jesus pick 12 male disciples?” 5. “Do you think men and women are the same or interchangeable?” There are ways for Jesus-following, Biblically-faithful Christians to arrive at different conclusions on this issue. To me, there Creedal issues (Level 1), Sacramental Issues (Level 2), Convictional Issues (Level 3), and Preferential Issues (Level 4). To me, this is a “Level 3” issue. So if you disagree with this position, please know that I respect you. This post is not meant to provide a forum for debate but rather fodder for your own prayer and study, so comments on this post are closed. If you are not part of Rockharbor, you can still access all the free resources at https://www.rockharbor.org/wil