For centuries, the Church has had a complicated—let’s be honest, often problematic—relationship with women. While the Bible is filled with the names, stories and influence of women, church history is often a different story.
Too often, women have been told—explicitly or implicitly—that their role is to be seen and not heard. Their value lies in supporting rather than leading, following rather than speaking. And yet, when we look at Jesus, the one the Church is built around, we see a very different story. One in which women were central, not peripheral. So why, two thousand years later, are we still having this conversation?
If you grew up in certain Christian circles, you probably know the drill. Women serve in children’s ministry, hospitality or behind-the-scenes administrative roles. But preaching? Teaching? Holding significant authority? That’s where things get tricky.
The arguments vary, from interpretations of Paul’s letters to vague references to “biblical womanhood” (a term that somehow translates to quietly bearing the emotional, spiritual and practical burdens of a church without any of the power). And yet, for all the cultural baggage piled onto the subject, the Bible itself does not offer the kind of blanket silencing of women that so many have come to expect from the Church.
Jesus did the opposite. Unlike other ancient historical texts, Luke’s Gospel explicitly names and highlights women. Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, Joanna and Susanna weren’t passive background characters but active participants in the story of Christ.
Luke 8:1-3 even tells us that several women, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna, were financially supporting Jesus’ ministry. These weren’t just followers. They were funders. Investors in the movement. And Jesus’ interactions with women weren’t just symbolic—they were revolutionary.
In a culture where women were often seen as secondary, Jesus taught them (Mary of Bethany), spoke directly to them in public (the Samaritan woman at the well) and defended them against religious legalism (the woman caught in adultery). At every turn, Jesus affirmed their dignity, intelligence and capacity to be full participants in the Kingdom of God.
“What if patriarchy isn’t divinely ordained but is a result of human sin?” asks historian Beth Allison Barr in The Making of Biblical Womanhood. “Patriarchy exists in the Bible because the Bible was written in a patriarchal world. Historically speaking, there is nothing surprising about biblical stories and passages riddled with patriarchal attitudes and actions. What is surprising is how many biblical passages and stories undermine, rather than support, patriarchy.”
The early Church followed Jesus’ lead. Women weren’t just included—they were leading. Phoebe is described as a deacon (Romans 16:1). Junia is named as “outstanding among the apostles” (Romans 16:7). Priscilla, alongside her husband Aquila, taught Apollos, one of the early Church’s most influential leaders (Acts 18:26).
These women weren’t anomalies. They were part of a broader reality in which the movement of Jesus thrived because of the contributions of both men and women. Yet, somewhere along the way, the Church began to lose sight of this. As Christianity became institutionalized, shaped by patriarchal structures and influenced by cultural norms, women were gradually pushed to the margins. What was once a movement defined by radical inclusivity became, in many ways, just another system reinforcing male authority.
“I knew the problem wasn’t a lack of women leading in church history,” Barr writes. “The problem was simply that women’s leadership has been forgotten, because women’s stories throughout history have been covered up, neglected or retold to recast women as less significant than they really were.”
Kristin Kobes Du Mez adds that patriarchal authority has long been intertwined with evangelicalism’s understanding of power.
“As evangelicals began to mobilize as a partisan political force, they did so by rallying to defend family values. But family values politics was never about protecting the well-being of families generally. Fundamentally, evangelical ‘family values’ entailed the reassertion of patriarchal authority.”
The consequences of this historical sidelining are profound. When half the Church is told their voices don’t matter, the Church itself suffers. We lose the wisdom, leadership and spiritual insight that women bring. We reinforce toxic power structures that diminish both women and men. We tell young girls growing up in the Church that their contributions will always be secondary, their gifts always in service to someone else’s calling.
And let’s be clear—this isn’t just a “women’s issue.” When the Church suppresses women, it distorts the Gospel itself. It misrepresents Jesus. It communicates to the world that Christianity is about hierarchy rather than servanthood, exclusion rather than inclusion, control rather than love.
The damage isn’t just theoretical—it’s personal. It’s the woman who leaves the Church after years of being dismissed. It’s the young girl who stops dreaming about being a pastor because no one she knows has ever seen a woman in the pulpit. It’s the congregation that misses out on the powerful preaching of a woman who was told to “stick to women’s ministry.”
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing Christians that oppression is godly,” Barr writes. “Their God ordained some people, simply because of their sex or skin color (or both), as belonging under the power of other people.”
“Like racism, patriarchy is a shapeshifter—conforming to each new era, looking as if it has always belonged,” she continues. “Patriarchy walks with structural racism and systemic oppression, and it has done so consistently throughout history.”
The Church is meant to be a reflection of God’s Kingdom—a place where all people, regardless of gender, are fully seen, valued and empowered. If we truly believe in Jesus, then we should follow His example. And that means listening to women. Elevating women. Championing women. Not just in theory, but in practice.
Because Jesus never silenced women. So why should we?
