The Ministry of Women: Gender and Authority in the Church

Throughout the history of Christianity, the roles and responsibilities of women in ministry have been a hotly debated and highly controversial topic.Questions abound… Should women be ordained? Can women serve as elders, pastors, and teachers in the church? What about women “usurping” authority over men? What about Paul’s teaching that women should be silent in church and be submissive and obedient to male leadership, both at home and in ministry? If God calls, equips, and anoints men or women for any area of ministry, who are we to resist His will? After years of study and research on the matter, long-time pastor and Bible teacher Kevin Conner addresses these questions and more as he fully deals with the role, function, and place of women in church life. He lays out the case for women functioning together with men as partners in the body of Christ. He supports women whom God has gifted for prophetic, teaching, evangelistic, and shepherding roles. He challenges assumptions and encourages both men and women to fulfill the will of God in the redeemed community-the church-as it carries out His will in the earth.About the AuthorKevin J. Conner was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1927. Converted at the age of fourteen, he served the Lord in the Salvation Army until the ages of twenty-one, when he entered into pastoral ministry with a full gospel church. For the next twenty years his ministry involved teaching at conventions and Bible colleges in Australia and New Zealand. In 1972 he moved with his family to Portland, Oregon, where he served at Portland Bible College and Bible Temple until 1981. He now resides in Melbourne, where he is continuing his ministry of teaching and writing. His previous book with Whitaker House was The Ministry of Women.