I began planting churches with Calvary Chapel, first in New York City and then in Kansas. I’m grateful for those years, and I know how much a church can mean to the people who call it home. It may be where you first heard the gospel, where you learned to read the Bible, or where people prayed with you through the hardest season of your life. All of that matters when a question about your church’s teaching becomes personal.
On November 1, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa publicly explained its practice of ordaining both men and women to pastoral ministry. Some of our neighbors are opening their Bibles and asking what to make of it. I’d like to explain why we ordain qualified men as pastors and elders at Central Presbyterian Church in Irvine, and why we believe the whole church needs the gifts of women. Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa’s explanation
The church needs the gifts of women
From the first chapter of the Bible, God gives men and women the same dignity as bearers of his image (Genesis 1:27). In Christ, men and women alike are heirs of God’s promise (Galatians 3:26–29). Together we belong to the royal priesthood Peter describes, called to proclaim the excellencies of the One who brought us out of darkness (1 Peter 2:9).
You can see what that looks like in the early church. Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately (Acts 18:24–26). Paul calls Euodia and Syntyche women who labored alongside him in the gospel (Philippians 4:2–3). He tells older women to teach what is good and train younger women (Titus 2:3–5). A church that takes these passages seriously will seek out the wisdom of its women and make room for them to teach, disciple, and serve.
Why we understand the office of elder differently
The New Testament gives elders a particular responsibility for teaching and overseeing a congregation. In Acts 20:17, 28, Paul summons the elders of the church in Ephesus and charges them to shepherd the flock. That is why, at Central, we read the passages about elders and overseers when we ask who should serve as a pastor.
In 1 Timothy 2:11–15, Paul tells Timothy to let women learn and then limits teaching and exercising authority over men. Some Christians understand that restriction as a response to a local problem in Ephesus. False teaching was indeed a problem there (1 Timothy 1:3–7). What persuades me that Paul’s instruction has a wider application is the reason he gives. He points back to Adam and Eve. Then, in the very next chapter, he describes an overseer as a man who is faithful in his marriage, able to teach, and able to care for God’s church (1 Timothy 3:1–7). We find the same pattern in Titus 1:5–9.
Taken together, these passages lead us to reserve the office of pastor and elder for qualified men. The word qualified matters. Christ calls elders to be gentle, self-controlled, and faithful, and Peter tells them to shepherd by example, without domineering over the people in their care (1 Peter 5:1–4). Every elder answers to Jesus, the Chief Shepherd.
If you’re working through this
Take time to read the passages in context. If you’re part of a church and have questions about what it teaches, ask your pastors to open the Bible with you and walk you through their reasoning. You can be grateful for the people who have cared for you and still ask honest questions about what Scripture teaches.
And if you’re looking for a church in Orange County, you’re welcome to worship with us at Central. If you’d rather talk first, I’d be glad to sit down over coffee, open the Bible together, and hear what’s on your mind. You’re welcome to come with questions. Visit Central Presbyterian Church in Irvine · Get in touch
Chris Hartshorn, Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Irvine
