Does 1 Timothy 3 Mean Women Can't Be Leaders in the Church?

Discover the surprising truth about 1 Timothy 3, and how gender bias in Scriptural translations has lead a generation to believe that only men are permitted to be leaders or pastors in the church. The Greek text is gender neutral which means this instructions for leaders don't just apply to men but apply to both men and women alike.

1 Timothy 3:1-13 is often used to say that only men can preach or be senior pastors. It's easy to see why if you read it in translations like the NLT, NIV, RSV, or KJV. Take a look at how the NLT reads:

"This is a trustworthy saying: if someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position. So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church? A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil's trap. In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well." 

That seems pretty cut and dry, doesn't it? He, man, his.... When women do get a mention it's strictly as "wives." So there we have. Men lead and women can be married to them.

But not so fast! We need to remember that the Bible was not originally written in English, and how it's translated matters significantly. Scholars like Beth Allison Barr believe this idea of male dominated leadership was shaped by poor translations of the text, which make the list of leadership roles and responsibilities seem more masculine than they really are!

In the Greek, the text is filled with gender-neutral terms like anyone or whoever. There is only one specific reference to man, which appears in verse 12 (literally "one woman man" which references the married state of deacons), but modern English Bibles have added eight to twelve male pronouns that are not found in the original text! 

Theologian Lucy Peppiatt observes this and concludes that this text doesn't make female leadership an issue. She ascribes that issue as coming from "relentless and dominant narrative of male bias" in translations.

A better translation would read something like this:

If someone aspires to be a church leader, they desire an honorable position. So a church leader must be someone whose life is above reproach. They must be faithful to their spouse. They must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. They must enjoy having guests in their home, and they must be able to teach. No heavy drinking or violence. They must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. They must manage their own family well, having children who respect and obey them. For if someone cannot manage their own household, how can they take care of God's church? A church leader must not be a new believer, because they might become proud, and the devil would cause them to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of them so that they will not be disgraced and fall into the devil's trap. In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their spouses must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. A deacon must be faithful to their spouse, and must manage their children and household well. 

What a difference reading it this way makes! And again, this gender-neutral translation is much closer to the original meaning of the text than poor, male-centered translations that are found in most Bibles.

We need to be aware that poor translations of Scripture have placed limitations on women that neither the Living God nor the authors of the Bible intended! Male-dominated leadership is not an idea that is promoted by Scripture.

More on women in leadership:
The Myth and Meaning of 'I Do Not Permit a Woman to Teach' (1 Timothy 2:11-14)
Who Was Phoebe in Romans 16? (The Only Deacon Named in Scripture)
The Truth about 'Let Women Be Silent' in 1 Corinthians 14:34