Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. Church Questions is a series by 9Marks that seeks to provide Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions about church life. Each booklet offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment.
In this Church Questions booklet, Greg Gilbert answers the question Can women be pastors? Gilbert explains why God reserved the office of pastor and elder exclusively for men by examining the structures of authority God established from the very beginning. Focusing on texts in Genesis 1–3 and 1 Timothy 2, Gilbert makes a case for why God’s original design for church leadership is not arbitrary, but part of his good and beautiful plan.