God called women too; Women answer your call!

Arsenal of the King International Ministry

A Daughter’s Reflection

By Deidre Mills

I have spent time praying about the recent decision to reaffirm that women should not serve in pastoral roles.

I have read the opinions.

I have listened to the arguments.

I have revisited the Scriptures often cited in support of this position.

And after much prayer, I find myself respectfully disagreeing.

Not because I have a desire to challenge authority.

Not because I am offended.

Not because I am seeking a title.

But because I cannot reconcile such a conclusion with the larger story I see woven throughout Scripture.

I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

I believe it is authoritative.

I believe it is truth.

Which is precisely why I cannot simply dismiss what I see throughout its pages.

When I open my Bible, I do not see a God who is hesitant to use women.

I see a God who repeatedly calls, equips, and commissions them.

I see Deborah leading Israel during a time of crisis.

I see Huldah speaking the Word of the Lord when a nation needed direction.

I see Esther being positioned for such a time as this.

I see Mary carrying the promise of God within her.

I see Priscilla teaching.

I see Phoebe serving the church.

I see women financing ministry, following Jesus faithfully, and standing near the cross when many others fled.

I see women entrusted with announcing the greatest news in human history—that Christ had risen.

Again and again, I see God using women.

Not as an exception.

Not as a footnote.

Not as a last resort.

But as willing vessels.

I understand the passages often cited in support of restricting pastoral leadership to men.

I have studied them.

I have wrestled with them.

I have prayed over them.

Passages such as 1 Timothy 2, 1 Timothy 3, and portions of 1 Corinthians deserve careful study and thoughtful interpretation.

But I also believe those passages must be understood within the context of the entirety of Scripture.

Because Scripture interprets Scripture.

And when I step back and look at the full picture, I do not see a God limiting His calling based upon gender.

I see a God looking for surrendered hearts.

The pattern I find throughout Scripture is not that God chooses people based upon human expectations.

The pattern is that He consistently chooses people others would overlook.

The youngest shepherd boy.

The fearful farmer hiding in a winepress.

The fisherman.

The tax collector.

The widow.

The foreigner.

The barren woman.

The unlikely candidate.

God has always seemed remarkably comfortable calling those whom others would not have chosen.

Which is why this conversation matters.

Not because it is about a position.

But because it is about calling.

I think about the countless women throughout history who have faithfully preached the Gospel, planted churches, led people to Christ, discipled believers, shepherded congregations, and devoted their lives to the work of the Kingdom.

I think about women who answered God’s call when no one else was willing to go.

I think about women who carried revival fires, missionary burdens, and shepherd’s hearts.

And I struggle with the idea that God would call someone to such work while simultaneously forbidding them from fulfilling it.

What I oppose is not biblical order.

What I oppose is the suggestion that God does not call women to shepherd His people.

Because I have seen too much evidence of His hand upon their lives.

I have seen their fruit.

I have seen their faithfulness.

I have seen their sacrifice.

I have seen their obedience.

And Jesus taught us that we would know a tree by its fruit.

Perhaps what weighs most heavily upon my heart is not the debate itself.

It is the young woman quietly watching from the sidelines.

The woman who senses God stirring something within her.

The woman who feels called but is afraid to speak it aloud.

The woman wondering if she has heard God correctly.

The woman questioning whether there is a place for her.

To her, I would simply say:

Seek Jesus.

Know His Word.

Submit your life completely to Him.

And follow wherever He leads.

If He calls you to teach, teach.

If He calls you to serve, serve.

If He calls you to encourage, encourage.

If He calls you to shepherd, shepherd.

Not because a culture approves.

Not because a denomination approves.

But because obedience to God must always remain our highest calling.

At the end of the day, this conversation is bigger than men and women.

It is bigger than church structures.

It is bigger than titles.

It is about whether we trust the Lord enough to follow Him wherever He leads.

As for me, I believe God still calls daughters.

I believe He still equips daughters.

I believe He still anoints daughters.

And I believe the Kingdom is stronger when every believer—male and female alike—is free to walk fully in the calling God has placed upon their life.

So while I respect those who disagree, I cannot remain silent about what I believe Scripture reveals.

The same God who called Deborah still calls.

The same God who used Priscilla still uses.

The same God who entrusted women with proclaiming the resurrection still entrusts His people with carrying His message.

And for that, I am profoundly grateful.

Not because I seek a position.

Ok But because I have experienced His call.

Wonderful word from a sister in Christ God bless all of you Chaplain Johnson.