Women SS Teachers ??

[Pastor Matt]

I take "A woman can teach a children’s Sunday school class, perhaps even a teen class with boys and girls " 

as an answer to

"Jerry, should a mother be allowed to teach her child?"

If a woman can teach a children's Sunday school class then they can obviously teach her child.

Maybe I'm wrong and Jerry can clarify, but it would seem like a contradiction to say yes a woman can teach a child, but no, not her own child.

[TheGloryLand]

Can a woman teach the Sunday school class, I say no, and yes if there are no  men to do it.

[BrotherTony]

54 minutes ago, E Morales said:

Can a woman teach the Sunday school class, I say no, and yes if there are no  men to do it.

Are you speaking of an adult class, @E Morales? If you're speaking of an adult, MIXED, male and female SS class, I would have to say NO. 

[Rebecca]

Acts 18:

24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 

25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

In the NT scripture, Aquila and Priscilla, a husband and wife team, taught Apollos what he was missing in scripture. It's clear to me that the three had a Bible study together, the wording suggests both Priscilla and Aquilla taught Apollos and he accepted their teaching, becoming a very strong and bold preacher for the cause of Christ. Priscilla may not have taught in the church or Sunday school(the Bible doesn't say), but she did teach Apollos, a man, in a Bible study together with her husband. 

My personal experience: I'm a missionary and there have been times I taught teen boys and men in Bible studies. In one instance, I held a Bible study at a hospital with the administrative staff (all women) during their lunch break. I have had a male pharmaceutical rep drop in on occasion to join the Bible study. Should I have told him he wasn't welcome because I was a woman and had no authority to teach him? Or is it because I taught at a hospital and not a church it's okay? 

At the church my dad started in Taiwan I taught Sunday school, which included teen boys up to age 16. There have been numerous times when a young child is afraid to go to Sunday school alone and the father sits with them in the class and participates in the lesson and activities with their child. Should I have insisted they go to the main service and let their child cry and disrupt class? (some parents did just this, I held the crying child and taught the lesson at the same time, no big deal for me, but other parents don't want their child crying) The choice was the father's, they wanted church to be a positive place and not a fearful place and so they listened to the lesson I taught. 

When the church decided to forgo VBS and church camp and instead hold a weeklong series of intensive Bible lessons, I was asked to teach in one of the hour slots. It was a mixed class, teenagers and adults. 

I am in Taiwan to minister mainly to children and women, but I will teach teen boys and men if asked to do so, although it happens rarely. I do not believe I  am in any way usurping authority or putting myself (or women in general) on a pedestal.  On the contrary, I believe I am submitting myself to my pastoral authority by obeying the instruction given to teach the truths of the Bible, no matter who may be listening. 

[TheGloryLand]

46 minutes ago, BrotherTony said:

Are you speaking of an adult class, @E Morales? If you're speaking of an adult, MIXED, male and female SS class, I would have to say NO. 

Yes, to any old or young man or female. A woman can teach a class, if there is no man to do so. Old and New Testament, even dead bones will speak, if man falls short. As a donkey if kick to. In my opinion  

[BrotherTony]

1 hour ago, Rebecca said:

Acts 18:

24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 

25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

In the NT scripture, Aquila and Priscilla, a husband and wife team, taught Apollos what he was missing in scripture. It's clear to me that the three had a Bible study together, the wording suggests both Priscilla and Aquilla taught Apollos and he accepted their teaching, becoming a very strong and bold preacher for the cause of Christ. Priscilla may not have taught in the church or Sunday school(the Bible doesn't say), but she did teach Apollos, a man, in a Bible study together with her husband. 

My personal experience: I'm a missionary and there have been times I taught teen boys and men in Bible studies. In one instance, I held a Bible study at a hospital with the administrative staff (all women) during their lunch break. I have had a male pharmaceutical rep drop in on occasion to join the Bible study. Should I have told him he wasn't welcome because I was a woman and had no authority to teach him? Or is it because I taught at a hospital and not a church it's okay? 

At the church my dad started in Taiwan I taught Sunday school, which included teen boys up to age 16. There have been numerous times when a young child is afraid to go to Sunday school alone and the father sits with them in the class and participates in the lesson and activities with their child. Should I have insisted they go to the main service and let their child cry and disrupt class? (some parents did just this, I held the crying child and taught the lesson at the same time, no big deal for me, but other parents don't want their child crying) The choice was the father's, they wanted church to be a positive place and not a fearful place and so they listened to the lesson I taught. 

When the church decided to forgo VBS and church camp and instead hold a weeklong series of intensive Bible lessons, I was asked to teach in one of the hour slots. It was a mixed class, teenagers and adults. 

I am in Taiwan to minister mainly to children and women, but I will teach teen boys and men if asked to do so, although it happens rarely. I do not believe I  am in any way usurping authority or putting myself (or women in general) on a pedestal.  On the contrary, I believe I am submitting myself to my pastoral authority by obeying the instruction given to teach the truths of the Bible, no matter who may be listening. 

I believe if you're a a missionary, isn't that what you're supposed to be doing? Are you alone, or do you have a husband who's a missionary with you? 

If there is a "qualified" man, then I believe the man should be teaching/preaching. But, as Mr. Morales has pointed out, there are cases where a woman HAS to be the speaker. I don't see that in a church, as a SS teacher or preacher, unless, of course the men of the church have abdicated their responsibiities. If they have, it might be necessary for a woman to do the speaking until a man is trained to take over. 

[TheGloryLand]

I remember one time, I ask a pastor if you were in a very small town where there was a woman evangelizing or preaching, and no man doing this mission, would you listen to her? this Pastor told me no. Now me being a Christian, I know that the head of the church is Christ, the pastor a man is the head of the home and is chosen by God to lead the church. I did not agree with him, because I know God will do many things that I don’t understand. He the boss

[BrotherTony]

11 minutes ago, E Morales said:

I remember one time, I ask a pastor if you were in a very small town where there was a woman evangelizing or preaching, and no man doing this mission, would you listen to her? this Pastor told me no. Now me being a Christian, I know that the head of the church is Christ, the pastor a man is the head of the home and is chosen by God to lead the church. I did not agree with him, because I know God will do many things that I don’t understand. He the boss

The job of "evagelizing" is for every Christian, male or female. The job of leading a congregation is for a pastor, and women ARE NOT supposed to be pastors according to Scripture. 

[Rebecca]

27 minutes ago, BrotherTony said:

I believe if you're a a missionary, isn't that what you're supposed to be doing? Are you alone, or do you have a husband who's a missionary with you? 

If there is a "qualified" man, then I believe the man should be teaching/preaching. But, as Mr. Morales has pointed out, there are cases where a woman HAS to be the speaker. I don't see that in a church, as a SS teacher or preacher, unless, of course the men of the church have abdicated their responsibiities. If they have, it might be necessary for a woman to do the speaking until a man is trained to take over. 

Yes, it's exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. I am not married, I work with the local pastors where needed. The church I'm helping in now I haven't needed or been asked to teach men, but in the prior church I was asked on occasion to do so because it was a very small, new church plant started from the ground up. I did everything except preach (piano, Bible studies, janitor, Sunday school, etc). I helped train the people who are now qualified to be in the positions they're in (except the now pastor, my dad taught him). I did it all under the guidance of my dad - the missionary who started the church, and now the local pastor. Once they had all the positions filled with locals who were doing an excellent job, I moved on to the next church, where I am now. So it wasn't a matter of men abdicating responsibility, there simply weren't many men knowledgeable in the Bible at that time to be the teachers. I was extremely happy once I was able to step back, do you know how intimidating it is to teach someone who holds a doctorate, haha!  

[BrotherTony]

6 minutes ago, Rebecca said:

Yes, it's exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. I am not married, I work with the local pastors where needed. The church I'm helping in now I haven't needed or been asked to teach men, but in the prior church I was asked on occasion to do so because it was a very small, new church plant started from the ground up. I did everything except preach (piano, Bible studies, janitor, Sunday school, etc). I helped train the people who are now qualified to be in the positions they're in (except the now pastor, my dad taught him). I did it all under the guidance of my dad - the missionary who started the church, and now the local pastor. Once they had all the positions filled with locals who were doing an excellent job, I moved on to the next church, where I am now. So it wasn't a matter of men abdicating responsibility, there simply weren't many men knowledgeable in the Bible at that time to be the teachers. I was extremely happy once I was able to step back, do you know how intimidating it is to teach someone who holds a doctorate, haha!  

I agree with how you did this....I know it may not be a popular opinion, but I don't see where it would be unscriptural. 

Now you asked if I know how intimidating it is to teach someone who has a doctorate...Yes, ma'am, I certainly do. When I was teaching SS in many of the churches where I've done so, I had several people with their doctorates...especially ones in religion. I often felt so inadequate to teach until one of those who had been a pastor for 30+ years and was on a sabbatical told me 'God qualifies those he calls." He and I talked at length several times, and he was a great encouragement to me. I have never even finished college, but I have preached enough to know that God doesn't send anybody out to do something without giving them the tools to do it!  Blessings.

[Jerry]

I think this is a good answer I was reading earlier today.

Acts 18:24-26 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

When Apollos was taught by Aquila and Priscilla, it was the husband and wife working together to teach him. Priscilla did not usurp her husband's authority or Apollos' authority by seeking to teach a man the Word of God by herself.

In another place recently (reading on an entirely different issue), it was mentioned that some of the manuscripts behind the modern versions actually reverse the Greek order of the names here to put Priscilla first - though in the KJV and the Textus Receptus, Aquila is mentioned first and the priority is on him (ie. both together, but he had the authority).

[Salyan]

There was a comment earlier about women making comments in their own SS class. If it’s a teaching style class, then obviously we are to listen. If it’s a discussion-style one (which I personally find to be problematic for other reasons), I don’t see any issue with women commenting. In that context, they aren’t speaking from a position of authority, and thus wouldn’t be usurping authority. 
 

In my very early twenties, I attended an evangelical church with a discussion style class, peopled with many adults who had very little Bible training. Oh the misconceptions they could come up with! I could have spent the whole class just explaining what the Bible actually said about the topics at hand. (Not to imply I thought I was ‘all that’ - there was just really that little Bible knowledge in the group.) I finally resorted to using the Strong’s Concordance to define words in question - that simple step could bring a discussion back on track Biblically and let the authority be the concordance instead of me. (Note that this class did not have a true leader that gave the sense of the passages; it was truly a discussion-style class. I do not recommend the style.)

[Jerry]

Ugh, yes, discussion style classes sound horrible. I have seen that to some extent. If it is intended to be interactive in some sense, I much prefer a leader teaching something specific, with the ability for others to ask questions or dig in a little deeper on what is being taught. Can't stand those "what do you get out of this passage" type of Bible studies. They are usually fruitless and leave the impression any input or opinion is just as good as anything else.

[Salyan]

Exactly.