Phoebe, Can a Woman Be A Church Leader?

“I commend to you sister Phoebe…” Romans 16:1

There are Christian church denominations where women can not hold any leadership role. They will not even accept women on their church’s governing boards. Women are not to be deacons, elders, or be in any leadership role at all. No women pastors or preachers in their denomination of the church.

A gentleman and his father were once visiting at my home and this topic arose. They both were adamant that the Bible is clear that women can not hold positions of leadership.” Women can not be leaders of the church”, they said. They continued, “Women can not serve in the church or teach or lecture men in a church service.” They used Apostle Paul’s words as the reason for keeping women from leadership roles in their churches.

I think they missed reading Apostle Paul’s greetings to the Romans in chapter 16: 1–16 where Paul is sending greetings to church leaders. Women and men are included in the list.

Did they take Paul’s words earlier in the Bible out of context? Was Paul just talking to one church that needed that instruction? Did Paul write about women not being used in leadership roles before he met Phoebe, and before Paul had established so many Gentile churches?