Women in Church

I was reading on another blog recently about women's roles in Church. I have a hard time with some of the discussion on this other blog, and had to be careful what I said because some of the responders had VERY different opinions from mine. The difference in opinion is probably due to the difference in religious upbringing and belief. My background is Roman Catholic and, while I am not currently going to Church, I still hold most of the beliefs of the Catholic Church as true.

Now, as for women in Church, I don't want to go to Church and listen to a woman preacher. Now this isn't because I believe it is wrong in any way, shape, or form, it is just personal preference; just like I would never go to a woman gynecologist, it would make me very uncomfortable.

I have always gone to Church and women have read scripture and served Communion and lead singing, etc. Nuns have very important roles in the Church and work very closely with the Priests. Now, for people unfamiliar with a Catholic Mass, there are three scriptures read from the Bible every week. The first is from the Old Testament, the second is from the New Testament (not a Gospel), and the third is from the Gospel. Members of the congregation read the scriptures from the Old and New Testament and the Priest reads the Gospel passage. Men and women alike read the Old and New Testament scriptures, all who feel called to read are allowed to do so. Of course, who reads on which week is pre-arranged, but anyone who wishes is allowed to join the Lectors (the group of people who do the readings.)

As for Communion, the Catholic Church is very strict in the teachings and beliefs surrounding the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The Priest prepares the bread and wine, and does the prayers, etc. As for serving communion, this is like the Lectors, anyone who wishes to serve may do so. There is a group of people who serve communion, and who does so on any given week is arranged in advance, but anyone may join the group of people who do this.

Women also lead singing on a regular basis. Most Catholic Churches have someone whose job it is to be the Music Leader, of course this is a job for which one applies. However, anyone who wishes to apply may do so. I have been to churches with men in charge of music and churches with women in charge of music. For me music is a very important part of the entire experience for me. I am not a fan of organ music, at least not if that is the primary form of music played. I prefer a much more contemporary musical ministry. I like pianos, horns, guitars, drums, violins, etc. Most contemporary music ministries welcome any type of instrument that one wishes to use in worship. I am not talking about music like Stryper or Petra (am I aging myself?) I definitely wouldn't want the feel of a rock concert, if I want to hear Bon Jovi play I will go see Bon Jovi in concert, not at Church. However, I do like (and require) a Church that has a very involved music ministry as part of worship. I have been to a couple of Churches with such superb music ministries, that this has become a necessity for me. I don't get much out of Church if the music is not top notch.

Now that I have gone off on a tangent, I need to come back to the topic at hand, which is the role of women in Church. I firmly believe that there is no reason for a woman not to have an active role in Church, in fact, I believe it is wrong to not allow a woman to be active. As I said, the official "leader" of the service/mass/whatever, in MY OPINION should be a man, but as for supporting roles, like scripture reading and serving communion and leading singing, should be open to men and women alike. The Bible says that men should lead, and for one who takes a literal interpretation of the Bible, then yes, only men should "lead" but I believe other roles are more supporting and, in no way, usurp the leadership of men.

Just my opinion.