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Hello! Our question today revolves around pastors, specifically: (1) Does a pastor have to be married? and (2) Does the Bible say only men can be pastors? To find the qualifications and what God requires of pastors, we must go to Scripture—not society, culture, feelings, or trends. God’s Word, not human opinions, is our ultimate authority.
In Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, he outlines a pastor’s (also called overseer’s) qualifications. First Timothy 3 says, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife….” This phrase doesn’t require that a pastor must be married, since Paul himself was single. Rather, it teaches that, if married, the pastor must be faithful to one woman. And notice that it mentions “the husband of one wife,” which indicates that only men can fulfill this role, as men are the ones who can be husbands.
Additionally, 1 Timothy 2:12–13 states, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man…” and bases this on God’s creation order: Adam was formed first, then Eve. This wasn’t a cultural restriction for Paul’s era only but a foundational principle established at creation. Men and women share equal dignity, value, and worth as God’s image-bearers, but they serve in different roles. Scripture instructs gifted women to teach other women and children (Titus 2), while only certain qualified men can serve as pastors.
Common objections point to Priscilla teaching Apollos in Acts 18 or Phoebe being a servant (often translated “deacon”) in Romans 16, or Deborah serving as a judge in the Old Testament. None of these examples present women as pastors. Clearly, God uses women mightily—He has, He is, and He will—but Scripture maintains that the pastoral office is reserved for qualified men.
This has been another five good minutes.