Teen girl speaking at a conference?
By Elizabeth Prata
Recently I was asked a great question by a reader. I love that, because my aim and goal in my Christian life is to help women become aware of discernment issues and to live a holy life according to the Bible. When I receive a good question it encourages me that women are striving to meet the standards set before us in honoring Jesus. Despite all the ‘bad news’ out there, many unknown women are diligently but anonymously working on their sanctification to the glory of God.
No matter how ‘dark’ things seem, there are always God’s people in every corner of the world learning, fellowshipping, growing, and praying.
The question was:
“I wanted to get your thoughts on whether a teen girl (I believe she was 18 or 19 at the time) speaking during a break out session at a conference on family discipleship. The topic was the “heart of a teen”. I loved everything this young lady shared and her experience and insight was all very helpful. Although there were both men and women present and she was speaking from a teen perspective to encourage parents I was questioning whether it was biblical for her to be speaking to the men as well.”
The conference was the ‘D6 Conference’. The ministry focuses on connecting church and family for personal discipleship based on Deuteronomy 6:4-7. It produces curricula and resources to aid families in their own discipleship, “The original small group” as they say.
The Bible says, But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. (1 Timothy 2:12).
So the conference atmosphere is kind of churchy (since D6 is a ministry) but the conference isn’t held at a church or put on by a church. The girl is not exegeting scripture, but sharing her expertise with a like-minded audience (in this case, Christians interested in family discipling). It’s like a testimony.
Since the prohibition in scripture is against women speaking during church to a congregation (and by extension in parachurch ministries/conferences) teaching men or usurping their authority by exegeting scripture, I think the teen’s talk is fine. Sharing expertise in an area of life to a co-ed group of people is being IN the world but not of the world.
See photo above of Tada speaking her testimony at the Strange Fire conference.
For example, The Master’s University (associated with Grace Community Church/John MacArthur/The Master’s Seminary) hosts a symposium every year called Math3ma, it’s science and math to the praise of God. Attached is a photo of molecular and cellular biologist Tara Sander Lee at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, sharing her firsthand knowledge of studying the wonders of human genetics and reproduction as designed by God.
Taking the pertinent verses together, we ask is she speaking in church or silent? Is she teaching men or learning? Is she usurping or submitting?
As in all the churches of the saints, the women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. (1 Corinthians 14:33b-35).
It’s a slippery slope, though. The 1 Timothy verse is clear about in church with the congregation. It’s also clear to me about an extension of the local church body learning at small group in a home or Sunday School. With parachurches and women speaking of personal thoughts during a conference or non-church service setting, it’s fairly clear that sharing thoughts or testimonies to an audience is fine.
A woman sharing knowledge, testimony, or expertise when not under ecclesiastical authority is fine. Or at church but not during the Sunday services, say, during a Saturday conference where the church becomes a venue. We are to be silent in the churches, but not in the world!
Nevertheless, the line is thin. It is easy to get sucked in slowly and incrementally. Optics are important. A woman or teen standing in the place where scripture is exegeted during church services, even if she’s just giving announcements, is part of that slippery slope. Photos of the moment afterwards simply show a woman speaking at the pulpit, later viewers of that photo don’t explain her content was secular, not biblical.
When “speaking” to audiences, careful approaches are necessary. In an incremental creep over time, a woman doesn’t wind up teaching men, to the disapproval of God!
Further Resources
Ligonier: Women speaking IN church DURING service
