Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:21:58 -0500WeeblyTue, 16 Jun 2026 14:31:09 GMThttps://www.danyellescroggins.com/blog/the-church-belongs-to-godA Biblical Response to the Attempt to Silence Women It is sobering to watch Christian brothers become more passionate about restricting women in ministry than they appear to be about confronting the conditions that are destroying the witness of the Church.

Let me be clear from the beginning: I am not writing to condemn every man, every Baptist, or every Christian who holds a complementarian interpretation of Scripture. Sincere believers have wrestled with passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11–15, 1 Corinthians 14:34–35, and the qualifications for overseers recorded in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Faithful Christians do not all interpret these passages in precisely the same way. But theological disagreement does not give us permission to display contempt, sow discord, diminish women, ignore abuse, or behave as though men own what Christ purchased with His blood.
The Church belongs to Jesus.
Not to a denomination.
Not to a convention. Not to a board. Not to a bishop. Not to a pastor. Not to a man. Not to a woman.

Jesus said, “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). The Church is His possession, His body, His bride, and His dwelling place. None of us has the authority to treat it as personal property.

I am troubled when some of my brothers can come into agreement concerning the exclusion of women but cannot agree to love one another across racial, denominational, political, and socioeconomic lines. Some can quote 1 Timothy 2 faster than they can live Luke 10.
They will defend a boundary around a pulpit but will not cross the street like the Good Samaritan.
They will argue about whether a woman can preach while people living ten feet from the church have never experienced the love of Christ from anyone inside it.
Jesus said the world would recognize His disciples by their love for one another—not by their ability to win arguments concerning titles, positions, and denominational policies (John 13:34–35).

Not every Baptist body has the same history, polity, culture, or interpretation of Scripture. The Southern Baptist Convention does not represent every Baptist congregation, and its conclusions should not automatically be treated as the final word for the entire body of Christ. Our final authority is not denominational tradition. Our final authority is God as revealed through Scripture and perfectly manifested in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, the question must be asked: Is God intelligent enough to raise up daughters who will obey Him? Can He raise daughters who love all people? Can He raise daughters who honor their marriages, protect the vulnerable, teach sound doctrine, serve with humility, and live what they preach? Can He raise daughters who are filled with the Holy Spirit? Can He raise daughters who are more concerned about souls than stages? Can He raise daughters who will preach in a sanctuary, pray in a hospital, minister in a prison, witness in a grocery store, teach in a classroom, counsel in an office, or share the Gospel while cleaning a dirty restroom?

According to Scripture, He already has. God declared through the prophet Joel: “I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy.” Peter announced the fulfillment of that promise on the Day of Pentecost (Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:16–18). The Holy Spirit was not poured out upon sons while daughters stood outside waiting for permission. God poured out His Spirit upon both. That does not mean character is irrelevant. It means gender is not a substitute for character. Before we use 1 Timothy 2 to silence women, we need to continue reading into 1 Timothy 3.

A man is not qualified for spiritual leadership merely because he is male. He must be above reproach, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, gentle rather than violent, free from the love of money, faithful in his household, and spiritually mature. Maleness is not maturity. Anatomy is not anointing. A title is not a testimony. Gender cannot compensate for an absence of fruit.
If we are going to insist upon biblical order, then let us insist upon all of it. Let us insist upon holiness. Let us insist upon integrity. Let us insist upon sexual purity. Let us insist upon financial accountability. Let us insist upon humility. Let us insist that shepherds protect the sheep rather than prey upon them. Let us insist that those who teach understand that they “will incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1).

Ezekiel 34 contains one of the strongest rebukes in Scripture, and it was not directed toward women who dared to speak. It was directed toward shepherds who fed themselves while neglecting the flock. They failed to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, search for the lost, and protect those who had been scattered. God said, “Behold, I am against the shepherds” (Ezekiel 34:10).

That warning should cause every preacher—male and female—to tremble. The Church has suffered from leaders who were gifted publicly but undisciplined privately. It has suffered from sexual misconduct, financial manipulation, spiritual abuse, concealed pregnancies, secret relationships, mistreated spouses, neglected children, pornography, coercion, dishonesty, and institutional efforts to protect reputations rather than people. This is not an accusation against every pastor. It is an acknowledgment of wounds that many believers have actually experienced.

I pastor women who have witnessed evils inside churches that should never have been tolerated anywhere—especially among people claiming the name of Christ. Some were abused. Some were manipulated. Some were silenced. Some were taught that protecting a leader’s reputation was more important than protecting the wounded. Some became completely detached from the Church because love had been smothered beneath legalism, favoritism, false loyalty, and religious performance.

God is not pleased when His name is used to protect what His Word condemns.
Romans 2:24 warns that God’s name is blasphemed among unbelievers because of the conduct of people who claim to represent Him. Jesus said it would be better for a person to have a millstone hung around his neck than to cause one of His little ones to stumble (Matthew 18:6).

The Church must stop confusing institutional preservation with spiritual faithfulness.

COVID-19 did not create every crisis in the Church. In many instances, it exposed fractures that were already present. Pride, hypocrisy, lovelessness, abuse, shallow discipleship, racial division, political idolatry, and institutional self-preservation had already weakened our witness. We had become skilled at building church buildings while neglecting the building of God’s people. We knew how to conduct services but struggled to serve. We knew how to raise offerings but failed to raise disciples. We knew how to protect pulpits but sometimes failed to protect people. And while the Church is bleeding, we are still debating whether God is capable of using a woman.

To my Black brothers, I speak with both love and honesty. I understand that Black manhood has endured a history of humiliation, emasculation, denied authority, racial terror, and systemic oppression. I understand why the church became one of the few places where Black men could lead publicly and be addressed with dignity. But the pulpit cannot become compensation for what racism stole. The answer to the historical degradation of Black men is not the spiritual diminishment of Black women. Jesus did not define leadership as control. He defined it as service. He said that worldly rulers “lord it over” others, but “it is not this way among you.” Whoever desires to become great must become a servant, because the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life for others (Mark 10:42–45).

Biblical manhood is not established by anatomy, domination, a title, or the ability to control women. A godly man is recognized by his love for God, faithfulness to his family, humility toward others, stewardship of his responsibilities, submission to Scripture, and the fruit of the Spirit governing his life. The same spiritual fruit is required of a godly woman. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are not male virtues or female virtues.
They are evidence of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).

We cannot separate women from the story of the Gospel without tearing pages out of the biblical record.

THE BIBLICAL WITNESS OF WOMEN GOD USED Miriam was called a prophetess and led Israel in worship after the deliverance at the Red Sea. Through Micah, God named Miriam alongside Moses and Aaron as one of the leaders He sent before Israel (Exodus 15:20–21; Micah 6:4).
Deborah was a prophetess and judge over Israel. The children of Israel came to her for judgment, and she delivered God’s instruction to Barak concerning the battle against Sisera. She was not presented as God’s reluctant backup plan. Scripture presents her as a leader raised up during a critical period in Israel’s history (Judges 4–5).
Huldah was a prophetess consulted by the king’s officials after the Book of the Law was discovered. Priests and government leaders received the Word of the Lord through her, and her prophetic declaration became instrumental in King Josiah’s national reformation (2 Kings 22:14–20; 2 Chronicles 34:22–28).
Esther used her royal position, courage, wisdom, and influence to help preserve the Jewish people from destruction. Although she was not called a preacher, her leadership demonstrates that God strategically positioned women to participate in the preservation of His covenant people (Esther 4:13–16).
Anna was a prophetess who worshiped, fasted, prayed, and spoke publicly about the infant Jesus to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:36–38).
Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and other women traveled with Jesus and the Twelve and supported the ministry from their own resources. They were not incidental spectators. They were active participants in the advancement of Christ’s earthly ministry (Luke 8:1–3).
The Samaritan woman became an evangelistic witness to her community. After encountering Jesus, she returned to the city and testified, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done.” Many Samaritans believed because of her testimony (John 4:28–30, 39–42).
Mary Magdalene was among the first witnesses of the resurrection. The risen Christ commissioned her to go and announce the news to His disciples. She obeyed and declared, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:17–18). Before the apostles preached the resurrection to the nations, a woman announced it to the apostles.
Priscilla, alongside her husband Aquila, was a trusted coworker of Paul. She helped explain “the way of God more accurately” to Apollos, an eloquent man who was already knowledgeable in the Scriptures (Acts 18:24–26; Romans 16:3–5).
Phoebe was commended by Paul as a diakonos of the church at Cenchreae—a word translated as servant or deacon—and as a benefactor or patron of many, including Paul himself. Paul instructed the Roman believers to receive and assist her in a manner worthy of the saints (Romans 16:1–2).
Junia was identified with Andronicus as Paul’s relative, fellow prisoner, and a person of distinguished apostolic association. Translations differ on whether Romans 16:7 means she was prominent “among the apostles” or well known “to the apostles,” but no responsible reading permits us to erase the honor Paul gave her.
Lydia was a businesswoman whose heart the Lord opened to receive the Gospel. Her household was baptized, and her home became a place of hospitality and gathering for believers in Philippi (Acts 16:14–15, 40). Philip the evangelist had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. Luke mentions their prophetic ministry without apology or correction (Acts 21:8–9).
Euodia and Syntyche were described by Paul as women who had struggled beside him in the work of the Gospel. Whatever disagreement existed between them, Paul did not deny their history as his fellow laborers (Philippians 4:2–3).
Nympha hosted a church in her home. Mary, the mother of John Mark, also opened her home to believers who gathered there in prayer. In the early Church, opening one’s home to a congregation was not merely domestic hospitality; it was a significant act of ministry, leadership, protection, and material support (Colossians 4:15; Acts 12:12).
Lois and Eunice cultivated sincere faith in Timothy and instructed him in the sacred writings from childhood. The spiritual formation of the man who became one of Paul’s most trusted ministry companions began through the faithfulness of women (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14–15). Romans 16 is filled with women whom Paul commended as servants, coworkers, laborers, benefactors, hosts, and fellow prisoners. Paul did not speak of these women as distractions from the Gospel. He honored them as participants in its advancement. Furthermore, Paul acknowledged that women prayed and prophesied in the worshiping community in 1 Corinthians 11:5.

Therefore, whatever interpretation we apply to his instruction concerning silence in 1 Corinthians 14, it cannot reasonably mean that women were absolutely forbidden from ever speaking, praying, prophesying, teaching, testifying, or proclaiming Christ in the gathered community.
Scripture must be interpreted with Scripture.
Christians may disagree about whether certain passages restrict the office of senior pastor or elder to qualified men. That disagreement deserves serious exegesis, prayer, humility, and honest conversation. But no interpretation gives anyone permission to call women useless, rebellious, Jezebels, witches, or enemies of God simply because they testify that God has called them to preach.

The biblical response is not to accept every person who claims a calling without examination. Neither is it to reject every woman before examining her doctrine, character, fruit, and ministry. Scripture tells us not to quench the Spirit or despise prophetic utterances. It also commands us to examine everything carefully and hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:19–21).
Test the doctrine.
Examine the fruit.
Evaluate the character.
Discern the spirit.
Require accountability.
But do not presume that God has never spoken merely because the vessel speaking is a woman.

Dear Brother, I do not desire to steal your place. I am not competing with you. I am not trying to replace you. I am trying to obey God. My heart belongs to the Lord, and my heart is His pulpit. My love for Him is not dependent upon a platform.

Put me in a pulpit, a parking lot, a hospital, a prison, a bookstore, a classroom, a grocery aisle, or a dirty restroom. If a soul needs the Gospel, I will plant, water, pray, serve, testify, and proclaim Jesus Christ. Just as no earthly law could stop a true daughter of God from praying, no denominational policy can remove the Gospel from the heart of a woman whom God has compelled to speak.
The Church belongs to God.
It is not a place created to accommodate arrogance.
It is not a platform for egotistical illusions.
It is not a hunting ground for sexual gratification.
It is not a private corporation belonging to religious personalities. It is not a place where leaders may appoint, reject, conceal, manipulate, or dominate according to personal preference.
It is the Lord’s Church.
Jesus is Lord.

No convention, council, pastor, man, or woman has the authority to nullify what God has genuinely ordained. At the same time, no one should use the language of calling to escape biblical examination or accountability. All of us must submit our gifts, ambitions, conduct, and theology to the lordship of Jesus Christ. This article is not my attempt to decide who is going to heaven or hell.

Danyelle does not possess a heaven or hell to place anyone in, and I thank God that human beings do not determine my eternal destiny. Jesus is Judge.
This is a call for the Church to examine itself.
Jesus warned against hypocritical judgment while also commanding righteous discernment (Matthew 7:1–5; John 7:24). Galatians 6:1 instructs spiritual believers to restore those caught in sin with gentleness while watching themselves.
First Peter 4:17 declares that judgment begins with the household of God. Therefore, prophetic correction must never become self-righteous condemnation.
Truth without love can become brutality.
Love without truth can become empty sentimentality.
The Church needs both truth and love, because Jesus is full of grace and truth.

Dear Brother, recognize the strong sisters God has placed around you. Recognize the women who have prayed, served, sacrificed, given, taught, evangelized, protected children, discipled believers, cared for the sick, sustained congregations, and stood beside men in the work of the Gospel.
Do not fear them.
Do not demean them.
Do not exploit them.
Do not erase them.
Help them help God’s people. And to anyone responding beneath this post: disagreement is permitted.
Disrespect is not.
Bring Scripture.
Bring sound interpretation.
Bring humility.
Bring the fruit of the Spirit.

But do not bring slander, misogyny, mockery, vulgarity, or foolishness into my online house. I will guard this space with the same care I would use in any place entrusted to me. You are free to disconnect from my page. You are free to disagree with Danyelle. But please, do not disconnect from God.

The harvest is plentiful. The laborers are few. Souls are perishing, communities are hurting, and the world is waiting for a Church that resembles Jesus.
​This is not the hour for godly men and godly women to fight one another for possession of a Church that belongs to neither of us. This is the hour for all whom God has called to humble themselves, walk in holiness, serve with integrity, preach Christ crucified and risen, and labor together until the whole world hears. PastorDanyelle]]>