Women’s Ordination

The multicultural nature of the Seventh-day Adventist Church often affects how its members position themselves regarding important issues in the Church. One example is the long standing issue of women’s ordination. The questions relating to women’s ordination have traditionally been addressed theologically in the church’s effort to be biblically correct. Although this is an important approach, it does not effectively address all the challenges a multicultural church faces. In this article it is our aim to point out that the issues surrounding women’s ordination must not only be viewed through theological lenses. The church must also take into consideration cultural issues when tackling this important issue. Although our denomination was birthed in North America, it has grown to become an international church. It is therefore not appropriate to think of Adventism in terms of what is practically acceptable or not acceptable for only the North American Church or for the Church in Africa or Asia or Europe. As missiologists, an important question that keeps demanding an answer is: “How can an international church approach this issue so that whatever is decided encourages members in all parts of the world?”