One of the first tasks on a church timeline, when considering gender inclusion, is a church-wide study. Although study itself isn’t the magic bullet of persuasion that we would like, we are a people who justifiably revere the authority of Scripture. While there are many outstanding resources to study gender inclusion, I’d like to recommend Women Serving God by John Mark Hicks.

An insider like John Mark Hicks – theologically credentialed, experienced, and a Church of Christ lifer – has built-in credibility with serious potential to be persuasive when other sources might not. Like so many of us, Hicks grew up with the “women should remain silent” rule firmly in place. One of his early publications Women’s Roles in the Church, published in 1978, staunchly supported the practice. Currently John Mark Hicks is a professor of theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He holds a Ph.D. in post-reformation theology from Westminster Theological Seminary.

I’ve stated so many times that information alone isn’t enough to lead our church members to consider an alternative to the female silence rule. The practice has been too uniformly accepted for far too long. Because Hicks understands our faith family, is still a part of the Church of Christ, and lovingly has us in context, then I believe more people will be more likely to sincerely listen and seriously consider the information.

In Women Serving God, Hicks outlines his own history of understanding, years of serious scholarship, and how he began to change his mind about the practice of female silence during worship, essentially combining the study people say they want plus his own story, which is the persuasive part. These things communicate that Hicks genuinely understands Church of Christ people, which causes far less defensiveness. He effectively deals with our church background, key passages, and relative underlying issues with a specific focus on women’s participation during public worship, which is our primary conflict. In addition, he includes little known Church of Christ history that reveals that women have not always uniformly practiced silence during public worship but were often active in teaching, reading Scripture, praying, and even song leading. Who knew?

As I’ve read this book and participated in an online discussion over the last few weeks, I’ve kept all of you in mind. The bottom line is that this book deals precisely with what people are concerned about in a manner that has far more potential to be persuasive. I urge you to put it on your list to review.

While you’re at it, I also recommend Searching for the Pattern (2019), which precedes Women Serving God in Hicks’s three-part series. The third book has yet to be written. Highland Oaks Church of Christ lead minister, Pat Bills, had this to share when I asked him about Searching for the Pattern:

One of the greatest values a theologian can bring to a conversation is the ability to reflect on ways they have been misinformed or misguided in their pursuit of Biblical truth. John Mark Hicks, in Searching for the Pattern, details such a journey. Through storytelling and confession, Hicks allows us to travel with him as he discovers a new “wineskin” for Biblical interpretation. Through confessing his own cultural blind spots, legalistic tendencies, and painful family circumstances, Hicks embraces the fresh work of the Spirit by inviting his readers to explore new and better ways of Biblical interpretation. Rather than yielding to the “blueprint” of commands, examples, and necessary inferences, Hicks offers a corrective lens of Biblical reading centered on the story of Jesus. This is a must read for any leadership who wishes to pursue a better way of Biblical discussion and conversation with Jesus as the central character in the drama of scripture.

As always, I’m praying for you. Please reach out if I can be of service.

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This article is part of an ongoing series for elders who are leading their churches through gender inclusion processes. Find the rest of the series here.