Different by Design: Susan Hunt

[Courtney Tarter is a former member of Bethlehem Baptist Church and prepared the following blog summary at the request of Desiring God Ministries.  In addition to contributing to GenderBlog, she also posts at In View of God's Mercy. - David Kotter]

This post summarizes Susan Hunt's presentation at the Different by Design conference on February 4, 2007.  Dr. J. Ligon Duncan spoke first about the biblical and theological foundation of women's ministry in the local church and how that relates to the pastoral ministry of the church. 

Susan Hunt, a pastor's wife and the Women in the Church Consultant for the PCA, followed Duncan's presentation with practical applications for women's ministry in the local church.  She brought a wealth of life experience and wisdom to her talk based on her years of ministry to women.  From Duncan's biblical foundations, Hunt gave an apologetic of womanhood practically played out in five different ways: submission, compassion, community, discipleship, and scripture.

These principles sought to answer the five questions posed in the book Women's Ministry in the Local Church. Understanding biblical womanhood to manifest itself in "life-giving" rather than "life-taking," she unpacked these five principles by pointing to the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus).

1. In submission, women must follow the ecclesiastical leadership that God has given them. The women's ministry must be submitted to the male leadership for approval, but so must every other discipleship ministry. We also see the qualifications for male headship in that women are called to submit to godly leaders not tyrants. This should be seen as a security for women, not a hindrance.
2. A vibrant women's ministry can come alongside the diaconal ministries of the church because they are compassionate in this way.
3. When a women's ministry is characterized by community we see what it means to truly be the family of God. The widows in the New Testament were credentialed by a life of the ordinary stuff that makes covenant community life extraordinary.
4. Gender specific discipleship, as seen in Titus 2:3-5, is so important because we would never on our own come to an understanding of what it means to be a life-giver. Gender specific discipleship that focuses on principles about what God says about our womanhood must be taught because women are hearing something in the culture and what they are hearing is not God's way.
5. In 2 Timothy 3:2-17 we see that Timothy's mother and grandmother taught him the Scriptures from infancy. Here we see the principles of the foundation and sufficiency of Scripture. If there are core biblical principles women's ministry can be your greatest delight for men and women. If not, then it will be your worst nightmare.

The conference session ended with questions from the audience. It was encouraging to see men and women desiring to know God and make him known in their churches. May they continue to press on and teach godly manhood and womanhood to their congregations, for the glory of God and the joy of his people.

Listen to Susan Hunt's message along with a host of other free resources for your edification and the building of the local church.