The Husband of One Wife Argument

for men-only in leadership

The Argument: “In 1 Timothy 3, the qualifications for an elder or overseer state that elders must be the ‘Husband of one wife'. That seems pretty clear that elders in churches can only be men.”

Counterargument 1: If someone listed the qualifications for being on a football team and one of those qualifications was being a man, they would say, “Players must be men.” Not “Players must be husbands of one wife.” Likewise, if marriage were a requirement for being on the team, they would say, “Players must be married.” Not “Players must be husbands of one wife.” Thus, it seems that Paul is emphasizing that if a man is married and wishes to be an elder, he must be monogamous and heterosexual.

Counterargument 2: 1 Timothy 3:12 uses the same phrasing to describe deacons. “Let deacons be the husband of one wife” (ESV). We know that Paul names Phoebe as a deaconess in Romans 16:1. Therefore, he must not use this description to mean only men may fill these positions.

Counterargument 3: While the English description of an elder or overseer in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 uses many masculine pronouns, none of these pronouns are present in the original Greek. Rather the pronouns used are: anyone and one’s own.

Counterargument 4: The qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3:4 include someone who can manage his household. 1 Timothy 5:14 describes women as household managers. According to Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon, “A woman’s management and leadership in the home included the proactive practice of hospitality in teaching, hosting house churches, caring for needs . . . and evangelizing”¹ (Westfall, 163-4).

To read more arguments and counterarguments, click on the links below:

1. Westfall, Cynthia Long. Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostles Vision for Men and Women in Christ. (Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan: 2016).

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