@Olamide @bethany @MaryMamuzich

There's ministry and there's ministers, although lead elder would be closer to the biblical position

I'm with Bethany there - on the matter of the word used

But I take the literal biblical view on the idea of ministers and preachers

At secondary school I forced myself to think that women could be ministers. But the more I read scripture, and I've met many women vicars over the years, the more I believe that what scripture teaches is what we're supposed to go with

Any argument for women to be preachers/ministers that I've read is always so very complicated and long: I get lost trying to understand the argument of the person writing it

It isn't a popular view I'm sure, but while I'm deeply passionate about ministry being something we should all do, I also believe God set aside certain people for certain functions

If we place value on those functions we'll easily get into arguments.