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Should women be ordained? What did our church say in 1885? Below was found in the 1885 Signs of the Times Articles, Vol. 3 (1893-1898):



QUESTION CORNER

No. 176. Who Should be Church Officers?

Should women be elected to offices in the church when there are enough brethren?

If by this is meant the office of elder, we should say at once, No. But there are offices in the church which women can fill acceptably, and oftentimes there are found sisters in the church who are better qualified for this than brethren, such offices, for instance as church clerk, treasurer, librarian of the tract society, etc., as well as the office of deaconess, assisting the deacons in looking after the poor, and in doing such other duties as would naturally fall to their lot. The qualifications for church elder are set forth in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and in Titus 1:7-9. We do not believe that it is in God’s plan to give to women the ordained offices of the church. By this we do not mean to depreciate their labors, service, or devotion. The sphere of woman is equal to that of man. She was made a help meet, or fit, for man, but that does not mean that her sphere is identical to that of man’s. The interests of the church and the world generally would be better served if the distinctions given in God’s word were regarded.



Taken from: The Signs of the Times Vol. 21, No. 4 (p. 181) Written Jan. 24, 1895. I assume was written by the then known Editor of the Signs of the Times magazine. There is an article written by Ellen White printed right beside this “Question Corner” question and answer and as far as I can tell, no one argued the point made about women’s ordination from Mrs. White herself or anyone that I know of.

(Bolded part by me--the rest is as it was written in the Signs)

There seems to be a huge misunderstanding about women and ministry. They can preach and teach all they want. They can do colporteur work and Bible work and much more without being ordained. They can fulfill the Joel 2 prophecy for the last days without ordination. God chooses whom He will to work for Him. Mrs. White was not ordained and she was a last=day prophet with a very important work to do. She did not seek ordination.

Those who clamor that they must be ordained are not worthy of ordination in the first place. God chooses whom He will and if they were really interested in saving souls for the Kingdom, they would quietly work for the Lord where He calls them without ordination.

I believe Satan is using this ordination question to divert our attention from getting ready for Jesus to come. Probation is closing fast and yet many go from one hot topic to another within the church as if this is their only interest.

You would do better to prepare your souls for eternity, for probation is closing and may have already closed for some.

Some would use the statement from the Review & Herald Articles, January 15, 1901 "It is the accompaniment of the Holy Spirit of God that prepares workers, both men and women, to become pastors to the flock of God" to say that yes, Sister White endorses women's ordination.

But in reading the whole article, it is easily seen that it is written about canvassers, not those of ordained ministers. And even then, nothing is said about the actual ordination at all.

Whenever someone presents a quote to you, it never hurts to look it up and see the context of which it is written.

Below is the whole paragraph:

"All who wish an opportunity for true ministry, and who will give themselves unreservedly to God, will find in the canvassing work opportunities to speak upon many things pertaining to the future immortal life. The experience thus gained will be of the greatest value to those who are fitting themselves for the work of the ministry. It is the accompaniment of the Holy Spirit of God that prepares workers, both men and women, to become pastors to the flock of God. As they cherish the thought that Christ is their Companion, a holy awe, a sacred joy, will be felt by them amid all their trying experiences and all their tests. They will learn how to pray as they work. They will become education....." The paragraphs before and after these one are all about the ministry of colporteur work.