Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 39:3 (Summer 2025)
Article: Women, Leadership, And Ordination In The Anglican Church In Nigeria: Debating 1 Corinthians 14:26–40
Author: Mercy Uwaezuoke Chukwuedo

PP 39:3 (Summer 2025) p. 9

Women, Leadership, And Ordination In The Anglican Church In Nigeria: Debating 1 Corinthians 14:26–40

Mercy Uwaezuoke Chukwuedo

There are various views concerning Paul’s writings on women. He is seen both as a misogynist and a philogynist. When we look at Pauline texts on women, we are left with the notion that Paul was not against women leadership because he walked closely with some women. However, we can still not help but wonder if at some point his Jewish patriarchal culture may have affected him. Paul encouraged women to use their spiritual gifts for the edification of the Church. Pauline texts abound that describe women as active participants in ministry such as Rom 16:1–16, 1 Cor 11:4–16 and at the same time texts that advocate the silence of women such as 1 Tim 2:11 and 1 Cor 14:33–35. It is needful to enquire, does 1 Cor 14:26–40 require for complete silence of women? This text is used to subordinate women in some parts of Africa, including in the Anglican Communion. Various perspectives exist on how the text is being interpreted and applied. However, this paper seeks to exegete the text and find out Paul’s intention behind this text in writing to the Corinthian Church.

This paper is focused on the Anglican Communion especially the Church of Nigeria because the Anglican Communion is divided on the debate on women ordination based on scriptural texts, tradition and reason. The Anglican Communion is a religious body of national, independent and autonomous Churches throughout the world that adhere to the teachings of Anglicanism that evolved from the Church of England. In the Anglican Communion, a province is comprised of dioceses being headed by an Archbishop. It can be described as the smallest complete unit of the Anglican Church because it exists under a college of Bishops, each of whom with his clergy and laity is autonomous within a diocese. Many provinces ordain women to the three holy orders, viz; deacon, priest, and bishop. In some dioceses and provinces, women are ordained as deacons and priests and not as Bishops. Individual dioceses within provinces are left to decide into which order—the diaconate (deacons), the presbytery (presbyters or priests), or the episcopacy (bishops)—women in the pastorate should be ordained.1

In the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), women’s ordination is yet to be accepted, except as deacons with limited responsibility. Ordination is the rite by which the Church sets apart ministers, people whom it believe...