7 Christian denominations that don't allow women to serve as pastor

By CP Staff, Monday, August 14, 2023

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

The theologically conservative Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, which was established in the 19th century and presently boasts nearly 2 million members, does not ordain women pastors.

In a 2004 document titled “The Service of Women in Congregational Offices of Executive Director/President or Assistant Director/Vice President,” the LCMS outlined its objections to female pastors.

“The Scriptures clearly teach that God has given the pastoral office and the exercise of pastoral authority to men and not to women. For over nineteen centuries, Christendom has recognized this truth,” read the document, in part.

“Only during the 20th century in the West have some Protestant church bodies contradicted this truth and ordained women. While the scriptural restriction may contradict the prevailing winds of the egalitarian Zeitgeist [spirit of the time], the church belongs to Jesus Christ and not to the world.”