Is there any verse, to your knowledge, that prohibits women from ever teaching men in an assembly of any kind? I know she can’t teach from a position of authority such as an elder, deacon, preacher, evangelist, etc. And, I know that she can’t usurp authority over a man, but can she teach men in any type of church assembly?<\/p>\n
I have been studying this and it seems that some like Coffman, McGarvey, and few others feel it isn’t prohibited unless she is trying to teach from a position of authority as I mentioned earlier. Coffman uses Acts 18:26 as an example: “So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”<\/p>\n\t
“A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet<\/em>” (I Timothy 2:11-12).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Paul is stating that a woman is not to teach\u00a0or<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0exercise authority over a man. Teaching is by its very nature a form of exercising authority. It does not mean a woman cannot participate in a class or contribute to a class. The word Paul used does not mean absolute silence but a non-assertive approach, such as in II Thessalonians 3:12 where the same word is used.<\/p>\n
In the worship assembly, women are not allowed to speak. “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church<\/em>” (I Corinthians 14:34-35). Here a woman is not allowed to address the assembly. She can participate with the assembly, such as in singing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), but speaking to the group is not allowed during worship.<\/p>\n
In the case of Priscilla, she was teaching with her husband Aquila, in private. It was not in public, nor was it in a church assembly. “But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,\u00a0they took him aside<\/strong>\u00a0and explained to him the way of God more accurately<\/em>” (Acts 18:26). Private teaching is not viewed as a position of authority like public teaching.<\/p>\n\t
Response:<\/h2>\n
Thanks so much!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Is there any verse, to your knowledge, that prohibits women from ever teaching men in an assembly of any kind? I know she can’t teach from a position of authority such as an elder, deacon, preacher, evangelist, etc. And, I know that she can’t usurp authority over a man, but can she teach men…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[451,82],"class_list":["post-37451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-teaching","tag-womens-roles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9114,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-command-for-a-woman-not-to-teach-only-apply-to-the-assembly\/","url_meta":{"origin":37451,"position":0},"title":"Does the command for a woman not to teach only apply to the assembly?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have some questions regarding I Timothy 2:11-12. Are these verses concerning a woman learning and teaching general commands or are they specific to the assembly? What, in the context, determines this? Further, I am no Greek scholar. Those who are familiar with the Greek, what is the proper\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94383,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/may-a-woman-ever-teach-a-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":37451,"position":1},"title":"May a Woman Ever Teach a Man?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jimmy Ferguson There is much error taught and practiced in the brotherhood today regarding women teaching men. In some places, women are allowed and even encouraged to speak in public assemblies and to teach classes where both men and women are present. Some brethren have swung far to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93630,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-role-of-women-in-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":37451,"position":2},"title":"The Role of Women in the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above The role of women in society has changed dramatically in recent years.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Some changes have been good, but many have not.\u00a0 Societal changes eventually filter into the church.\u00a0 Renewed discussion is occurring on this issue, and some are contending for an expanded role\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91609,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-for-a-woman-to-teach-on-a-social-media-platform\/","url_meta":{"origin":37451,"position":3},"title":"Is it wrong for a woman to teach on a social media platform?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, Thank you for taking the time to view my question. My question is in regards to the topic of women teaching. I completely understand it is not a woman's right to lead any assembly in terms of worship or to try and exercise authority over men in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8943,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-i-timothy-211-12-only-apply-to-the-assembly\/","url_meta":{"origin":37451,"position":4},"title":"Does I Timothy 2:11-12 only apply to the assembly?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 8, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What is your opinion regarding Paul's instruction to Timothy regarding women in I Timothy 2? Is this instruction specific to the assembly or is it more general in nature? For example, some teach that a woman cannot hold a place of authority over a man in any situation, i.e.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8097,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-woman-teach-a-man-in-private\/","url_meta":{"origin":37451,"position":5},"title":"Can a woman teach a man in private?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 13, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: One of our lady members has a sister and brother-in-law who are not members of the church. She asked her brother-in-law if he would study with me. He told her, \"No!\" Only with herself and his wife. 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