Women in Leadership

GOOD GOVERNMENT …women in leadership

Cell Matters

OPENING QUESTIONS:

1. Have you ever experienced the proverbial ‘glass ceiling’ in your career?  If so, how did it affect you?
2. Do you believe that such a ‘glass ceiling’ exists within the church?  Why or why not?

DIGGING DEEPER:

1. READ Acts 2:17-21 & Galatians 3:26-29.
2. Looking at the Acts passage, who is Peter preaching to and why?
3. Peter is quoting the Old Testament prophet Joel. (Joel 2:28-32)  Peter is speaking to a male dominated culture.  How do you think his audience received the message that men and women would prophesy? (look at verse 37)
4. What does it mean to ‘prophesy’?
5. Looking at the Galatians passage, how are Jews, Greeks, slaves and freemen, men and women supposed to treat one another?
6. Does this mean that men and women are the same?  Why or why not?  (note: It is possible to be equal and be different.) 
7. How well do you think the church does at living up to this ideal?  Why?

GETTING PERSONAL:

1. To the ladies, have you ever felt suppressed in the church?  How so?
2. What can men do to open the way for you in the church?

HEALING PRAYER:

            This would be a great time for the men to pray a prayer of blessing over the ladies. God could use this to bring some real healing to the wounds that women have experienced in our culture at the hands of bad teaching regarding the genders.