When Women Are Already Leading: What the Global Church Is Showing Us

Many Western churches are currently wrestling with questions about women and leadership. Yet beyond our own context, something deeply encouraging has been happening across the global Church that is worth considering.

We often celebrate the growth of the Gospel across the world. We support mission initiatives, partner with global faith movements, and rejoice in stories of lives transformed. But it is worth honestly asking: are we listening closely enough to how that growth is actually happening?

Writers such as Terran Williams have pointed out that in many parts of the world, women are not on the margins of Gospel work. Across regions in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, women have been evangelising, discipling new believers, establishing prayer movements, leading churches, and helping entire communities encounter Christ.

While observing what is happening in the global Church does not, on its own, settle theological questions for many in the West. These realities should invite us to look again, carefully and prayerfully, at how we understand and apply God’s Word.

If God is clearly using women in the spread of the Gospel globally, what might it mean for how we recognise, trust, and make space for the voices of women within our own churches? Do women’s voices actually present a threat to Gospel growth? Or could silencing women’s voices be restricting the spread of the Gospel throughout the world? It is important to acknowledge that faithful Christians have come to different conclusions on these questions. If you have been taught that encouraging women’s voices risks unfaithfulness to Scripture, it is understandable that this conversation may feel uncomfortable. But for those who are struggling with this issue, it is time to consider afresh whether making space for women to speak, serve, and lead in ways that reflect their gifts might be part of our obedience to Christ.

Reflecting on how God is using women globally to grow His Church is not about forcing cultural trends into churches here. It is about recognising where the Spirit of God is already at work and having the humility to consider what we can learn from this.

When qualified and respected women’s voices are absent from leadership spaces, the Church can become less able to see clearly. Important perspectives are missing, and at times harm experienced by women is not fully recognised or addressed. It is important to acknowledge that not all churches that limit women’s leadership do so in ways that cause harm. Many are led by those who genuinely seek to care well for women in their communities. But, where any structure results in voices being unheard or harm being overlooked, it is wise for the Church to consider whether something needs to change.

This matters because Scripture is not silent about leaders who allow those in their care to be harmed. In Ezekiel 34:10 (NIV), God speaks with striking clarity against shepherds who misuse their power: “I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock … I will rescue my flock from their mouths.” This is not a mild correction but a declaration that God Himself stands against leadership that harms rather than protects.

Jesus echoes this concern in His ministry. In passages such as Matthew 23 and Mark 12, He warns about religious leaders who appear outwardly devout but block access to the kingdom and exploit the vulnerable: “They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely” (Mark 12:40).

These are not comfortable words, but they reveal something essential about the heart of God. He is not silent about the misuse of spiritual authority, particularly where it impacts the vulnerable. If women are being excluded from leadership spaces where they could help in teaching and protecting the vulnerable, this is significant.

Jesus did not sideline women in His ministry. In a culture where their voices were often minimised, He spoke with women publicly, welcomed them among His close followers, and entrusted them with truth.

If the Church is to reflect Christ faithfully, then both our theology and our structures must align with His character.

A Church that listens to respected women’s voices in leadership is better equipped to recognise harm, care for the vulnerable, and participate fully in God’s mission. Where those voices are limited, the Church’s vision can become narrower. Do our current interpretations and applications of Scripture lead us toward justice, truth, and the protection of the vulnerable, or have they, in practice, been used to justify the silencing of women and the overlooking of harm? These questions are not only about church structure, ministry, and theology; they are also deeply personal. For women reading this who have been silenced or wounded within church spaces, it is important to acknowledge how this has impacted you.

God sees you. God grieves the harm that has happened. And God’s Word speaks strongly against those who have misused their authority to harm you, or have allowed this harm to happen.

Your voice is not an interruption to God’s work. It is one of the ways He carries it forward. Your insight, your discernment, your lived experience, and your faithfulness in church communities are not secondary contributions. They are gifts given by God for the building up of His Church. If you have been made to feel dismissed, manipulated, or spiritually unsafe, it is important to say this clearly: that is not a reflection of your value in God’s kingdom, nor is it the heart of Christ toward you. Jesus consistently drew near to women, not as problems to manage, but as people to honour, restore, and include. He listened to them. He affirmed them. He defended them with wisdom and insight. He entrusted truth to them. And He welcomed them as participants in His mission. So, what might faithfulness look like for women who have been harmed or silenced?

• For some, it may mean finding the courage to speak when your voice has been quietened.

• For others, it may mean seeking out a safe and healthy church community where you can grow and have your spiritual gifts used.

• For some, it may be a quiet but firm refusal to stay in environments where harm is allowed, minimised, or ignored.

• And for others still, it may mean continuing to serve faithfully, while holding onto the truth of your God-given worth and calling.

And perhaps, for many, it may also mean widening your view of the Church.

Across the world, women are faithfully sharing the gospel, discipling others, leading communities, and helping the Church grow in places where faith is costly. Their leadership is bearing real fruit. Their stories are not distant; they are part of the same body of Christ to which you belong. There is encouragement in learning from one another across cultures: listening, praying, and recognising that God’s work is often bigger and more diverse than we expect. If you have been harmed in faith spaces, remember:

Remaining close to Jesus does not require remaining in places where His character is not reflected. Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Any deception in churches, or cloaking of harm under spiritual language, is abhorrent to God. True spiritual fruit is found where truth is sought, and ministry is conducted in humble, faithful love and service.

Do not shrink back as a woman of faith or withdraw from connection. Instead, seek out a church or faith group where you can move forward, be encouraged, and encourage others to grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus. Your faithfulness matters. Your presence matters. Your voice matters.

And as the Church continues to grow across the world, remember that you are not outside of that story. God sees you as a purposeful part of it.

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A Sample of Articles about Women in Christian Church Leadership Globally

Williams, T. (2023, September 24). The women who are reaching the world for Christ. Terran Williams. terranwilliams.com

African Leadership 

Anglican News. (2021). Canon Emily Onyango becomes first female Anglican bishop in East and Central Africa. https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2021/01/canon-emily-awino-onyango-becomes-first-female-anglican-bishop-in-east-and-central-africa.aspx

Anglican News. (2024). Historic meeting of Africa’s Anglican women bishops held in Kenya. Historic meeting of Africa’s Anglican women bishops held in Kenya – CAWLRA 

Kgatle, M. S. (2019). A remarkable woman in African Independent Churches: Examining Christina Nku’s leadership in St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission. https://scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1017-04992019000100001

Vox Divinity. (2021, March 8). 9 African women theologians you should know about. divinity.edu.au

Pacific Church Leadership

Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (2023). Pacific women taking on church leadership roles. https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/pacific-women-taking-on-church-leadership-roles/102352034

Vision Christian Media. (2022, November 11). How women in the Pacific are rising in church leadership. vision.org.au

Women’s Ministry in China

Xin, Y. (2017). Deborah Xu: The story of a catalytic leader in the Chinese house church movement. WCIU Journal. https://wciujournal.wciu.edu/area-studies/2018/10/4/deborah-xu-the-story-of-a-catalytic-leader-in-the-chinese-house-church-movement 

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Philippa Cleall is a professional counsellor who has been a committed Christian for over 30 years. She has attended churches over past decades in different denominations and continents of the world. She supports a number of Christian young women in African countries to allow them to complete their secondary and tertiary education. Her hope is that Christian churches globally might continue to understand the responsibility they have to faithfully protect those God has entrusted to their care. www.philippacleall.com