Published Thursday, Jul. 11th, 2024
American Marriage Ministries supports women’s ordination! Learn why some people believe women can’t be pastors, plus a list of denominations that ordain women.
Many religious denominations do not ordain women, restricting their ability to conduct important ceremonies like weddings. This includes several conservative Christian denominations, as well as conservative branches of otherfaiths like Islam and Orthodox Judiasm.
Related: Pope establishes new penalties for ordaining women: automatic excommunication and defrocking
That’s part of the reason why it’s so important to us here at American Marriage Ministries (AMM) to provide free ordination for women: The constitution grants particular rights to religious institutions. Historically, these institutions have discriminated against women. By removing barriers to ordination, we help make marriage and its benefits available to all people and eliminate mainstream churches as gatekeepers to this institution, by circumventing their gender discrimination.
Or to put it more simply: We’ve ordained women since our church was founded, and we always will!
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We believe that people of all genders are equal – including our trans and nonbinary friends – and should be able to perform these important religious ceremonies, especially the marriage ceremony.
Ordination through AMM provides our ministers with the same rights enjoyed by the clergy of traditional brick-and-mortar churches. In addition to conducting marriage ceremonies, our ordained ministers can also perform other important ceremonies like funerals, baptisms, and baby blessings.
Related: Southern Baptist megachurch ordains 3 women, defies SBC
We don’t discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, race, or sexual orientation. We offer ordination to people of all backgrounds, faiths, and spiritual practices, including atheists and agnostics.
All we ask is that you agree with our simple tenets: that all people have a constitutionally protected right to enter into marriage on their own terms, to choose who solemnizes their marriage, and to perform the rite of marriage.
If you want to perform weddings and other spiritual rites, and believe that all people have the right to enter into marriage on their own terms, then American Marriage Ministries might be the right choice for you!
To learn more about the ordination of women, keep reading below!
Can women be ministers? Should women be ministers? We say YESand YES. Historically, many religious institutions have discriminated against women.By removing barriers to ordination, AMM helps make marriage and its benefits available to all people,and circumventsthe gender discrimination of mainstream churches.
Why Can’t Women Be Priests?
Many religious denominations do not ordain women and don’t allow women to serve in leadership roles. This means that women are not allowed to be priests, pastors, ministers, or other clergy within these faiths. These denominations include the Roman Catholic Church; the largest denomination of Latter-day Saints (LDS); the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC); the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS); among others.
While this has been a controversial issue for decades, causing many members to leave their denomination or to begin new churches, religious leaders feel strongly about maintaining the restriction. Pope Francis and the Vatican even announced in 2021 that Catholic churches that attempted to ordain women would face automatic excommunication – a serious punishment.
These religions don’t ordain women for several reasons: they state that the practice goes against long-held cultural traditions, and that to do so would violate theological doctrine and Biblical scripture.
Are there Bible verses against women's ordination?
Conservative Christians often point to passages in The Holy Bible that appear to support their belief that women can’t be pastors or priests. These passages include 1 Corinthians 11:3 and 1 Timothy 2:11-2:15, among others. One of the most cited verses is 1 Timothy 2:12, which says “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.”
In general, these passages explore spiritual hierarchy, describe Eve as the original sinner, and also proclaim the disgrace of women having short hair; but their deeper meaning as doctrine has been debated by religious scholars for centuries.
Interestingly, there seem to be conflicting Bible texts in support of women's ordination and leadership in ministry, with Biblical experts often pointing toExod 15:20-21 (which describesMiriam the prophet's leadership role);Judges 4 and 5 (which describe Deborah, "a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leadingIsrael at that time."); and others. (via Spectrum,by the Association of Adventist Forums)
In 2022, Pope Francis described the Roman Catholic Church and women priests this way: “...The Church is more than a ministry. It is the whole people of God. The Church is woman. The Church is a spouse. Therefore, the dignity of women is mirrored in this way.” He said that although only men could serve as ordained ministry, women served other vital roles, including administrative tasks, adding that they were often “better” at these roles than men. (via Catholic News Agency)
Religious Denominations that Ordain Women
Thankfully, many religious denominations do ordain women, including American Marriage Ministries.
- Get ordained online with AMM here
A few examples include: Some branches of Islam allow women to serve as church leaders, religious teachers, and even imams. Women rabbis are becoming increasingly common in Progressive Jewish denominations, and almost all Pagan faiths embrace ordination for women. Women can become Hindu priests and priestesses, although there are not yet very many women in these roles. Women can even become fully-ordained Buddhist monks!
Related: Online Ordination for Modern Pagans: Why it’s So Important, Especially Now
Christian denominations that ordain women include the Community of Christ (the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement, also known as the LDS or Mormon Church); the United Methodist Church (UMC); most mainline Protestant denominations including the Episcopal Church (TEC), Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA); the Pentecostal denomination Assemblies of God USA; the Methodist Church; and others.
Become an Ordained Minister with American Marriage Ministries and officiate weddings!
If you feel called to serve your spiritual community and want to officiate important ceremonies like weddings, AMM might be the right place for you!
AMM is an inclusive nondenominational church that welcomes people from all backgrounds and faiths, including atheists and agnostics. We ordain and train people to perform marriage ceremonies, and offer many free and affordable options to help you officiate weddings for your friends and family members.
- Get ordained online with AMM here
- Read Our Philosophy on Marriage
- Read Our Philosophy on Ordination
Read Next:
- AMM ordains people of all faiths -- from pagans to monotheists, atheists to agnostics!
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