For a woman to perform a wedding ceremony? I have read the Bible a few times and haven’t ever seen anything saying a woman could not perform weddings. So what say you? Back it up if you can. Thanks

off the top of my head i dont recall seeing anything about women performing weddings

the only thing I can think of is women are not supposed to lead a church or be pastors... but can lead womens only Bible studies and such

ill have to look around on that one

good question

offroadaz wrote:
the only thing I can think of is women are not supposed to lead a church or be pastors...

This is the part that is causing an argument... To do the wedding a person needs to be ordained. Being ordained is not the same thing as being a pastor... is it?

The only verse I know that references this is 1 Timothy 2:12

sweathog wrote:The only verse I know that references this is 1 Timothy 2:12

But would a woman be in a teaching/ preaching position over a man if they are doing a wedding?

Was talking to one of my friends about it over email and this is what he had to say:

The problem is, usually, that people don't clearly separate their concept of a civil union between two adults and "marriage". As I see it, marriage isn't ultimately something that anyone can "do". It's something that God does. Marriage unites two people together and shows us tangibly what the relationship between Christ and the Church is, and what the interior life of the Trinity looks like. It is God bringing together two souls in union. There is an important aspect of making vows/covenants, but again this is meant ultimately to point our attention back to God.

A marriage contract or civil union on the other hand is something different. The reality is that, as with every secular participation in Christianity, marriage has real, positive benefits for individuals and society. So societies have constructed a contractual relationship which looks very much like Christian marriage, because it tends to be positive for everyone involved. But the State has no authority to regulate marriage anymore than it can regulate public worship. It can uphold and regulate contracts between persons.

Now, it sounds like what she is planning on doing is performing as an ad hoc Justice of the Peace (I didn't know you could do that AZ, but I know you can get a one day permission in CA). She isn't performing a marriage per se, but rather a wedding ceremony - a very stylized and formal contract signing, if you will.

So I don't see any problem here. Things get a little muddier if this is intended to be a Christian marriage, because I would say that, as with all rites of the Church, this ought to be performed by a pastor. But it doesn't sound like this is the case, so I really don't see any problem with it.

Not saying he is correct but he offers some great points that I had not thought of.