Calvary Brighton’s Position on the Ordination of Women
The topic of women in ministry has sparked great debate and discussion. It now involves the Calvary Chapel Movement.
On November 1, 2026, Char Brodersen, current pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, announced during his sermon series on men and women that Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa “believes and practices the ordination of both men and women to pastoral ministry as a recognition of the priesthood of all believers.”
Because Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa was the epicenter of the Jesus Revolution and birthplace of the Calvary Chapel Movement, this announcement has sent shock waves around the world. Many people are now asking, “Do all Calvary Chapel Churches believe in the ordination of women?”
In his announcement, Char, Chuck Smith’s grandson, called the ordination of women a “secondary issue.” He’s correct; this is not an issue of salvation. It is not considered among the “essentials of the Christian faith.” However, it clearly departs from the values and distinctives held by most Calvary Chapel churches, as taught by Calvary Chapel’s founder, Chuck Smith.
We are not changing our relationship with the broader Calvary Chapel family of churches, including the Calvary Chapel Association and Calvary Global Network. As a result of this departure, the leadership of Calvary Brighton (myself and the Elders/Board of Directors) has chosen to end its affiliation with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. This decision means we no longer share the same convictions about the ordination of women as the leadership of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.
The beauty of the Calvary Chapel movement is that we are not a denomination but rather an affiliation or family of like-minded churches. Each Calvary Chapel is independently governed. These churches’ leadership is free to make decisions as the Lord leads them.
Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, under the leadership of its new Pastor Char Brodersen, is free to change their long-held views regarding the ordination of women; that’s their choice. However, that choice means we are no longer “like-minded” on this issue. To be clear, they are still a biblical, Christ-centered church, led by godly, spirit-filled leaders who love Jesus. We are all part of the same body of Christ, which remains unchanged. What has changed is their view of a woman’s role in church leadership, and that unfortunately has changed our affiliation with them.
What is Calvary Brighton’s view on the role of women in church leadership?
We believe God has given spiritual gifts to both men and women, and that women can serve and lead in a variety of church ministries. However, we believe the office of elder or pastor, carrying that governing responsibility, is reserved for biblically qualified men.
The main Scripture that is quoted when looking at this subject is 1Tim 2:11-12, where the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy, saying, “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.”
Before we break down these verses, I need to throw a couple of Seminary terms at you. Those terms are “complementarianism” and “egalitarianism.” Let me give you a very simple layman’s definition of these terms:
Complementarianism can be defined as “men and women were both created by God, in His image, and thus they are equal in value, dignity and worth. But they have different or distinct roles to fulfill in their families and in their local church. However, men and women complement each other in their roles.”
Egalitarianism is the view that “God created men and women in His image and therefore they are equal in value, dignity and worth. They believe that spiritual gifts, character, and calling—not gender—should determine eligibility for leadership and ministry roles in the church.”
Having defined these terms, we hold a complementarian view, typically within the “tribe” of Calvary Chapel (meaning the almost 2,000 Calvarys internationally). However, within the Calvary movement, there is a lot of variety in how we view complementarianism. Some describe themselves as holding a more restrictive, or “hard,” complementarian position, while others describe themselves as holding a less restrictive, or “soft,” complementarian position.
Those who hold a more restrictive view may limit women’s opportunities to teach or speak publicly during a church service where men could be present.
Those holding a less restrictive view, like myself, generally reserve the governing office of elder or pastor for qualified men while encouraging women to serve in a wide variety of teaching, leadership, and ministry roles.
Now, let’s take a look at what Paul instructed Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:11–12. We need to keep in mind that every passage has a context.
In the context of Paul’s instructions on the roles of women in the church, we should note that earlier, in verses 9 and 10, Paul instructed the women in Timothy’s church to dress modestly, “with propriety and moderation” (1 Timothy 2:9 NKJV).
Then Paul goes on to say:
“Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.” (1 Timothy 2:11–12 NKJV)
Now, remember, Timothy was ministering in Ephesus, a church struggling with false teaching and problems concerning conduct and order within the congregation. It’s certainly possible that some of these issues influenced the behavior of certain women in the church.
But I want you to notice something interesting about the original Greek language. The word translated “silence” in verses 11 and 12 is the Greek word hēsychia.
Now, this word does not necessarily mean complete silence or the absolute absence of speech. Rather, it can describe a quiet, peaceful, and orderly disposition.
In fact, Paul uses this same Greek word in 2 Thessalonians 3:12 when he instructs believers to work “in quietness” and eat their own bread.
Obviously, Paul wasn’t telling these believers that they could never speak while working! He was addressing how they were to conduct themselves.
Interestingly, elsewhere in Scripture Paul uses another Greek word, sigaō, when specifically instructing someone to stop speaking, as he does in 1 Corinthians 14:28 and 30. So, we need to be careful about interpreting Paul’s words here as though he were saying that women should never utter a word in church.
After all, in 1 Corinthians 11:5, Paul acknowledges women praying and prophesying. And in Acts 18:26, we see Priscilla, along with her husband Aquila, helping Apollos understand the way of God more accurately. Clearly, women had meaningful speaking and teaching ministries in the early church.
But now notice something else.
When Paul says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man,” the Greek word translated “have authority” is authenteō.
This is a relatively rare Greek word, and scholars have debated its precise meaning. Some understand it simply as exercising authority, while others believe it carries a more negative sense of dominating or improperly assuming authority.
But here’s an important distinction I don’t want us to miss.
There is a difference between a woman participating in the ministry of the church and a woman occupying the office of authoritative teaching and spiritual oversight over the congregation.
And I believe that’s an important distinction when we interpret this passage alongside the rest of Paul’s instructions concerning church leadership.
In fact, in the very next chapter, 1 Timothy 3, Paul begins outlining the qualifications for those who would serve as overseers, or elders, within the church.
When we examine these instructions together, including Paul’s appeal to the creation account in 1 Timothy 2:13–14, I believe we see a biblical pattern in which God entrusts the responsibility for governing and shepherding the local church to qualified men whom He has called to that position.
But that does not mean women are prohibited from speaking, sharing, teaching in appropriate settings, or exercising the spiritual gifts God has given them.
In the New Testament, we see several examples of women co-laboring in ministry with Paul.
For example, in Romans 16:1–2, the Apostle Paul commends a woman named Phoebe, whom he describes as a diakonos of the church in Cenchreae. The Greek word diakonos can mean servant, minister, or deacon. Although scholars debate whether Phoebe held the formal office of deacon, what is clear is that Paul recognized and commended her ministry.
Likewise, in Romans 16:7, Paul says, “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles” (NLT). Language scholars debate whether this means they were both apostles or well known among the apostles. Although scholars debate whether Junia herself was an apostle, Paul clearly recognizes her as a respected fellow believer who had suffered for the gospel.
Finally, in Acts 18:24-26, Priscilla and her husband Aquila took Apollos aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. Here we see a woman participating in the doctrinal instruction of a man who was already an eloquent teacher of Scripture.
Calvary Brighton’s Position
At Calvary Brighton, we believe God has gifted both men and women for ministry, and we want to encourage every believer to discover and use those gifts for His glory.
That’s why, at Calvary Brighton, you will see both men and women sharing their faith, praying for others, leading worship, teaching classes, leading small groups, and overseeing various ministries. You will see both men and women serving in leadership positions with titles such as “Director of Ministry” or “Ministry Coordinator.” And yes, you may occasionally see a gifted woman share her testimony or be a guest speaker during one of our Sunday services.
Now, I recognize that some Christians who share our complementarian convictions would disagree with allowing a woman to teach during a Sunday morning service. And I respect their interpretation of Scripture. However, at Calvary Brighton, we distinguish between an elder’s responsibility to provide ongoing, authoritative teaching and spiritual oversight for the congregation and the opportunity for a spiritually gifted woman to occasionally share a message under our elders’ oversight.
We believe that distinction is consistent with the broader testimony of Scripture, where women were encouraged to exercise their spiritual gifts. At the same time, the church maintained an established pattern of spiritual leadership.
We believe the office of elder or pastor, carrying that governing responsibility, is reserved for biblically qualified men; this is based on our understanding of passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11–14, 1 Timothy 3:1–7, and Titus 1:5–9.
This is the complementarian position that Calvary Brighton has embraced and will continue to uphold.
But let me be equally clear about something. We do not believe that men are more valuable, more spiritual, more gifted, or more important to the Kingdom of God than women.
We believe men and women are equally created in the image of God, equally loved by God, equally redeemed through Jesus Christ, and equally empowered by the Holy Spirit for ministry.
We simply believe that God has established certain distinctions in how those gifts and callings are exercised within the leadership of His church.
And while we recognize that other faithful, Bible-believing Christians may interpret these passages differently, we remain committed to following Scripture as faithfully as we understand it.
So, although we respectfully disagree with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa concerning the ordination of women to the office of pastor or elder, we continue to recognize them as brothers and sisters in Christ.
We can disagree without being disagreeable. We can hold firmly to our convictions without questioning another believer’s sincerity. And we can stand on what we believe Scripture teaches while continuing to love those who understand it differently.
At Calvary Brighton, our mission remains unchanged:
Know Jesus, Grow in His Word, and Go tell others about Him.
And we need every man and every woman whom God has called to help fulfill that mission.