At his annual State of the Church Sermon on January 5, 2020 Pastor Frank shared that SLCC will ordain five women to serve as deacons. Here is the church’s official statement on gender roles in SLCC:
We believe that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, New Living Translation). The Bible provides examples and principles that give us insight into how we should live out our faith.
The controversy surrounding gender roles in the church often arises from efforts to determine when a scriptural example or principle applies to all cultures and when it applies only to the culture for which it was originally written. Additional debate occurs due to differing views on translation and interpretation.
When it comes to spiritual authority, we believe God's Word gives only one clear and distinct restriction of a gender-specific role in the church. The elder overseers of the church are to be males (1Timothy 3, Titus 1:6). They exercise spiritual authority and accountability over the congregation just as Jesus does to the church. They serve and lead in spiritual growth.
We are all servants. The Greek word that is translated as the English word servant is the same word that is transliterated as the English word deacon. In Acts 6, some men were set apart to serve as deacons, and Paul prescribed qualifications for deacons in his letter to Timothy. (1Timothy 3) His instructions to Timothy regarding deacons were not as specific with regard to gender as his instructions to Timothy regarding elders.
After prayer and study of the scripture, the Elders have concluded that the role of deacon is not restricted to men only. We will, therefore, consider appointing as deacons qualified men and women who have the desire to do so and who meet the scriptural qualifications outlined for service as a deacon.