Recently, evangelical scholars have argued that the pastor plays a fatherly role in the life of a church. Building on the works of these scholars, this paper calls attention to the necessity for women to serve in a motherly role in both unofficial and official capacities in the church, a role this paper calls “spiritual mothers.” Among the many metaphors of the church, the family metaphor emphasizes an important relational dynamic. Christians relate to God as their heavenly Father who adopts them in the Son and by the Spirit. Children of God relate to each other as spiritual brothers and sisters. While still being brothers, mature Christian men should serve the church in a fatherly capacity. Similarly, mature women should serve the church in a complementary capacity as spiritual mothers. “Spiritual motherhood” can be defined as a woman who nurtures spiritual life and maturity in the lives of others. While both mature men and women can lead others to faith and help bring them to maturity, the ministries of both spiritual fathers and spiritual mothers are necessary for a healthy spiritual family. A church lacking spiritual mothers can be likened to a single-parent household. Unless one is alert to the church’s need for spiritual mothers, the blessings they offer may go under-realized. The thesis of this paper is that New Testament ecclesiology informed by a biblical theology of motherhood recognizes the concept and value of spiritual motherhood.
To defend this thesis, this paper will trace the theme of spiritual mothers in the Old Testament, beginning with Eve, and then consider spiritual motherhood in the life of Jesus and the book of Acts. Next, it will consider Paul’s concept of the church as the household of faith, which includes the participation of qualified women as spiritual mothers. In every Scriptural passage where qualifications are listed for male leaders in the church, the immediate or nearby context lists qualifications for women leaders, or spiritual mothers, in the church (Titus 1–2, 1 Tim 3, 5). The practice of the early church further supports this interpretation. The paper will affirm the need for the church to honor and support spiritual mothers and conclude with the aim of spiritual mothers, which is to work together in unity with spiritual fathers for the fruitfulness and flourishing of God’s family.