church was that each member had the same rights and duties. Each member, whether male or female, had a calling and a task, and was to be ready and responsible for service. Women were therefore included, although on the basis of Scripture Calvin saw no ground for admitting them to the offices of pastor or elder. According to him, the divine and natural orders required that a woman should teach her family at home privately but should not teach publicly in the church. Calvin’s struggles with the texts