Since folks are talking about it...
Biological motherhood within the church =/= spiritual motherhood of & for the church.
Biological motherhood within the church =/= spiritual motherhood of & for the church.
Both are beautiful. Both are lifegiving. Both call us into a greater reality for purposes beyond our own self-fulfillment. But one cannot replace the other. And they are not necessarily dependent on each other.
A woman may be called to one or both & will exercise her calling out of deeper resources of faithfulness, service, & love for God & others. But while similar modes of being, biological motherhood & spiritual motherhood are distinct & cannot replace each other.
So it seems self-evident to me that regardless of how conservative a church may be, it must have spiritual mothers of & for the church in order to be a healthy spiritual family. The presence of biological mothers in the assembly are not enough.