Disciples ordained their first woman minister, Clara Hale Babcock, in 1888, making them among the earliest Christian bodies in North America to do so. Today, women serve at all levels of ministry including senior pastor and general ministry. Egalitarianism in church leadership is a settled Disciples position and is not a matter of ongoing debate.

Disciples affirm the priesthood of all believers and understand ordination as a recognition of gifting and calling by the community rather than as the conferral of a special sacerdotal status. Both lay and ordained leadership participate in the communion service, reflecting the denomination's understanding that the whole people of God is priestly.