Article 3 of 6 | Dear Sister: Your Place in Christ's Church
by Dr. Timothy Mann
Let’s be honest about something: a lot of people assume that if the pastoral office belongs to men, women must be sidelined everywhere else in the Bible’s story. Nothing could be further from the truth. Open your Bible almost anywhere and you will find women doing significant, Spirit-empowered ministry.
Miriam helped lead Israel in worship. Deborah served her nation with courage and wisdom in a moment of real crisis. Hannah prayed with a faith so deep it became a model for generations, a prayer so theologically rich it shaped the language Mary herself would later use to praise God. Abigail acted with discernment and prevented bloodshed her own husband’s folly nearly caused. Ruth displayed covenant loyalty that still moves readers thousands of years later. Esther risked her life for her people, knowing the cost.
And then the New Testament opens with Mary receiving the angel’s announcement with humble faith, becoming the mother of our Lord. Elizabeth testified to God’s work the moment she saw it. Anna worshiped, prayed, and spoke of the Redeemer to anyone who would listen. Women followed Jesus, supported His ministry from their own resources, stood near the cross when most of the men had fled, and became the first witnesses of the empty tomb. Think about that for a moment: the first people entrusted with resurrection news were women.
The Early Church Kept the Pattern Going
This did not stop once the church was born. Priscilla helped instruct Apollos more accurately, working alongside her husband Aquila (Acts 18). Phoebe served the church at Cenchrea so well that Paul commended her warmly by name, calling her a diakonos, a servant or minister of the church (Romans 16:1). Lois and Eunice shaped young Timothy through sincere faith and careful knowledge of Scripture. Lydia opened her home and helped establish a gospel witness in Philippi, becoming the anchor of the first European church Paul ever planted. Older women were instructed to teach what is good and train younger women in faithful living (Titus 2:3-5).
These are not minor footnotes. They are essential expressions of gospel ministry, and any church that overlooks them has misread its own Bible. I have pastored long enough to know that a church without strong, theologically serious women is a weaker church, no matter how sound its pulpit might be.
But Doesn’t Romans 16 Prove a Woman Was an Apostle?
This is where careful reading matters most. Romans 16:7 mentions Junia as being “of note among the apostles.” That phrase could mean she was well known to the apostles, or that she was notable among a broader group of sent messengers, since the New Testament sometimes uses “apostle” in that wider missionary sense. Even granting the strongest possible reading of that verse, the text never says Junia held the local church office of pastor. Notability and office are not the same thing, and collapsing them does no favors to Junia or to Scripture.
The same care applies to Phoebe. The word diakonos is used broadly across the New Testament, and Paul’s commendation of her is genuinely warm. But the passage does not place her in the governing and teaching office described in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. We can honor exactly what the text honors without asking it to say more than it says, and we lose nothing by being precise about what Scripture actually claims.
Here is what I want you to take from all of this:
God has never treated women as an afterthought in His redemptive story.
He used them to lead, to pray, to teach, to risk everything, and to carry the first news of His Son’s resurrection. The same Spirit who filled Deborah and emboldened Esther is the Spirit who indwells you. The question was never whether your gifts are real. The question is how they are exercised faithfully within the order Christ has given His church, and that is worth getting right.
I would rather a woman in my own congregation know the stories of Deborah and Phoebe by heart than know how to answer every objection raised against them. Knowing the doctrine matters. Knowing the women Scripture actually celebrates matters just as much, and it tends to settle far more hearts than argument alone ever could.
Application, Reflection, and a Next Step
Spend time this week reading the stories of Deborah, Esther, or Phoebe in their full context, not just the verse most often quoted. Ask: what specific courage or faithfulness did God draw out of this woman, and where is He asking something similar of me?
Consider sharing one of these stories with a younger woman in your church who needs to see that Scripture takes women seriously. Bring any lingering questions about Junia or Phoebe to a trusted pastor rather than letting them sit unresolved.
Next in this series: What About a Woman Who Feels Called to Pastor?.
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If you missed the beginning of our series "Dear Sister: Your Place in Christ's Church Matters” find the article links below
Read Article 1: Dear Sister, Your Place in Christ's Church Matters
Read Article 2: Equal in Worth, Different in Calling
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Bible have examples of women leaders?
Yes. Deborah led Israel through a national crisis, Miriam helped lead worship, and Phoebe served as a trusted minister of the church at Cenchrea (Judges 4-5; Exodus 15:20-21; Romans 16:1). None of these examples place a woman in the pastoral office, but they show God using women in significant, public ministry.
Was Junia a female apostle in the Bible?
Romans 16:7 calls Junia “of note among the apostles,” which likely means she was well known among a broader group of messengers, since the New Testament sometimes uses “apostle” in that wider sense. Even on the strongest reading, the text does not assign her the local church office of pastor.
What does diakonos mean in Romans 16:1 about Phoebe?
Diakonos can mean servant or minister and is used broadly across the New Testament. Phoebe was clearly a trusted, significant servant of the church whom Paul commended warmly, but the term does not place her in the governing and teaching office of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
Did women have any role in Jesus’ ministry?
A substantial one. Women supported Jesus’ ministry, remained near the cross when most of His male disciples had scattered, and became the first witnesses of His resurrection, entrusted with the very first resurrection news (Luke 8:1-3; John 20:1-18).