Women in Ministry-Examples

There are many examples in the Old Testament of women being used by God. In the New Testament there are several examples of Women in Ministry. We will not be able to cover all of them, but we take a look at some important Bible passages.

Some will argue that compared to today there are limited examples of women actively involved in ministry during the timeframe that the Scriptures were being recorded. Here is my response:
Women in Ministry
A. If you look at Jesus’ ministry on earth, Jesus was surrounded by female followers. Scripture does not say all that they did, just like it does not say all that men did when ministering with Jesus.

B. When the Gospels talk about disciples, followers, many times it does not define them by male or female. the reason is because it was a mixed group.

C. One has to understand that the concept of women being involved in religious practices, ministry, was overall unheard of before the time of Jesus. They did not receive religious training like the men, rarely were they in the synagogues. It was culturally frowned upon. That all started changing through the ministry of Jesus and certainly after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

D. During the timeframe of the Book of Acts and the Epistles you start to see a cultural shift. We will be looking at some examples.

E. As there was a cultural shift of women being actively involved in ministry, there were some challenges. In the pagan culture, compared to the Jewish culture, women were involved in cultic practices. There was immorality taking places (temple prostitution as just one example), shifting of the roles of men and women in a negative way. One of the challenges in some communities was women usurping authority over men, women rebelling against biblical submission. this explains some of the commands seen in the Epistles.

F. in spite of all the challenges, the following Bible Passages reveal that there were women involved in a variety of ministries.

Prophetesses and Women Prophesying and Spiritual Gifts
We have already covered this topic in-depth: Women in Ministry-Prophecy and Women in Ministry-Spiritual Gifts.

Women in Ministry-Jesus’ Ministry
A. There were women who were integral to providing financial and logistical support-Luke 8:1-3

B. There were women (Mary Magdalene being one of them) as the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus and to share with others. John 20:11-18

C. Jesus interaction with women was revolutionary. Cultural barriers were being broken. To have women followers and for them to be involved in Jesus’ ministry surely was a shift. The walls were being broken down. It was the start of what Paul addresses in Galatians 3:26-29.

²⁶ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Side Note: There are those in the Egalitarian Camp that use this passage as a proof text that women can be pastors and elders. They are taking this passage totally out of context. The context of Galatians 3 is justification by faith, the law, and heirs to the Gospel. The main point of the passage is that the Gospel is for whomsoever, not the role of men and women in ministry. Sadly, when taken out of context it breeds confusion in regard to biblical submission, is used to defend rebellion towards the headship of men (which was never changed), and breeds false doctrine to the point of homosexuality is not sin since there is neither male or female.

Women in Ministry-Examples beyond the Gospels
Priscilla

Acts 18:24-26 NKJV

²⁴ Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

1 Corinthians 16:19 AMP

The churches of Asia send you their greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church [that meets] in their house, send you their warm greetings in the Lord.

Phoebe

Romans 16:1-2 AMP

¹Now I introduce and commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess (servant) of the church at Cenchrea, ² that you may receive her in the Lord [with love and hospitality], as God’s people ought to receive one another. And that you may help her in whatever matter she may require assistance from you, for she has been a helper of many, including myself.

Junia

Romans 16:7 (AMP)

Greet Andronicus and ^[a]Junias, my kinsmen and [once] my fellow prisoners, who are held in high esteem in the estimation of the apostles, and who were [believers] in Christ before me.
a. Or Junia (feminine). There is a higher probability that the name is feminine; no masculine forms found in this or near time periods.

Euodia and Syntyche

Philippians 4:2-3 NKJV
2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Nympha

Colossians 4:15 NASB

Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.
(47 translations call Nympha her, 16 translations call Nympha he, 2 translations use they.)

Summary
At the start of Jesus ministry on earth and throughout the Book of Acts and the Epistles there are examples of women involved in a variety of spiritual roles. It is clear that women were not to be silent, that women were teaching, sharing the Gospel (preaching), were being used in a variety of spiritual gifts.

Some will argue that women were told to be silent in certain settings, not to teach, not to exercise authority over men so they cannot ever be in the pulpit or hold certain positions in the Church. I will be covering the topic of Headship of Men and will be tackling the 1 Timothy and Titus passages.

By now it should be clear the dogmatism of especially the Complementarian Camp regarding Women and Ministry is not a balanced approach to Scripture. Their position focuses only on 1 Timothy, Titus, and the twisting of some passages in 1 Corinthians, totally ignoring the balance of Scripture. It is time to address some false reasoning of the Egalitarian Camp. My next article will be on Biblical Headship. If this biblical principle is ignored it leads to all kinds of false doctrine.

Women in Ministry Series
Introduction-Women in Ministry-Why the Topic?
Part One-Women in Ministry, Complementarianism, Egalitarianism, And?
Part Two-Women in Ministry, Isorropiaism-HUH??? Balance
Part Three-Women in Ministry, Bible Passages
Part Four-Women in Ministry, Extremism
Part Five-Women in Ministry, No Speak
Part Six-Women in Ministry, Prophecy
Part Seven-Women in Ministry-Spiritual Gifts
Part Eight-Women in Ministry-Examples
Part Nine-Women in Ministry-Headship