03/11/2026
Before clutching your pearls, read the whole thing.
Let’s start with the word apostle, because a lot of church arguments start when people forget what the word actually means.
In Greek the word is apóstolos, meaning messenger, envoy, or one sent with authority. It comes from apostéllein, which means to send out.
An apóstolos wasn’t just someone carrying a message. It was a representative. Someone sent with the authority of the one who sent them. They spoke, taught, and acted on behalf of that authority.
In the language of the early church, that role lines up pretty closely with what we would call today a minister or pastor. Someone sent out to preach, teach, and build the church.
So the question is simple.
Should women preach?
Not just teach a class.
Not just lead a women’s group.
Actually stand up and preach to the whole congregation.
My mind goes straight to a verse most people read right past.
Romans 16.
Buried in that chapter is a line that tends to make church debates uncomfortable.
“Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.”
Romans 16:7
Read that again. Paul says Junia was outstanding among the apostles.
Scroll back to the definition of apostle if needed.
You cannot be outstanding among a group if you are not part of the group. I can’t say you were one of the best Thunder players this year if you never wore the jersey. That statement only works if you’re actually on the team.
Most Christians hear the word apostle and immediately think only of the twelve disciples.
But the New Testament uses the title more broadly.
Barnabas is called an apostle in Acts 14:14.
James, the Lord’s brother, is called an apostle in Galatians 1:19.
Depending on how you count them, more than twenty people in the New Testament are referred to as apostles in some capacity.
I’m not saying they were part of the original Twelve. I’m saying the early church used the title for people sent out to preach, plant churches, and lead believers.
And sitting right there in Romans 16 is Junia.
A Jewish believer.
A persecuted Christian.
Someone who had been imprisoned with Paul for the gospel.
And according to Paul himself, she was outstanding among the apostles.
Now this is where people usually pull out 1 Timothy 2:12, where Paul says he does not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.
But context always matters.
Paul was writing to Timothy in Ephesus, addressing problems happening in that specific church. In the same passage he says women should learn in quietness and submission.
The Greek word often translated as silence is sigao. It means to refrain from speaking in a disruptive way, not permanent silence.
In other words, Paul was correcting disorder, not banning women from ministry for all time.
Ephesus was also home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the most famous temples in the ancient world. That religious system was run largely by female priestesses, and female dominance in worship was normal in that culture.
That influence likely created confusion in the Ephesian church, with some women trying to dominate teaching roles without proper instruction. Paul’s response was about restoring order in that church, not permanently silencing half the body of Christ.
So when people rip those verses out of their setting and apply them everywhere forever, they miss the situation Paul was actually addressing.
Meanwhile in Romans 16, Paul openly recognizes a woman who is notable among the apostles.
That’s not a small detail.
It shows women were not just sitting quietly in the background of the early church. They were serving, teaching, evangelizing, supporting ministry, and leading.
Other Women Who Played Major Roles
Mary Magdalene
First witness to the resurrection. Jesus commissioned her , which led early Christians to call her “the apostle to the apostles.”
Priscilla
A close coworker of Paul who helped teach Apollos and helped lead a house church with her husband Aquila.
Joanna
A supporter of Jesus’ ministry who also witnessed the empty tomb.
Salome
A follower of Jesus from Galilee who was present at the crucifixion and burial.
Mary the mother of James
Another witness to the resurrection.
Thecla
A disciple of Paul known for teaching and baptizing.
Nino
A missionary credited with bringing Christianity to the region of Georgia.
These women were not passive observers. They played real roles in spreading the gospel and strengthening the early church.
You may come to a different conclusion about women pastors.
But when you actually read the text, look at the Greek, and consider the historical setting, it becomes pretty clear that women were never meant to just sit quietly on the sidelines.
That’s where I land.
