1. Introduction: Who Should Be Sent?
What kind of leadership does the world – and the church – need today?
In missional organizations and church planting, we often talk about contextualization: making the gospel relevant to those we serve. Most missionally minded people know that fruitfulness requires understanding the people we are sent to. But how often do we consider who we send?
In my 14 years working in anti-human trafficking, I found that my title as “lawyer” often opened doors of power and influence more effectively than the heartbreaking stories I carried. Fair? Not really. But it’s the world we live in. Advocating for change requires not only that the message be understood and perceived as relevant, but also that the messenger be received as credible.
In Romans 16:1–2, Paul commends Phoebe, who was entrusted with carrying his letter to the Roman Christians – one of the most theologically weighty letters in scripture. As the courier, she would have been responsible for delivering, presenting, and likely explaining the letter. Why did Paul send her? He chose her deliberately, and she got the job done. (For more on Phoebe, see: Cohick, Lynn H. Women in the World of the Earliest Christians. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009.)
Paul, the role model of role models when it comes to mission, knew how to choose messengers wisely. Have we, the church, learned from him? If Paul were with us today, whom would he send with the message of Christ? I believe he would send women apostles more often than not – because 1) the Spirit calls and equips all believers as “sent ones” (apostoloi, Acts 2:17–18; Luke 4:18), and 2) women often have unique access to rooms of cultural influence where the gospel urgently needs to be heard.
2. The Biblical Witness of Women Apostles
Have you ever heard a sermon on Phoebe’s apostolic gifting? I haven’t. Yet she is not alone. Scripture and early tradition highlight many women apostles and leaders: Junia (Romans 16:7), Priscilla (Acts 18:26), Deborah (Judges 4–5), and Mary Magdalene (John 20:1–18).
Mary Magdalene, often misrepresented as a prostitute (a misconception corrected by modern scholarship, see Ehrman, Bart D. Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene. Oxford University Press, 2006), was instead a devoted follower of Jesus and the first witness of the resurrection. She was entrusted with proclaiming the risen Christ, making her the “apostle to the apostles.” This moment – entrusting a woman with the Resurrection announcement – ignited the Jesus movement that still shapes the world.
Beyond the New Testament, women continued to shape theology and practice. Macrina the Elder (c. 270–340) preserved the faith under persecution, instructing her descendants – including the Cappadocian Fathers, whose theology remains foundational today. Her granddaughter, Macrina the Younger (c. 327–379), became a spiritual authority and monastic pioneer. Gregory of Nyssa called her his “philosopher and guide,” crediting her with shaping his theology. (For more, see Ferguson, Everett. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, 1997; Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. In Memory of Her, 1983; Gregory of Nyssa, Life of Macrina, ed. Kevin Corrigan, 2005.)
These women show that leadership, teaching, and mission were never solely male domains. Their example is echoed by women I’ve seen leading in Africa today – I’ve had the privilege of traveling particularly in Kenya – where leaders contextualize, multiply, and mobilize with remarkable faith. Their instinct is not to dissect obstacles first, but to say “Yes, Lord” and go.
3. How Apostolic Leadership Was Narrowed Through a Male Lens
If scripture and history affirm women’s apostolic leadership, why is it still contested? Beginning in the 3rd century, women’s roles in leadership, teaching, and mission were increasingly diminished, particularly through exclusion from ordination.
Mitzi J. Smith describes women in Acts as “internal others” – present within the community but marginalized by narrative structures privileging male authority (The Literary Construction of the Other in the Acts of the Apostles, 2011). Lydia, Priscilla, and Philip’s daughters prophesied, taught, and hosted churches, yet their authority was often sidelined. This historical bias still shapes perceptions today.
4. The Cultural & Sociological Moment We Are In
Today’s marketplace research confirms the need and desire of what the early church practiced: the leadership strengths women often bring – empathy, collaboration, adaptability – are strategic assets.
- McKinsey & Company (Women in the Workplace, 2015–2022): Women leaders excel at building inclusive environments and supporting team resilience.
- Harvard Business Review (Chrislip, The Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook, 2002): Women are strong collaborative problem-solvers and communicators across organizational silos.
- American Psychological Association (“Women leaders make work better,” 2023): Women often lead with relational awareness, fostering trust and adaptability in uncertainty.
Far from being “soft skills,” these traits mirror the distributed, relational leadership that fueled the early church. Women like Lydia, Priscilla, and Phoebe exemplified leadership grounded not in titles but in networks, teaching, hospitality, and mission.
The convergence of biblical witness and cultural research is striking: empowering women is not accommodation – it is strategy.
5. Redefining Apostolic Leadership Today
Equipping and releasing female apostles is not just about equality – it is about mission. The West faces an urgent need for innovation, pioneering, and movement. Not just a pivot but an overhaul. Identifying apostolic leadership that is relational, Spirit-led, and multiplication-oriented is the starting point.
So, what can we do?
- For men and church leaders: Invite, sponsor, and make space for women to live their calling – not as tokens, but as full partners.
- For women: Claim visibility, embrace your calling, move from waiting to walking, and do so in partnership with one another – not in competition.
- For churches: Don’t waste women’s apostolic gifts on organizational housekeeping. Release them into mission, multiplication, and leadership.
6. Vision for the Future
Imagine a future where women apostles are fully released to lead, plant churches, multiply movements, and transform culture. This isn’t a distant dream – it’s the trajectory of God’s Kingdom. Will you be part of it?
From the beginning, the Spirit has poured out gifts on both sons and daughters, empowering them to proclaim good news, heal the broken, and set captives free. Jesus’ words in Luke 4:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor” – remain a prophetic and practical vision for today. For women, men and the Kingdom at hand.
