4 Excellent Books About Female Ministry Leaders in the Bible

I recently googled role models of faith and discipleship in the Bible. The five highest-ranked entries, including an AI Overview, listed male names only. Yes, more men than women appear in the Bible, yet many in the church are unaware of the content of the stories of women— women prophets, disciples, evangelists, house church hosts, church planters, deacons, teachers, resurrection witnesses, and more. God included women in his biblical record, so it cuts deeply when their stories rank low in sermon priorities. Especially considering their stories reveal models of exemplary faith, spiritual insight, and kingdom priorities.

Historian Beth Allison Barr posted a Facebook picture of her favorite coffee mug. The slogan on it says, “Write Women Back into History.” In this post, I’m sharing four recommendations of excellent books illuminating female ministry leaders and their significance in the mission of God. Each of these books is available in either print version or on Kindle, and they make great gifts (especially for pastor appreciation day)! Order one today and join me in the initiative to “Write Female Ministry Leaders Back into History.”

WOMEN WHO DO: FEMALE DISCIPLES IN THE GOSPELS (EERDMANS, 2023), HOLLY J. CAREY

While twelve Jewish males comprised Jesus’s innermost circle of disciples, he welcomed women disciples too. In fact, women were active throughout his ministry. In this new book, Holly Carey has written an extensive study of female discipleship in the gospels. Two premises of the book are that the female disciples were models of faith who demonstrated discipleship in action. Tracing the key discipleship words and their application in the biblical text, Carey answers the question: “Why don’t we see the women in the Gospels as disciples?” This book adds significantly to the larger discussion of women and the church.

MARY MAGDALENE: A VISUAL HISTORY (T & T CLARKE, 2023), DIANE APOSTOLOS-CAPPADONA

Prepare to enjoy a visual feast of gorgeous art combined with scholarly insights as author Diane Apostolos-Cappadona traces and explains the many artistic portrayals of Mary Magdalene through the ages. In the gospel accounts, Mary Magdalene is the first witness of the Resurrection. Early church fathers described her as “the apostle to the apostles.” Over time, Mary “of Magdala” has been consistently celebrated, while also confused and conflated with other Marys and unnamed women in the Bible. Apostolos sorts out this “Magdalene mosaic” of historically shifting views: sinner/seductress, prostitute, penitent, anointer, weeper, preacher, contemplative, patron, and feminist icon. It’s a conversation-opening book that you won’t want to put down.

PHOEBE: PATRON AND EMISSARY (LITURGICAL PRESS, 2009), JOAN CECELIA CAMPBELL

In this slim volume, author Joan C. Campbell answers the question: Who is Phoebe? Though mentioned in only two Bible verses (Rom 16:1–2), the apostle Paul tells us quite a bit about his co-worker Phoebe. Paul calls her a sister, “deacon [diakonos] of the church of Cenchreae,” and a patron. I’ve enjoyed visiting Cenchreae, Phoebe’s hometown—an ancient Greek port town within walking distance of ancient Corinth. Cenchreae was an important port in the Roman world, connecting trade and travelers between nearby Corinth and Asia Minor. As sunlight glinted on the water at that beautiful harbor, I imagined the bustling cargo-loading activity and jostling travelers as Phoebe strolled the pier to welcome or share farewells with early Christians like Priscilla, Aquilla, Paul, and others. This easy-to-read book provides foundational insight into Phoebe’s public ministry roles in first-century Christianity.

VINDICATING THE VIXENS: REVISITING SEXUALIZED, VILIFIED, AND MARGINALIZED WOMEN OF THE BIBLE, (KREGEL ACADEMIC, 2017), SANDRA GLAHN, ED.

Scholars across the globe, female and male, have contributed their expertise to provide detailed accounts of fourteen women in the Bible. These women include Tamar, Eve, Huldah, Vashti, Junia, and more—women who have been sexualized, vilified, or marginalized. Shortly after it was published, I gifted a copy to a fellow seminary student who serves his church as lead pastor. He and I crossed paths months later. He said he found the content of Vindicating the Vixens of value for better insight into women in the Bible and as a teaching resource. For these reasons, he had also gifted the book to several pastor friends. It’s a great book to discuss chapter-by-chapter with a small group like I did with two neighbor friends. Readers will glean valuable insight from recent scholarship that demystifies and clarifies the stories of Bible women and illuminates that God values women.