A woman missionary

This comment about the Junia series was posted recently by Kenny. I answered and felt that it was worth a post in itself.

This doesn't challenge the complementarian interpretations of other verses (at least, it doesn't challenge any versions of complementarianism that I regard as reasonable or defensible - I suppose there are some extremists who might object), since it doesn't specify what they were commissioned for or sent to do. If she was one of the 70, she was sent to preach the Gospel, and certainly any reasonable complementarianism recognizes that women are permitted (even commanded) to preach the Gospel to the unsaved just as men are.

I want to tell a story that was told to me. An elderly neighbour of mine lived in the far north of British Columbia in a pioneer community. There were some single women missionaries at that time who traveled around northern Canada as teachers and evangelists, starting Sunday schools, and morning prayer services and small congregations. One woman started a congregation in his town. When the time came that enough people wanted communion, the church authorities sent an ordained man, and the woman had to move on.

In the case of my elderly neighbour, he felt so concerned about the way that this particular woman was treated that he left the church and has never attended church again. He was a farmer; he respected this woman as an educated Bible teacher and evangelist. He was never interested in church again. There must be many stories like this. Such is the witness of the church to pioneers.