Must all missionaries be pastors? An appeal for women workers.

The crying need today in missions is more elder-qualified long-term resident missionaries.

However, in our zeal to increase trained clergy and to send out pastor-educated men, let us not forget the great contributions of women in missions.



I have actually had people tell me that there is no role for women in missions except for in the role of a missionary wife.

I have actually had churches introduce my family as "Missionary T...J... and his wife....Teresa" - and it seems the impetus for this phaseology was the refusal to refer to a woman as a missionary.




THAT IS JUST SILLY!



If you eliminated all women from the mission field you would be eliminating well over 60% of the missions labor-force. YES, the MAJORITY of missionaries are of the female gender. The right man for the job turns out often to be a woman.


I suppose that Aquila should have just left his wife Priscilla at home and she deserves a rebuke rather than commendation for helping Apollos learn greater Gospel truth.




While only men should exercise ecclesiastical authority, why must we stress the restrictive verses of Scripture?

Why do we want to highlight what women cannot do, rather than all that they can do?



Okay, women cannot be pastors of churches, but they can teach women and children, many have done great work in literacy and translation, many have exercised compassion in medical ministries, schools and orphanages. Under the male ecclesiastical authority of a church, a women can fill a great number of roles. Are we enabling them to do so? Are we being more restrictive than Scripture in helping every member of Christ's Body to serve Him in their fullest capacity?


Here is one huge need right here:

Seeing that women in the Mslm world are often unable to be reached by male missionaries, missionary women may be the key to reach this large demographic of the world's population - Mslm women - perhaps a BILLION souls!