Ministry of Women in the New Testament

Dorothy A. Lee (Baker Academic)

Does Scripture limit the ministries of Christian women based on their sex? According to this book, it does not. Instead, writes the author, the New Testament teaches that “women should have full access to the church’s ministry, whether in lay or ordained ministries, and that this access needs to depend not on gender but rather on a sense of vocation and on the church’s discernment of calling.” In an era of rising complementarianism among some evangelicals, this book offers a much-needed corrective.

Women in the Mission of the Church

Leanne M. Dzubinski and Anneke H. Stasson (Baker Academic)

“Women’s contributions to the spread of Christianity have not been sporadic or insignificant,” write the authors of this book. They divide their global, historical survey into three eras: early Christianity, the Middle Ages, and post-Reformation. “In every era,” the authors conclude, “there have been Christian women who loved God and actively engaged in the spread of the Christian message. Their contributions have been incalculable.” This book uncovers forgotten history. For U.S. readers, the chapter on women preachers in America is especially interesting.

7 Deadly Sins of Women in Leadership

Kate Coleman (Zondervan)

Women leaders face two obstacles to their exercise of leadership: glass ceilings, external barriers to advancement, and sticky floors, self-imposed limitations. This book addresses sticky floors. “To serve to the best of our ability,” the author writes, “women leaders must make time to identify and overcome the self-defeating beliefs and behavior patterns that threaten to derail our leadership journeys.” Female leaders are the intended audience for this book, but male leaders should also read it to understand the struggles of their female colleagues.