The Junia Project Bible Study will present information which enables us to see that, from the beginning of the Christian Church, God has called and gifted women for leadership and ministry. The Junia Project Bible Study presents alternatives to traditional interpretations of certain passages, which are often used to keep women out of pastoral ministry. People will draw their own conclusions, of course, but this study provides the knowledge to determine a responsible understanding based on research and teachings of respected evangelical scholars.

Someone may ask,"Why can't we just read the Bible in English and understand it for ourselves?" Rick Warren has a good answer to that question: "The Bible was originally written using 11,280 Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words, but the typical English translation uses only around 6,000 words. Obviously, nuances and shades of meaning can be missed."¹

Each of the units in this study includes explanations of original Hebrew or Greek words. Understanding the nuances of the original terms makes it possible to discover new interpretations that are still true to God's word. You might want to begin this study with a discussion on what we believe about the authority of the Bible based on 2 Timothy 3:16. If we want to understand the truth of God's word, we need to get as closes to the original as possible.

Planning and Preparation

As you embark on this journey, you as leader will want to plan for practical realities, including available time, amount of material to cover, the size of your group, and basic supplies, equipment, and space, as you plan your schedule and prepare to lead.

You will notice that the amount of material to be covered in each unit varies. Each unit's lesson plan includes a statement of estimated total time required.

How many sessions will it take? If your Bible study group has a leisurely hour and a half at each meeting, you may be able to cover all of this material in six sessions. If you have only 45 minutes for a Sunday School class or Wednesday evening Bible study, you may need to expand the number of sessions to seven, eight, or more.

You could also use this resource effectively for a couple of day-long learning events or for a weekend retreat using all the resources in this book, including the Bible Study, the imaginative "Letter From Junia" and the presentation of "A Visit From Junia."

The size of your group will also affect your planning. If your group has 8 or fewer members, much can be done in the whole group. If your group has more than 8 members, you will want to make more use of smaller groupings of 4-8 persons.

The specific lesson plans will help you design a learning experience for each unit. Each plan includes the teaching information you will need to write on a flip chart, whiteboard, or blackboard. (If you like Power Point and have equipment and know-how to use it instead of the flip chart, please feel free to do so!)

People will gain the most from this study if you invite participants to look up the passages in their own Bible and compare with the texts in the Bible study. Each participant should have a copy of this book or at least a copy of the Bible study pages from this book to write in. Permission is granted for you to make photocopies of the Bible Study pages for distribution to learners in your study group.

Unless otherwise noted, scripture texts quoted in this study are all from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Participants are usually amazed at how widely other versions vary in their translations of the original Greek terms used in these difficult passages about women in ministry. Time allotted for discussion, as well as discovery, will help round out the experience so the study also has a positive impact on the culture of the church as a whole. Blessings on your journey of discovery!

¹Rick Warren, THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,2002), P. 325. 

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