By Kristi Walker

As an unmarried female missionary, I am often asked to share my views on both singleness and women in ministry. Both marriage and singleness are upheld in Scripture as good (Gen. 2:18; Prov. 18:22; 31:10; 1 Cor. 7:8–9, 34). I say a good deal about singleness in my book Disappointment: A Subtle Path away from Christ (Overboard Ministries, 2015). Here is a small excerpt:

The Apostle Paul refers to the ability to remain unmarried and undividedly devoted to God as a “gift” (1 Corinthians 7:7). The tragedy is that the church reacts to ALL singleness as a problem that needs solving. In fact, singleness can be a gift from God and the will of God, if only for a season. If it is, in fact, the will of God for a time, then it is to be embraced and lived out for the glory of God.

After all, Jesus was single, the apostle Paul was single, as were many other men and women mentioned in Scripture and greatly used of God. This article, however, focuses more on whether God intended for women to be used to spread the gospel, to be evangelists and missionaries. Obviously, married women serve alongside their husbands in missions and ministry, but what about single women (unmarried or widowed)? I hope to shed light on this important topic and encourage unmarried women to see their potential in gospel ministry.