When we think of New Testament disciples, it is not usually women who come to mind – but they should.

Women were Christ's earliest disciples but they seem to have been largely ignored by the conservative Protestant church as being something for the radical feminist fringe.

Boyd Luter and Kathy McReynolds use examples of women during Christ's ministry and from the early church to develop a pattern of discipleship for women today. In doing so they set out to show how to radically affect the effectiveness of the whole church.

These first women disciples were strong and courageous and were models for today's Christian woman. Isn't that how you want to be seen?

Kathy McReynolds is on the faculty of Biola University and has authored many books and has contributed several articles to The Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions.

A. Boyd Luter is Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at the Criswell College. A father of three, he lives in Texas.