I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant* of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to recieve her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. Romans 16:1-2
*or deaconess

Women were an intergral part of the Christian Church from the beginning. Mary, a woman, had the honor of giving birth to the Lord. Jesus ministered to women who felt free to approach him, something not common in that day and time. I am always amazed that some women consider Christianity a "patriarchal" religion because as far as I can see, Jesus was the first Feminist. In the Old Testament, only two books, Ruth and Esther, are about women. More often than not in a geneology only the men's names were listed. Women were not considered equal partners. This all changed when the lineage of David came through Mary to Jesus. From the start of His Ministry, Jesus reached out to women, even women on the fringes of society like the Samaritan woman, and the woman caught in adultery. After His resurrection, women were the first to discover His Absence from the tomb He had been laid in. In the last chpater of Romans, all through Chapter 16, Paul thanks many women, starting with the Phoebe mentioned above. They were an important part of the ministry. Paul has left this as a record of their early importance to the church. The word "servant" mentioned in verse 1 of Chapter 16 can also be translated as "deaconess". So from the beginning, women also held important offices in the Church. It is true that the Christian Church has often been male-dominated. Even the version of the Bible that I am using, the NIV Study Bible prefers to use "servant" in the text while adding as a footnote the word "deaconess". What is apparent to me is that God has given women important roles in the Church. So use your gifts. Let Him use you where He wants to use you instead of deciding where you should be based on your sex. Jesus Himself opened those doors for you.