Evelyn Stagg

Evelyn Stagg (née Evelyn Owen) (July 9, 1914 – February 28, 2011) was a trailblazer for Southern Baptist women in ministry. She was an authority on classical studies, which led to her extensive research on the cultural/historical status and treatment of women in the ancient world, and in the world into which Jesus was born. Married to eminent Baptist theologian Dr. Frank Stagg for 66 years, she was a native of Ruston, Louisiana.

She was co-author of the book Woman in the World of Jesus, which the authors intended to address women's role in the church today by exploring: the status of woman in the world Jesus entered; the position of Jesus with respect to women; and the status of woman in the church as reflected in the New Testament. The book was said to have inspired a generation of women preparing for ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention until more conservative voices seized control of the denomination and went on record against women’s ordination.

In 1983 she was one of 33 women who helped found an organization known today as Baptist Women in Ministry. Pam Durso, the group’s current executive director, called her a “strong advocate for Baptist women ministers.”

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