Who was Nympha in the Bible?

Nympha is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Let’s look at what the Bible says about her:

Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. (Colossians 4:15 ESV)

This verse tells us three key things about Nympha:

1. She was a woman who hosted a church in her house.
2. The church met in her specific house, indicating she was a prominent, wealthy, and hospitable woman.
3. The church in her house was in the city of Laodicea, located in modern day Turkey.

In the early church, it was common for churches to meet in the homes of prominent Christians. Paul greets other household churches in Romans 16, 1 Corinthians 16, and Philemon 1-2. But Nympha is unique in that she is the only woman specified as hosting a church.

This suggests several important things about Nympha and the early church:

• Women could hold positions of leadership in the early church. Paul acknowledges Nympha as the host of a church, indicating she likely had a leadership role.
• Nympha probably had wealth and influence. For her home to accommodate the Laodicean church, it would have been a larger home, indicating wealth.
• The early church made use of household spaces. The first churches met where they could, often in homes.
• Laodicea had a vibrant church community. Paul wanted greetings sent to the brothers and sisters there.

Scholars believe the church in Laodicea likely met in multiple homes, but Nympha hosted one of the prominent house churches in the city. As an influential woman who offered her home, she played a key role in the Colossian church.

Nympha is an example of many influential women in the early church whose service and hospitality enabled the gospel to spread. Other women leaders in the New Testament include Priscilla, Phoebe, Junia, Lydia, Euodia, and Syntyche. God gifted both men and women to build up the early church.

In summary, here are key facts about Nympha from Colossians 4:15:

• She was a woman who hosted a church in her house in Laodicea.
• She is the only woman specified as hosting a house church in the New Testament.
• She likely had wealth and influence based on her ability to host a church.
• Her position indicates women could be leaders and exercise influence in the early church.
• Her home was part of a network of house churches in Laodicea.

Nympha’s brief mention provides intriguing clues about early church life. Scholars wish we knew more about this influential woman and the contribution she made through the church in her home. But her one mention in Scripture still shines a light on an important woman who aided the gospel’s advance.

Other biblical women who hosted traveling missionaries or church gatherings include Martha (Luke 10:38-42), Lydia (Acts 16:13-15), Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:8-9), Priscilla with Aquila (Romans 16:3-5, 1 Corinthians 16:19), and the elect lady in 2 John 1:1. Their hospitality and patronage were vital to the early church.

Like these women, Nympha used her influence, wealth, and home to benefit God’s kingdom. By offering her home as a gathering place, she strengthened the network of house churches in her city, providing a place for believers to worship, learn, and encourage one another. Her service is a model for all Christians to use their gifts and resources to build up God’s church.

Women continue to play invaluable roles in the Christian church today. Throughout church history, women have led ministries, taught the word, cared for the poor, led mission efforts, discipled new believers, hosted gatherings, and supported the church’s growth in countless ways. Nympha’s small mention reminds us that women have served vital functions in Christ’s church from its very beginning.

In many cultures women still face limitations in exercising gifts of teaching, leadership, and ministry. But the example of influential women like Nympha in the early church should encourage us to ensure women can fully utilize their spiritual gifts. When the whole body serves in unity, the church grows strong.

The verse mentioning Nympha presents her as a positive example, with no concerns about women hosting churches. It provides biblical precedent for women having authority in Christ’s church. While debates continue over appropriate roles for women in church leadership, Nympha shows that hosting gatherings to facilitate ministry was counted an honorable service from the church’s earliest days.

Paul affirmed these women co-workers who strengthened the early church through their hospitality, resources, and leadership. As we serve Christ’s church today, Nympha provides an inspirational example of making one’s home a place where the body of Christ is nourished and strengthened for ministry.

In many cultures today, women opening their homes for worship and fellowship enables the church’s growth where established church buildings are impractical or unavailable. Like Nympha, these women play a vital role in Christ’s work. Their ministry of hospitality, played out through simple offerings of a welcoming home, bear eternal kingdom fruit as they facilitate the fellowship of believers.

Women who open their homes for Bible studies, prayer meetings, youth ministries, worship gatherings, and hospitality continue Nympha’s legacy. By providing a safe place for Christians to gather and grow, their service advances discipleship and enables community. Their quiet acts of service may go unseen, but such ministry is foundational to a healthy church.

Of course, providing a meeting place is just one way women strengthen the church. Throughout history, women have served Christ as evangelists, teachers, missionaries, authors, leaders, mentors, and founders of ministries that have powerfully transformed lives. Nympha set a precedent for women stewarding wealth, influence, and gifts for God’s glory.

Nympha’s sole mention in Colossians has left many wishing we knew more about this influential woman. We do not know details of her background, personality, age, family status, or how she came to faith. But her place in this letter indicates the respect she had earned in the early church. Her genuineness in faith must have been evident, or Paul would not have commended her ministry.

Some key insights we can gain about Nympha from this one verse:

1. Nympha generously used her gifts and resources to benefit the church.
2. She used her wealth and home to serve something bigger than herself.
3. She played a pivotal role in the church at Laodicea.
4. Her heart for hospitality blessed many believers.
5. She was respected by Paul as a fellow laborer in ministry.

This solitary mention leaves us wanting more details about this important woman. But in one sense, the brevity is fitting. Nympha’s name appears not because she sought honor, but because she quietly served the church. Willingness to remain anonymous and serve in small ways is the attitude Jesus honors.

“Well done, good and faithful servant” is not earned by acclaim, but by perseverance in quiet, humble service. As Nympha opened her home to the church with generosity, she embodied the hospitality and service Christ commands of all believers. The presence of the church meeting in her home was testimony to a life of faithful ministry.

Nympha models a lesson for all Christians: faithfully use your gifts and resources to serve the church and advance the gospel. Fame matters little; persevering obedience matters much. A life poured out in service to Christ yields eternal fruit.

As we reflect on Nympha’s brief mention, we see a woman who walked in the footsteps of Jesus by giving up her home as a place to minister to others. Inside the walls of her house, love and truth were lived out through fellowship and worship. By opening her doors to her brothers and sisters in Laodicea, she opened her life to the eternal.

The church does not thrive through its buildings, but through its people. While we do not know details of Nympha’s story, we know this house church required sacrifice on her part. By offering her home as a place where believers could gather, she participated in building Christ’s kingdom.

Two thousand years later, this minor reference still serves as a testament to one woman’s devotion to Christ. Nympha’s humble service in the early church left an example for all generations to follow. She calls us to ask ourselves: How can we serve Christ’s church through hospitality, generosity, and use of our homes?

Nympha’s brief mention in Colossians provides a beautiful model of God using the small, but willing things. With a servant heart open to God’s purposes, Nympha ministered through the simple offering of her home. May we follow her example of generosity, hospitality, and service to Christ’s church.