Sorry, Gene---but the Evangelists themselves used Disciples interchangeably with Apostle.  In fact, both Mark and John DO not use the word Apostle.  More often than not, these two use the term "the Twelve".  The other two Evangelists Matthew and Luke use the word "apostle" freely.

But Jesus had 72 Disciples, and many of them were with Jesus as much as the Twelve were. 
Phoebe was a deacon [she was not a deaconess].

And what about Paul?  In his letter to the Romans, he refers to his relatives Andronicus and Junia "who are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was [were they among the 72 who initially followed Jesus?}.  And Junia was a woman---and an apostle.


Jesus wasn't the one restricting women from joining "the company" or from being an apostle.  There was NOTHING restrictive about him.  It is the conservatives---who get "weak in the knees" at any thought of changes in the church [as if it had not had MAJOR changes in its 2000+ years]