by Joe Slater<\/p>\n
One of the minor annoyances of being a preacher is that well-meaning people frequently put some title before your name. It may be Reverend, Pastor, Father, or some other title. They are trying to be respectful, which I appreciate even though I repudiate the titles. I tell them that my mom named me Joe, and that’s what I go by! As with other unusual aspects of the Lord’s church, people wonder why we don’t use titles. We owe them a courteous, Biblical answer. Jumping down someone’s throat feet-first for using a religious title is counterproductive. Just smile as you explain; most people will listen and respect you, even if they disagree or don’t understand. Be certain your reasoning is biblical.<\/p>\n
Shortly after I began learning the Scriptures, someone taught me that the title “Reverend” was wrong because it was used only once in the Bible and referred to the name of God: “Holy and reverend is His name<\/em>” (Psalms 111:9). That sounded convincing; it even appeared to be biblical as long as you were using the KJV. However, as it turns out, the apostles could not have made that argument. The Psalmist’s word for “reverend” is used over 300 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Most often, it is translated as “fear” or “afraid.” The idea is that God’s name is awe-inspiring. Reverend is not a “title” for God any more than “holy” is a title (“holy and reverend is His name”). Holiness is an attribute of God, which He commands us to imitate: “Be holy, for I am holy<\/em>” (I Peter 1:16).<\/p>\n His name is also reverend (worthy of great respect). Joshua 4:14 speaks approvingly of the fact that Israel “feared” (revered, stood in awe of) Moses and Joshua. Who can doubt that Christians should seek to be respectable people? Even the pagan Chaldeans are said to be reverent (fearful, terrible, awe-inspiring, Habakkuk 1:7).<\/p>\n The problem with using “Reverend” as a religious title, then, is not that the word is somehow reserved for God alone. Jesus demonstrated that the root issue lies in the very nature of religious titles. Like special religious garments (robes, collars, etc.), they serve to divide God’s people, setting certain ones above others and fostering a spirit of pride and competition. Rejecting the use of contemporary titles such as Rabbi, Father, and Teacher, Jesus told His disciples, “You are all brethren<\/em>” (Matthew 23:8-10). It is not the words Rabbi, father, and teacher that are forbidden. The New Testament frequently employs these words. The point is, they are not to be turned into titles that would exalt certain people above others. Our highest honor is that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, children of the same Heavenly Father. May we always be content with that!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Joe Slater One of the minor annoyances of being a preacher is that well-meaning people frequently put some title before your name. It may be Reverend, Pastor, Father, or some other title. They are trying to be respectful, which I appreciate even though I repudiate the titles. I tell them that my mom named…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1511,125],"class_list":["post-87534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-preachers","tag-titles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":41662,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-some-use-titles\/","url_meta":{"origin":87534,"position":0},"title":"Why do some use titles?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello brother Hamilton. Hope you're doing well. I have a question that pertains to \"titles\" given to those in position in the church and mainly I'm speaking on preachers and the title that some give themselves such as reverend, pastor, evangelist, etc. Now, I read some of your articles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49118,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dont-reverend-me-its-forbidden\/","url_meta":{"origin":87534,"position":1},"title":"Don’t “Reverend” Me \u2014 It’s Forbidden!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 1, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Hayse Reneau The English word 'Reverend' is used but once in our Bible; and it references, The Creator, Jehovah God (Psalms 111:9.) \"He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.\" Anyone who accepts this title is filled with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87051,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-we-use-saint-as-a-title\/","url_meta":{"origin":87534,"position":2},"title":"Can we use “saint” as a title?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good evening, dear brother. I saw a flyer by a church that referred to its speakers as Saint ... .\u00a0My question is can we use saint\u00a0as a title? Answer: I suppose there is as much justification for using \"saint\" as a title as there is for using \"brother\" as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3981,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-a-preacher-be-referred-to-as-reverend\/","url_meta":{"origin":87534,"position":3},"title":"Should a preacher be referred to as “reverend?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 16, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Very often here preachers are referred to as reverend.\u00a0 Is it correct to refer to a preacher, minister or elder as reverend? Answer: The word reverend indicates that a person is worthy of adoration or reverence, entitled to respect mingled with fear and affection. Such a description would apply\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60888,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-proper-way-to-refer-to-a-preacher\/","url_meta":{"origin":87534,"position":4},"title":"What Is the Proper Way to Refer to a Preacher?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Adapted from an article by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 34, Aug. 21, 2009. Question: My denominational friends refer to their preacher as \"Pastor\" or \"Reverend.\" What is the proper way to address the preacher, or how do you refer to him as you speak of him\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":648,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-refer-to-an-elder-as-brother\/","url_meta":{"origin":87534,"position":5},"title":"Is it wrong to refer to an elder as “brother”?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, We have a duty roster which I draw up monthly. One month I listed one of the elders as \"brother,\" which he was not happy with. Is it really such a violation to call you a brother and not an elder? Answer: Actually, the violation is on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87534\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}