Please Don't Call Me Reverend

Please don’t call me “reverend.” “Reverend” is an honorific form of address, and one simply does not use honorifics to speak of oneself. Judges do not introduce themselves, “Hello. I am the honorable Jane Smith.” Why would pastors introduce themselves as “the Reverend John Doe”?

And just as I don’t use “Reverend” for myself, I don’t expect you to use it either. I would prefer you did not.

Let’s put aside for a moment that “Reverend” is an adjective, not a noun and not a title. “The Reverend Miss Smith” or “the Reverend Doctor Jones” are correct. At least that’s how the English language used the word originally. Of course you’ll find the word used as a title or even as a simple noun in contemporary English. I guess I’m a traditionalist here.

But even when used correctly, I still do not want to be addressed or described as “reverend.” The word has an aura of holiness about it. Literally, a person who is reverend is worthy of reverence, a word that I would reserve for God alone.

Dictionary definitions of “reverence” speak about “awe” and “veneration.” At the very least, the use of “reverend” claims that the bearer of the title is due special honor or respect. As a Christian, to demand that honor for myself is inexcusable .

It’s not as if the clergy are due special respect because something of God has rubbed off on them, or that they bear the image of God in a way that others do not. All human beings bear the image of their creator and are due respect for that reason alone. And everyone baptized into the name of Christ bears the image of the Son of God and is an equal member of God’s holy family.

The difference between the clergy and the other members of Christ’s holy church is functional, not ontological. Members of the clergy have a distinct vocation, not a different human essence.

The clergy are not more important or more holy than the laity and they are not worthy of special honor either inside or outside the church. Consider Jesus’ rebuke of religious leaders in Matthew 23:6-12:

They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

I have concluded that it would not be consistent with the spirit of our Lord’s teaching for me to call myself “reverend.” I won’t embarrass someone who uses the word by making a big deal out of it, but I will never again use it of myself or expect others to use it of me.

Feel free to call me by my first name; it’s the name my parents gave me. Or you can call me “Mr. Lewis,” affording me the same dignity that you would any other member of our race. You can all me “chaplain,” which is the proper military form of address for those in my job. Or if you are a Christian, you can call me “preacher” or “pastor”; these are informal functional titles that describe my role within the church. The actual Biblical title for my office is “presbyter” or (literally) “elder” or “old person”. Feel free to call me that as well. But please don’t call me “reverend.”