Special Titles for Preachers
One common practice among denominational churches is the assigning of
special titles to their preachers and ministers. Among these are
“Reverend,” “Pastor,” and “Father.” Are such titles Biblical? What
harm may come from using special titles?
Reverend means “worthy of reverence.” It is found only one time in the
entire Bible. Psalms 111:9 says, “He sent redemption unto His people:
He hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His
name.” This one use of the word “reverend” is in reference to God the
Father, not even Christ Jesus is called reverend! To assign this as a
title elevates the one so called above man’s proper place.
The New Testament does speak of pastors and we do have pastors in the
church today. Here at Pond we have three pastors. But it is a misuse
of this title to apply it to a preacher because a pastor is an elder, or
bishop, or overseer, or shepherd. It is true that a pastor may preach
and a preacher may also be a pastor but being a preacher does not make a
man a pastor. The Bible gives specific qualification for pastors (1 Tim.
3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). One may rightly be called a preacher who does
not necessarily meet all the requirements of a pastor.
What about calling the preacher “Father”? On this the Word is quite
clear. Jesus said in Matthew 23:9 “Do not call anyone on earth your
father; for One is your father, He who is in heaven.” As Coffman
explained, “Christ condemned religious titles of preferment and
authority because all of them are founded upon a false premise:
that one man, more than another, has the right to interpret God’s word.”
“What harm is there in using such titles?” one may ask. This false
doctrine often leads people to put too much confidence in preachers. It
has caused people to view the preacher in such a way that they never, or
very seldom, question what he preaches or ask him for any Biblical
proof. This is a very dangerous situation in any church. When the
preacher, or any teacher, is viewed in this way, the door is wide open
for all sorts of false doctrines to come in unhindered.
We
do well to call Bible things by Bible names. We do not have the
authority to assign titles that God has not given. Titles that elevate
man above his proper place are sinful. Some titles are Biblical but
these, such as “pastor” must by applied appropriately. And religious
titles, such as “Father,” that have been forbidden to be applied to any
man, must always be rejected.
In His love,
Thomas Sneed
Pond Church of Christ
