In this neo-pagan society we live in, Christians have been deeply affected by the culture that surrounds them.  We have adopted habits of worldlings without asking if they have meaning for us as Biblicists.  There are some clear principles taught in Scripture and we need to use them even in areas that seem superficial to us. As a young child, I do not remember any youngster calling an adult by their first name.  In the South, you will still hear many children say, "Yes Sir, Yes Mam".  When our children were growing up and we had close friends, the little ones could call them Mr. and Mrs. or Aunt and Uncle even if they were not related, but never were they allowed first names.  In the Navy, I was surprised at the use of last names, as if we had no given name.  I soon learned that was an effective way to put people in their place.  American slavery had a practice similar to that.   Names and titles mean a great deal and they have wide implications.  They can denote disdain or respect.  A friend of ours was a close personal friend to one of the presidents of our country.  Even while sitting president, he visited their home at least twice.  That man was on a first name basis with the president, but I never heard my friend refer to the president by first name.  He could have done that to impress others or to make himself seem important, but I would have lost respect for him if he had. It is this same pridefulness that gets us to talk about "the man
upstairs".  Some pastors encourage their people to be on a first name basis with them and often children can be heard doing that.  On occasion, we hear little ones calling parents by first name.  "We've come a long way baby".  Names are not just interesting, they are extremely revealing.  It may depend if I get dinner or not depending if I would call my wife
"Honey or Dummy".  Believe me, I know better than to be so disrespectful. To narrow this down their needs to be a thorough discussion on the titles that surround the office of a Pastor.  As a young man our pastor was called Rev. and we did that not because we thought he was God.  He was one of the most humble men I have ever known and that is one of the reasons I was saved under his ministry.  I am fully aware of the Psalmist thoughts about God from  111:9 "Holy and reverend is His name".  Certainly, using the title of God, Reverend is not wrong, but suggesting this passage forbids that title for the minister is a stretch.  I question those who pridefully declare that they do not accept the title and demand that no one else use it.  I yield to those humble servants who prefer not to have it used around their name.  My friends do not call me
Reverend, they know me better and the sheep in our local flock know that I prefer a more tender and personal and Biblical title, that of Pastor.  But God could have given His ministers His title "Reverend" just as much as He clearly gave those of us who have children HIS NAME "Father" because we are fathers and represent the heavenly father.  A rather
weighty title to carry.
        While Pastor (Eph. 4:11) freely translated Shepherd is not the most used title of the Bishop (Philp. 1:1; I Tim. 3:1) Elder is.  Other than its use about age or Jewish Elders this term always refers to the full life committed shepherd in the local church.  It is never used of hirelings or apprentices, and never of the curse of "tent makers" who are hindered in
the ministry because of disobedient Christians.  In some circles, this man who gives his life to the ministry every waking hour is called "Preacher" or "Brother" without damage to God's chosen servants. There is, however, a practical matter that obviously has not been considered by some.  I am Pastor to the sheep of this local congregation.  I am Father of the children in my home.  Each are free to call me that.  But I am not father to my local church and not to the community abroad including the Christian community.  I am not Pastor to those beyond this local church, either.  In that manner people from other families or churches do not call be Father, because I am not.  Since I am not their Pastor, I question the current practice. The difficulty here is that we have not thought the matter through.  If he is my pastor, I may call him Pastor or Pastor Smith, but if he is NOT my pastor, then I ought to, out of knowledge and respect, call him Rev. (or whatever is his highest title) Smith who IS pastor of the First Baptist Church.  In the case of a printed program, etc. of any kind, we
need to be consistent with the titles used.  They need to reflect respect for the person and office.  We need, also, to be careful about the view of the universalists who started this whole problem by demanding rights and equality at every level.
The title Pastor has been very misused.  Some hand out  honorary degrees, without merit.  Bus pastor, nursery pastor, one hour a week pastor are hardly honoring to the ministry.  One of the greatest violations of Scripture definition is "Radio Pastor".  Can you imagine the excitement of baptizing a RADIO?  Pure nonsense and a sign of culture overrunning
the Bible. Let me tenderly deal with one more, the title of Doctor.  Some have suggested that it denigrates the ministry, and they prefer Reverend because it is a Biblical title.  No one has ever proven that point.  It seems to me that, whatever name a man may have earned, the highest title is the one that should be used.  On the other hand, that should be the call of the person we are speaking about, not the observer.  So, how shall we address each other in love in respect?  Let me know what you prefer, and you can be sure I will never offend you, but I am not able to call you by your first name in front of your sheep out of respect, and I am not able to call you what you are not.  You are not my Pastor and you are not my Father.  You are my friend, if you want to be or not. Because friendship is something you give.   You are my brother, IF you know Christ as Savior.  With all this in mind, you can be sure that on any given occasion, I will speak and print your name in such a way as to humbly honor your preparation, service and position.  Expect me to make mistakes, also.

Happy to hear your responses,
I am Dr. Clay Nuttall servant of Jesus Christ.
 

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