Reverence

As I am working to get Connection Point Church started, I have people who aren’t in our core group calling me “Pastor Thomasson” or “Reverend.” That feels weird to me to be called “Reverend” even by people I’m leading. It’s even weirder being called that by people I don’t know. The times I’m called “Reverend” by non-core group people I’m trying to buy something for the church or set something up for the church. I’ve never been big in titles when it comes to church work because we are all equal in the eyes of God. The only title I offer is Mr. or Mrs. to those people who are older than I (I was raise to respect my elders). I tell people to just call me Tom; just Tom.

The last church I worked as a youth pastor, I had one of the teens asked what I wanted to be called. I told them to call me by my name, Tom. They said, “Pastor Tom?” I told them, “No, just Tom.”

I hate the title “Reverend” and try to avoid it at all cost. When I fill our anything and am asked to choose a title, I put Mr. At conferences, if there is a preprint name tag it will have “Rev.” on it. I bare it in those circumstances. I know that my distain for the title “Reverend” goes back to my pastor and mentor of many years telling me as a young 16 yr old preacher-boy that, “The only person that we should reverence is Jesus Christ and that no man should be revered or called reverend.” Below is the definition for the word “Reverence” and I’ll let you make your own mind up. But as for me, I’m just Tom.

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin reverentia, from reverent-, reverens respectful, reverent
Date: 14th century
1: honor or respect felt or shown : deference; especially : profound adoring awed respect
2: a gesture of respect (as a bow)
3: the state of being revered
4: one held in reverence —used as a title for a clergyman