Titles
One of the prominent Pastors I follow on Twitter posted a tweet today advertising a conference they are putting on at their church. I won’t go into detail because I have no interest in slandering another ministry. However, i did notice something that reminded me of yet another issue I have with prominent figures in the church today: titles.
If you search around the interwebs enough for almost any high profile church leaders today you will see some sort of title along with their name–titles such as “Bishop,” “Evangelist,” or even “Lady.” I take issue with this practice. I’m sure there are those out there that would argue the point that these people have worked hard to earn their position, and are simply adding the weight of their title to make their words and opinions more influential–and I get that.
It reminds me of a recent exchange between Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh with the Army Corps of Engineers and Senator Barbara Boxer, D-CA. During senate testimony, Walsh had the nerve to refer to Boxer as “ma’am” (which is perfectly acceptable when addressing anyone raked higher than they are according to military protocol), to which she responded “You know, do me a favor. Could you say ’senator’ instead of ‘ma’am.’ It’s just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I’d appreciate it, yes, thank you.” You can see the entire exchange here.
Right away, many of you are thinking how absurd, especially when she was talking to a Brigadier General (to which he never once complained about not being referred to as “General,” but I digress…). It’s laughable that she was so bold as to call him out for something so minor. And yes, she did work hard to gain her position, so some respect is due. But he was clearly being respectful, and had even been trained to use such diction.
So if it’s silly to hear a Senator say that, how is it ok for church leaders to have such titles appended to their names? Sure, they are leaders and have worked hard to get there I’m sure. And they deserve respect. But how far is too far? Please show me in the Bible where a title is to be our focus, our aim. And please show me in the Bible where any other of the apostles are pulling rank. Furthermore, the only time Jesus ever got bent out of shape about titles was when he was calling people out for using theirs! He was constantly badgering the Pharisees about their arrogance due to their titles.
I’ll even use the obvious example of the story in John 13, where Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. He was showing them what we have come to refer to as Servant Leadership. He teaches them that they (we) are no better than Him, yet He came to serve. How much more so should we also serve? It’s not about the title, it’s about serving others.
Later, Paul, arguably the greatest apostle and missionary for Christ, begins the book of Romans like this (Romans 1:1-7, The Message):
I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God’s words and acts. I write this letter to all the believers in Rome, God’s friends.2 -7The sacred writings contain preliminary reports by the prophets on God’s Son. His descent from David roots him in history; his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master. Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ! And I greet you now with all the generosity of God our Father and our Master Jesus, the Messiah.
Here, Paul briefly qualifies himself, then quickly moves on to give the credentials of Jesus in detail. He even goes on to tell the Romans that “you are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ!”
So why are church leaders today obsessed with titles? Why can’t they get over themselves and point to the one person that deserves any and all of our respect: Jesus. He alone deserves our honor and our praise. Why do we continue to think that we have something to do with the gift of God’s grace? We benefit from His grace, but we cannot earn it. We are not able to earn it. But it is given.
Move on past your ego. Move on past your titles. Get over yourself and be a reflection of Christ.
