Spiritual and Religious Clergy - Titles of Address

I was asked by the Universal Life Church, when I became ordained, if I would like a title of address.  I hadn't thought much about titles until that point.  There certainly was no shortage of titles from their list to choose from, and that voluminous list concerned me. 

Where was the humility?

When I was in the Air Force we had titles.  Titles are necessary for a well run military as it creates a chain of command.  Without that chain of command there would be no structure and soldiers would degrade into a useless rabble.  But, in a religious order?  There are more titles and ranks in religion than you will find in most military structures.

My concern had some pretty well documented biblical support.  So, be patient as I throw several verses of scripture out there for you to chew on.  I'm sure you probably have several non-biblical offerings that will attest to the same point I am trying to make.

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."  James 4:10

"And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."  Matthew 23:12

 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed."  James 5:16

 "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor"  Proverbs 29:23

 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

 "for we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Romans 3:23

 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."  Philippians 2:3-11

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility..."  Colossians 3:12

And, my new favorite, this one not of the Bible, bringing the rest together in one thought: 

 "Pride must die in you, or nothing in heaven can live in you."  Andrew Murray

So, hopefully, you can see how I might be confused about titles in the context of religious and spiritual orders. 

With my concern firmly planted, what was the most humble address I could take without feeling I placed myself far above my fellows?  Well, what was I hoping to accomplish?  Taking the purpose of this blog The Path, and the Congregation for Religious Tolerance into consideration, I supposed my purpose would be to, hopefully, assist others along their path.  To be a shepherd of sorts, guiding others and gaining knowledge from them for my own path.

Pastor is Latin for shepherd, so this seemed the most logical and humble of the offerings.  I accepted this prefix, not title, for myself with all humility.

I would ask those with loftier "titles" to search within themselves and ask the question, "Why?"  To what end, your title?  What does it say about you to others, or to God?  Does it meet the humble requirements of humility, or is this thing for you?

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."  Matthew 16:23 

A final thought:  The next time you have some self-righteous person try to condemn you for your beliefs instead of offering creative discussion and debate, remember the quote I listed above from Romans 3:13,

"for we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Have a beautiful Sunday!