My Thoughts on Calling Pastors "Reverend"
I remembered the one time I actually wanted to object to pastors being called as a reverend was because of this passage from the King James Bible:
Psalm 111:9
He sent redemption unto his people: He hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name.
One pastor I met named Pastor Armando C. Borja of the Christian Church in Cebu objected to anyone calling him as a reverend. He says that the title should be for God and God alone. Reverend appears once in the King James Bible.
The Strong's Concordance says the Hebrew word is "yârêʼ". Strong's definition is as follows:
A primitive root, to fear; morally to revere, causality to frighten: - {affright} be (make) {afraid} dread ({ful}) (put in) fear ({ful}{fully}-ing) (be had i) reverence ({-end}) X {see} terrible ({act} {-ness} thing).
The Hebrew word actually means, "to fear; morally to revere; causatively to frighten". The Hebrew word wasn't always translated as reverend. Psalm 112:1 translates yârêʼ as fear in several passages of the Old Testament. To say that the LORD's name is holy and reverend - it means that the LORD's name is worthy of respect.
From Got Questions, here's their say about using the title "reverend" for pastors:
Psalm 111:9 (KJV) states, referring to God, "Reverend is his name." Some interpret this as saying the title "reverend" is to be used of God alone and vehemently oppose any human church leader being referred to as “reverend.” The original Hebrew word, though, is not referring to a title. It is declaring that God's name is to be "revered, highly respected." The NIV, NAS, NKJV, and ESV all render the Hebrew word “holy and awesome” instead of the KJV’s rendering of “reverend.”
Whatever the case, if you are uncomfortable using the title "reverend" for a church leader, by all means, use some other title. In most churches/denominations, the title of “reverend” is given to a person who has undergone formal ministry training and has been examined by those in church leadership. This is commonly known as “ordination.” A “reverend” is a person who has been formally “ordained” into the ministry. First Timothy 5:17 states, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." A godly man who exemplifies 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and sets a godly example in word and deed is worthy of being "respected." Whether or not the title of “reverend” should be used is a matter of personal conviction and preference.
To be called reverend or described as such means to be highly respected. I don't know why the term reverend came to be. 1 Timothy 4:17 says that the elders that rule well in their churches are counted worthy for double honor. The Greek is tīmḗ (τῑμή) which is defined by Strong' as esteem and by Thayer's Definition as honor which belongs or is shown to one of (a) reason of rank which he holds or (b) deference, reverence.
It's probable that as the English language evolved that the term reverend was added (though the Bible doesn't command pastors to be called as such) to show that a pastor was of double honor. They may have wanted to call pastors as "reverend" in their title to show that one was to be given double honor and is worthy of respect. Just because a pastor is called Reverend (and Charles H. Spurgeon along with other great pastors were called as such) doesn't mean the person is a fraud.
It's probable that as the English language evolved that the term reverend was added (though the Bible doesn't command pastors to be called as such) to show that a pastor was of double honor. They may have wanted to call pastors as "reverend" in their title to show that one was to be given double honor and is worthy of respect. Just because a pastor is called Reverend (and Charles H. Spurgeon along with other great pastors were called as such) doesn't mean the person is a fraud.
At this point, I'm having second thoughts on whether or not it's wrong to address pastors as reverend. Yet I'm more comfortable in addressing one as pastor than reverend.