Pastor Titles and the Work of Ministry
Chuck Sackett reflects on the titles commonly given to ministers—Pastor, Reverend, Minister, Evangelist, Preacher, and Man of God—and how each can shape expectations. He argues that the verbs of ministry often matter more than the nouns, while inviting thoughtful dialogue about biblical roles and congregational leadership.
- Titles can carry expectations that may help or hinder ministry.
- Sackett emphasizes ministry activity over professional labels.
- The article explores biblical and practical questions about paid ministry, elders, and leadership.
By Chuck Sackett
It happened to me again . . . another noun. We don’t use nouns much at our place. It’s mostly verbs. We like actions. We shy away from titles. So, I’m not “the preacher”; I’m “responsible for preaching.”
But not everyone relates to that. And certainly not everyone is satisfied with that. They want a title. “Tell me who you are.” “What do they call you here?” It’s been so prevalent over the years I’ve kept track of much of what I’m called. Some of these titles are usable in a Christian publication; the rest I’ll refrain from mentioning.
What Are the Expectations?
We have folks who call me “Man of God.” It’s perhaps the most unusual designation I’m given. The term is loaded with expectations. On the positive side it implies a certain degree of holiness. The negative note rings naïve, out-of-touch, unrealistic. Somewhere in between is the idea that my ears should be shielded from certain words. “Don’t say that; the ‘Man of God’ is in the room.”
“Man of God.” At best I can only hope it’s true. At worst, I can hope it doesn’t isolate me from the real world.
Much more common is “Pastor.” As a noun—I’m not; as a verb—I do. We choose to reserve the “pastor” language for our elders. They are the key shepherds in our congregation. But undoubtedly I do “pastoral” ministry—I seek to find the lost, to comfort the hurting, heal the broken, feed the hungry. For those in our community, it’s a term that makes sense of my role.
So, if you call me “Pastor Chuck,” I’ll answer. But if you think I’m the “only” one or the “main” one, it will be to your loss.
For many in our community, “Reverend” is the term of choice. Try as I will to convince people it’s a term for God, people still use it. I know it’s not because they’ve mistaken me for him. It’s conventional—the newspaper, the funeral home, the hospital. You live with it . . . even though you know it isn’t really true.
I’ll just keep trying to live up to the name, and trying to convince them not to use it for me.
Title or Activity?
For many years I chose to be “Minister.” I considered it an honorable term. Who wouldn’t want to “serve” God and his people? I even had a parishioner give me a ream of specially printed stationary: “Chuck Sackett—Minister.”
Unfortunately, the title got confused with the activity; the verb got caught in the trap of the capitalized noun. That’s really the problem with nouns, it’s hard to keep them from becoming separatist, divisive. After all, if I was “The Minister,” what was everyone else supposed to do? It didn’t take them long to figure it out: they were “to be ministered to.”
I gave that one up.
For some, I was “Evangelist.” It, too, has a wonderful partnership with its verbal kin. I do long to do evangelism, to see the gospel shared with those who are not yet following Christ. And I do pray that God will use me in that capacity.
But, like “Minister,” it became restrictive. People felt it was their job to invite; it was my job to evangelize. At the extreme, it became the cause of blame. If people weren’t being added to the church, it was the “evangelist’s” fault. For most, it was merely the representation of a churchwide attitude: leave the gospel-sharing to the professionals.
I still pray God will open doors. But now I preach that all are “evangelists” and that God can and will use any of us to get the gospel out.
God has graciously allowed me to preach. He’s been kind and made that my verb. Any good that comes from my mouth must be from him. I really don’t like public speaking, but I love preaching. So my favorite noun would be “Preacher.” It’s even a biblical term.
Unfortunately, the Bible uses the noun only three times. The verb occurs 68 times. It seems the activity is far more important, biblically, than the one doing the activity. So, though I use the term, I try to be careful with it.
What Wins?
I’m supposed to know who I am . . . at least that’s what I’m told. And, honestly, most days I think I do; because most days, it’s the verbs that win. I do the things that “Preachers/Pastors/Men of God/Reverends/Ministers” do.
Social expectations are clear. The noun of choice appears to be “Pastor” or “Senior Pastor.” It carries a variety of implications. For some it’s the equivalent of “CEO,” for others it means “spiritual guide,” and for still others, “my minister.” In some church fellowships it is an office and does contradict the biblical notion that it refers to elders. For others, it’s simply an accepted title of respect.
Who Are You?
Biblically (so far as I can tell), it’s not so clear. I was taught we are the echoes of Timothy and Titus. I’ve come to believe they’re more apostolic emissaries than anything we have today. They weren’t called by a congregation, but sent to them. They didn’t “earn respect and authority,” they arrived with it. They didn’t settle in and set direction and lead and pastor, they organized and set in place and corrected.
Timothy and Titus have their accompanying role today. They are church consultants. Sometimes Bible college and seminary professors; parachurch personnel; respected preachers from the region. Though often invited in (rather than sent—given our nondenominational character), they come with authority and the ability to help set in order an otherwise messy situation.
I’ve come to believe the closest image we have is the “paid elder” (1 Timothy 5:17, 18). Most of us spend a great deal of time with the local leadership (elders, board, et al.). We meet with them, voice our opinions, and offer our suggestions. In some cases we are officially “one of them.” Often we are not, but we are still heard. It seems an appropriate application of biblical teaching.
Young men in professional ministry will struggle with this idea. Undoubtedly, they should; they aren’t “elder,” yet. But they still do the work of elders in most situations. So, though it may be unofficial, it is still their role.
Maybe, in the case of the inexperienced, a good substitution would be “paid minister” (with a small “m”). Not that they do it all, nor that they are subservient to all; only that they perform a specific congregational service.
I believe this is one of those places the Bible gives us great latitude. What we know is that local churches need leadership. Culturally, it’s hard for a congregation to be accepted without a “minister.” It certainly is far easier to get the work done when someone is paid to spend their time doing it.
What we call this person may not be that important, so long as the nouns are usable in a magazine like ours. How we treat this person is important, since they are called by God in some mystical way, and called by congregations to serve among them.
Since it is clear I don’t have it all sorted out (to those who think I’m supposed to, please accept my apologies), I’d like to hear your perspective. I’d really like to dialogue with those who are in this journey with me (ch***@***************ch.com). Let me know who you think you are—or who I am.
Chuck Sackett is preaching minister at Madison Park Christian Church, Quincy, Illinois. He also serves as professor-at-large with Lincoln Christian College and Seminary, adjunct professor with TCM International, and president of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He is a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor.
