The Reverend

"Reverend" and "Rev." redirect here. For other uses, seeReverend (disambiguation)andRev. (disambiguation).

Profile ofJohn Wesley,a major religious leader of the 18th century. He is styledThe Revᵈ.,an abbreviation of "The Reverend".

The Reverendis anhonorificstylegiven before the names of certain Christianclergyandministers.There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions.The Reverendis correctly called astyle,but is sometimes referred to as atitle,form of address, or title of respect.The style is also sometimes used by leaders in other religions such asJudaismandBuddhism.

The term is ananglicisationof the Latinreverendus,the style originally used in Latin documents in medieval Europe. It is the gerundive or future passive participle of the verbrevereri( "to respect; to revere" ), meaning "[one who is] to be revered/must be respected".The Reverendis therefore equivalent toThe HonourableorThe Venerable.It is paired with a modifier or noun for some offices in some religious traditions:Lutheranarchbishops,Anglicanarchbishops, and mostCatholicbishops are usually styledThe Most Reverend(reverendissimus); other Lutheran bishops, Anglican bishops, and Catholic bishops are styledThe Right Reverend.

With Christian clergy, the formsHis ReverenceandHer Reverenceare also sometimes used, along with their parallel in direct address,Your Reverence.The abbreviationHRis sometimes used.

Usage

In traditional and formal English usage it is still considered incorrect to drop the definite article,the,beforeReverend.In practice, however,theis often not used in both written and spoken English. When the style is used within a sentence,theis correctly in lower-case.The usual abbreviations forReverendareRev.,RevdandRev'd.

The Reverendis traditionally used as an adjectival form with first names (or initials) and surname (e.g.The Reverend John SmithorThe Reverend J. F. Smith);The Reverend Father SmithorThe Reverend Mr Smithare correct though now old-fashioned uses. Use of the prefix with the surname alone (The Reverend Smith) is considered asolecismin traditional usage: it would be as irregular as calling the person in question "The Well-Respected Smith". In some countries, especially Britain, Anglican clergy are acceptably addressed by the title of their office, such asVicar,Rector,orArchdeacon.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, it has been increasingly common forreverendto be used as a noun and for clergy to be referred to as being eithera reverendorthe reverend(I talked to the reverend about the wedding service.) or to be addressed asReverendor, for example,Reverend Smithorthe Reverend Smith.This has traditionally been considered grammatically incorrect on the basis that it is equivalent to referring to a judge as beingan honourableor an adult man as beinga mister.It is likewise incorrect to form the pluralReverends.Some dictionaries,however, do place the noun rather than the adjective as the word's principal form, owing to an increasing use of the word as a noun among people with no religious background or knowledge of traditional styles of ecclesiastical address. When several clergy are referred to, they are often styled individually (e.g.The Reverend John Smith and the Reverend Henry Brown); but in a list of clergy,The Revvis sometimes put before the list of names, especially in the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Male Christian priests are sometimes addressed asFatheror, for example, asFather JohnorFather Smith.However, in official correspondence, such priests are not normally referred to asFather John,Father Smith,orFather John Smith,but asThe Reverend John Smith.Fatheras an informal title is used for Catholic, Orthodox andOld Catholicpriests and for many priests of the Anglican and Lutheran churches. Some female Anglican or Old Catholic priests use the styleThe Reverend Motherand are addressed asMother.

In a unique case,Reverendwas used to refer to a church consistory, a local administrative body. "Reverend Coetus" and "Reverend Assembly" were used to refer to the entire body of local officials during the transformation of the Dutch Reformed Church in the mid-18th century.

Variations

Main article:Ecclesiastical titles and styles

The Reverendmay be modified to reflect ecclesiastical standing and rank. Modifications vary across religious traditions and countries. Some common examples are:

Christianity

Catholic

• Religious sistersmay be styled asReverend Sister(in writing), though this is more common in Italy than in, for example, the United States. They may be addressed asSister(in writing or in speaking).
• Deaconsare addressed as
  • The Reverend Deacon(in writing), orFather Deacon(in writing or speaking), or simplyDeacon(in speaking), if ordained permanently to the diaconate.
    • The Reverend Mister(in writing) may be used for seminarians who are ordained to the diaconate, before being ordained presbyters;Deacon(in speaking); nearly neverFather Deaconwhen referring to aLatin Churchdeacon in English.
• Priests,whethersecular,in an order ofcanons regular,amonasticor amendicant order,orclerics regularThe ReverendorThe Reverend Father(in writing).
  • Protonotaries Apostolic,Prelates of HonorandChaplains of His Holiness:The ReverendMonsignor(in writing).
  • Priests with various grades of jurisdiction above pastor (e.g.,vicars general,judicial vicars,ecclesiastical judges,episcopal vicars,provincialsof religious orders of priests, rectors or presidents of colleges and universities,priorsof monasteries,deans,vicars forane,archpriests):The Very Reverend(in writing).
• Abbotsof monasteries:The Right Reverend(in writing).
• Abbessesof convents:The Reverend Mother Superior,with their convent's name following (e.g.,The Reverend Mother Superior of the Poor Clares of Bostonin written form, while being referred to simply asMother Superiorin speech).
• Bishopsandarchbishops:The Most Reverend.
  • In some countries of theCommonwealth,such as the United Kingdom (but not in Northern Ireland), only archbishops are styledThe Most Reverend(and addressed as "Your Grace" ) and other bishops are styledThe Right Reverend.
• Cardinalsare styled asHis Eminence
• PatriarchsasHis Beatitude
• Patriarchs of Eastern-rite Catholic churches (those in full communion with Rome) who are made Cardinals are titledHis Beatitude and Eminence
• The CatholicPopeand other Eastern-rite Catholic or Orthodox leaders with the title Pope asHis Holiness

None of the clergy are usually addressed in speech asReverendorThe Reverendalone. Generally,Fatheris acceptable for all three orders of clergy, though in some countries this is customary for priests only. Deacons may be addressed asDeacon,honorary prelates asMonsignor;bishops and archbishops asYour Excellency(orYour Gracein Commonwealth countries), or, in informal settings, asBishop,Archbishop,etc.

Eastern Orthodox

• A deacon is often styled asThe Reverend Deacon(orHierodeacon,Archdeacon,Protodeacon,according to ecclesiastical elevation), while in spoken use the titleFatheris used (sometimesFather Deacon).
• A married priest isThe Reverend Father;a monastic priest isThe ReverendHieromonk;aprotopresbyterisThe Very Reverend Father;and anarchimandriteis eitherThe Very Reverend Father(Greek practice) orThe Right Reverend Father(Russian practice). All may be simply addressed asFather.
• Abbotsandabbessesare styledThe Very Reverend Abbot/Abbessand are addressed asFatherandMotherrespectively.
• A bishop is referred to asThe Right Reverend Bishopand addressed asYour Grace(orYour Excellency).
• An archbishop or metropolitan, whether or not he is the head of anautocephalousorautonomouschurch, is styledThe Most Reverend Archbishop/Metropolitanand addressed asYour Eminence.
• Heads of autocephalous and autonomous churches with the title Patriarch are styled differently, according to the customs of their respective churches, usuallyBeatitudebut sometimesHolinessand exceptionallyAll-Holiness.

Protestant

Anglican

• Deaconsare styled asThe Reverend,The Reverend Deacon,orThe Reverend Mr/Mrs/Miss.
• Priestsare usually styled asThe Reverend,The Reverend Father/Mother(even if not areligious) orThe Reverend Mr/Mrs/Miss.
• Heads of some women'sreligious ordersare styled asThe Reverend Mother(even if not ordained).
• Canonsare usually styled asThe Reverend Canon(sometimes abbreviated as "Cn" ).
• Deansare usually styled asThe Very Reverend.
• Archdeaconsare usually styled asThe Venerable(abbreviated as "The Ven" ).
• Priorsof monasteries may be styled asThe Very Reverend.
• Abbotsof monasteries may be styled asThe Right Reverend.
• Bishopsare styled asThe Right Reverendand, traditionally,His Lordshipif a male diocesan bishop (orHis/Her Gracein the United States).
• Archbishopsandprimatesand (for historical reasons) theBishop of Meath and Kildareare styled asThe Most Reverend.
• Some archbishops, such as theArchbishop of Canterbury,are also styledHis/Her Grace.

Baptist

AmongSouthern Baptistsin the United States,pastorsare often referred to in written communication and formal address asReverend.However, Southern Baptist pastors are often orally addressed as eitherBrother(e.g.,Brother Smith,as New Testament writers describe Christians as being brothers and sisters in Christ) orPastor(as inPastor Smithor simplyPastorwithout the pastor's last name).

Many African American Baptists use "Reverend" informally and formally, however correctlyThe Reverend John SmithorThe Reverend Mary Smith.

Members of theNational Baptist Conventionusually refer to their pastors asThe Reverend.

Lutheran

• Deacons: Commonly styledDeaconand their last name (such as Deacon Smith)
• Pastors:The Reverendis usually written, but the person is commonly orally addressed asPastor Smithor "Pastor John"; the latter frequently used by members of their congregation.
• Priests:The formal style for a priest is eitherThe ReverendorThe Very Reverend,but for male priests the titleFatherand the person's last name are frequently used (such as Father Smith).
• Bishops are styled asThe Right Reverend.
  • In America the styleThe Reverend Bishopor simplyBishopand the person's last name are more frequently used.
• Archbishops are styled asThe Most Reverend.

Methodist

In some Methodist churches, especially in the United States, ordained and licensed ministers are usually addressed asReverend,unless they hold a doctorate in which case they are often addressed in formal situations asThe Reverend Doctor.In informal situationsReverendis used.The Reverend,however, is used in more formal or in written communication, along withHis/Her ReverenceorYour Reverence.BrotherorSisteris used in some places, although these are formally used to address members of Methodist religious orders, such as theSaint Brigid of Kildare Monastery.Use of these forms of address differs depending on the location of the church orannual conference.

In British Methodism, ordained ministers can be either presbyters (ministers of word and sacrament) or deacons (ministers of witness and service). Presbyters are addressed asThe Revd(with given name and surname) or as Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms with surname alone.

TheUnited Methodist Churchin the United States often addresses its ministers asReverend(e.g.,Reverend Smith).The Reverend,however, is still used in more formal or official written communication.

Presbyterian

Church ministers are styledThe Reverend.Themoderators of the General Assembliesof theChurch of Scotland,thePresbyterian Church in Ireland,thePresbyterian Church of Australia,and theUnited Church of Canada,when ordained clergy, are styledThe Right Reverendduring their year of service andThe Very Reverendafterwards. Moderators of the General Assembly of thePresbyterian Church (USA)are styled simplyThe Reverend.By tradition in the Church of Scotland, the ministers ofSt Giles' Cathedral,Edinburgh (also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh) andPaisley Abbeyare styledThe Very Reverend.In Presbyterian courts where elders hold equal status with ministers it is correct to refer to ministers by their title (Mr, Mrs, Dr, Prof etc.).

Restoration Movement

Like some other groups that assert the lack of clerical titles within the church as narrated in the New Testament, congregations in theRestoration Movement(i.e., influenced byBarton Warren StoneandAlexander Campbell), often disdain use ofThe Reverendand instead use the more generalized designationBrother.The practice is universal within theChurches of Christand prevalent in theChristian Churches and Churches of Christbut has become uncommon in theDisciples of Christ,which useThe Reverendfor ordained ministers.

Community of Christ

Internally, members of the priesthood do not useThe Reverendas a style, but are generally known as "brother" or "sister" or by their specific priesthood office ( "deacon", "teacher" or "priest" are often appended after the person's name, instead of, for example, "Deacon John Adams" or "Deacon Adams", and generally only in written form; in contrast, elders, bishops, evangelists, apostles, etc. are often, for example, known as "Bishop John Smith" or "Bishop Smith" ). Any member of the priesthood who presides over a congregation can, and often is, known as "pastor" or (if an elder), "presiding elder". Such use might only be in reference to occupying that position ( "she is the pastor" ) as opposed to being used as a style ( "Pastor Jane" ). Priesthood members presiding over multiple congregations or various church councils are often termed "president". Externally, in ecumenical settings,The Reverendis sometimes used.

Nondenominational

In some countries, including the United States, the titlePastor(such asPastor Smithin more formal address orPastor Johnin less formal) is often used in many nondenominational Christian traditions rather thanThe ReverendorReverend.

Judaism

The primary Jewish religious leader is arabbi,which denotes that they have received rabbinical ordination (semicha). They are addressed asRabbiorRabbi Surnameor (especially inSephardicandMizrachi) asHakham.

The use of the Christian terms "Reverend" and "minister" for the rabbi of a congregation was common inClassical Reform Judaismand in the British Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially if the rabbi had attended a Western-style seminary or university rather than a traditionalyeshiva.

Some small communities without a rabbi may be led by ahazzan(cantor), who is addressed (in English) as "Reverend". For this reason, and becausehazzanimare often recognized as clergy by secular authorities for purposes such as registering marriages; other hazzanim may be addressed as Reverend, although Cantor is more common.

External links

• "Reverend".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). 1911.