Oh, Please
I saw a TV ad for a local church yesterday. Apparently, the church is pastored by a married couple who prefer to be addressed as "Bishop" and "First Lady."
I'm so tempted to call up this church and ask, "Excuse me, but who do you think you are?" I grew up in the Church of Christ, where titles don't really exist. Back in the old days, we would attach a "Brother" or "Sister" at the front of older people's names but other than that, we were pretty first-namey. That's one thing I really appreciated about the Church of Christ. Here's part of the entry describing the Church of Christ in the 2003 Associated Press Stylebook:
"The ministers do not use clergy titles. Do not precede their names with a title."
Church leaders are supposed to be ministering to church members, not elevating themselves above them. The Church of Christ gets that. The non-denominational church we're working with now also gets it. But if you want to call me the High Priestess of Target Bargain Shopping, you won't hear me complain.
Speaking of which, my endcap bargain find for the week: glass apothecary jar filled with sand and seashells for six bucks. I didn't exactly want the sand and seashells, so I dumped them into a glass bowl and put it on the counter in ocean-loving Julia's bathroom. "I love that...whatever that is in the bathroom!" she said later.
I'm so tempted to call up this church and ask, "Excuse me, but who do you think you are?" I grew up in the Church of Christ, where titles don't really exist. Back in the old days, we would attach a "Brother" or "Sister" at the front of older people's names but other than that, we were pretty first-namey. That's one thing I really appreciated about the Church of Christ. Here's part of the entry describing the Church of Christ in the 2003 Associated Press Stylebook:
"The ministers do not use clergy titles. Do not precede their names with a title."
Church leaders are supposed to be ministering to church members, not elevating themselves above them. The Church of Christ gets that. The non-denominational church we're working with now also gets it. But if you want to call me the High Priestess of Target Bargain Shopping, you won't hear me complain.
Speaking of which, my endcap bargain find for the week: glass apothecary jar filled with sand and seashells for six bucks. I didn't exactly want the sand and seashells, so I dumped them into a glass bowl and put it on the counter in ocean-loving Julia's bathroom. "I love that...whatever that is in the bathroom!" she said later.
Labels: Church of Christ, religious narcissism, Target
posted by Deana Nall @ 8:12 PM
4 Comments:
At Mon Apr 28, 05:23:00 AM,
HW said…
The title thing really gets to me too. If I had to choose a title for myself, though, it would be...um....let's see...how about "Deaconess of All Things Chocolate?"
At Mon Apr 28, 01:58:00 PM,
KentF said…
I think the thing that shocks me about many churches is the fact the pastor/preacher/bishop has 100% control of the finances. That blows me away. I asked one member about this arrangement and he said "well we do have an over-sight board". I just think it places too great a temptation on even the most ethical clergy.
At Wed Apr 30, 01:54:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
If you're the Highest Priestess, let me be the Lady in Waiting to TBS...Yes, this is one of the wonderful practices of the church of Christ...but people still manage to elevate "Pulpit Ministers", "Elders" and "Elders' wives", etc...I can't count the number of times I've heard, "He's an elder in the Lord's church"...
At Wed Apr 30, 06:57:00 AM,
Susan - said…
Bishop and First Lady? Oh good grief! I think I will start referring to myself as PTO Queen instead of president next year. Or maybe Duchess of JSE PTO?
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