Dr. vs. Rev. Which is Better in Ministry?

It has recently come to my attention that many Christian leaders and pastors really don’t like the terminology “Reverend” anymore.

Apparently many young leaders, especially from Gen. X and the Millennial generations, see the formal Rev. title as being irrelevant in our society and unhelpful in ministering to their community and culture.  If you called them Rev. in public, they would cringe and be thoroughly embarrassed.  The title makes them feel out-dated, uncultured, and unable to relate to the normal person living down the street.  Besides no one wants to invite a Reverend to a party.  It’s like inviting the police.

The title that is preferred and desireable is Dr.  It does not matter what the Dr. stands for: Ph.D, Ed.D, D.Min., M.D., D.O., or D.M.D.  Anything but Rev.  To these young leaders, Dr. is more professional, more proper and respected within the community.  Dr. gives you credibility and a reason to be heard by a culture that despises religion, faith and moral absolutes.  Dr. sets you apart academically and professionally, but it does not change who you can hang out with or what social circles you are included in.

While this shift makes perfect sense to me, it also makes me sad.  When I was ordained to the Gospel ministry and became a Rev., I felt so honored and humbled by the calling God had placed on my life.  It was a significant spiritual milestone for me.  When I became a Dr., I felt the same honor and humility.  It was definitely the completion of a significant academic milestone, but it lacked the same spiritual flavor.  I could have gone through the entire Dr. experience and never said one word about my faith, my devotion to Christ, or my calling to ministry. 

I understand and know intuitively that our culture is moving further and further away from anything based in church life or earlier experiences of Christianity.  Ordination is frowned upon by many young leaders.  Being called Brother So-In-So or the Right Reverend Jimmy Bob is not happening any more.   I know many of my students will never go through ordination because to them it means they are loosing their street credibility and selling out to denominational structures and 20th century rules.  But in losing these vestiges of days gone by, we also lose a large part of our heritage of as evangelical Christians. 

I’m happy to be both.  Rev. first. Dr. second.

Top 5 Questions I Get about Campbellsville Univ.

After 3 years of teaching at CU and being a proud alum, I find that I get the same 5 questions about my beloved university all the time.  So I thought I would give you the questions and my answer to the top 5.

1.  How many students does CU have?   The answer is about 3300 overall, but that consists of 200-300 in Louisville, some in Northern KY & Bowling Green, another good batch in Somerset, and many students studying fully online in all sorts of programs.

2.  Is CU a Bible college?   No.  While we do have a School of Theology (where I teach), we also have a School of Education, School of Music, College of Arts & Sciences, the Carver School of Social Work, and the School of Nursing.  We are a university offering associates, bachelors, masters and post-graduate degrees in numerous academic fields and disciplines.

3.  Are all the students professing believers in Jesus Christ?   No.  It is hard to know the exact ratio of believers to non-believers at CU because all we ask on the application is church affiliation, and that doesn’t always mean relationship with Jesus.  But from my involvement with the Freshman class and in my general education courses, I would say 70% of the students at CU are at least Christian in statement.  But even that is probably high if you ask how often they attend church or do they have a personal relationship with Christ.  In my unscientific estimation, I would say its close to 50/50, believers to non-believers.

Which always leads to the next question…

4.  Why would a student who is not a Christian go to a Christian university?   My answer is always three-fold:  1) Sports, 2) Parents, and 3) Proximity.

Sports promises many students the hope of playing college athletics.  These students are not getting scholarship offers to the big universities, but want to keep competing at a higher level.  We can give them a chance to keep playing after high school and still be competitive on the national level.

Parents love the smaller, Christian atmosphere.  Our campus prohibits drinking in dorms, has no fraternities or sororities, and is a very close knit community of faculty, staff and coaches who are committed followers of Christ.  The atmosphere is safe, small, and personal.

And finally, Proximity.  CU really connects well to the counties and towns that run between the I-65 and I-75 interstate corridor of KY.  Location is everything for students who want quality higher education without traveling hours away.

5.  And the final question I get all the time.  Has it changed since you were there?   ABSOLUTELY, YES!  I graduated way back in ’99 (nearly 12 years ago) and things have radically changed.  The campus is much larger, vastly more beautiful, and continues to grow every year.  The faculty is much more diverse ethnically, age-wise, coming from different parts of the US and world.  There are all kinds of new sports and opportunities for students on campus.

Most of all, CU is more of a Christian university now than it was when I was a student.  Not that it wasn’t a Christian university back in the ’90, but it is now more “distinctly Christian.”  More opportunities for worship, mission trips, Bible studies, and community service.  Our very slogans are “Find Your Calling” and “Preparing Christian Servant Leaders.”  There is a uniquely Christian vision and mission all across the institution.

I love this place and hope to keep answering these types of questions about my Alma Mater and school.