The Lord Jesus Christ appointed His early servants in the first-century, leading to the birth of the Church.
According to Paul, Christ Jesus, the Head of the Church, gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).
These are the key ministry offices Jesus set in His Church. They are referred to as fivefold ministry offices.
Jesus Christ Himself stood in all of these offices when He walked the earth and ministered.
Throughout the Bible, no servant of God both in the Old and New Testaments was ever called Reverend so-so and so. Not even Jesus Christ did.
However, today most Christian leaders attach the reverend title to their names. Many feel demoted and so become offended when they are addressed without it.
However, during the first-century, Peter, Paul and others attached no titles to their names. So one will hardly read, apostle Paul or apostle Peter in the Bible.
You will only read, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle…(Romans 1:1). Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ…(1Peter 1:1).
The attachment of apostle, prophet, evangelist and pastor to the names of ministers of the gospel began centuries later.
But “reverend” is a strange, unbiblical and modern title introduced into the Church and used by most ministers ignorantly and deceptively.
Consequently, reverend is not known to most languages including those in Ghana.
For instance, the Twi word for apostles is “asomafo, prophets, adiyifo, evangelists, asɛmpakafo, pastors, asofo and teachers, akyerɛkyerɛfo.
Now, what is the Twi word for reverend?
By James Quansah