When the Christian should use the term Father

By Unscripted

Why don’t Protestants call their pastors “Father”? A Roman Catholic priest argues that the Bible clearly uses the language of “father” for spiritual leaders, including Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 4:15 and Philippians 2:22. So why shouldn’t Protestant pastors be called “Father”? The answer comes down to relationship vs. religious title. Jesus warned against seeking honorific titles and positions of authority for self-glory, while Paul uses “father” in the New Testament as a deeply personal description of spiritual relationship, someone who leads another to Christ, disciples them, mentors them, and helps them grow in the faith. So is calling someone “Father” biblical? Yes—when it describes a genuine spiritual relationship. But does Scripture establish “Father” as a normative title reserved for Christian clergy? That is a different question. In this discussion, we examine the biblical use of “father,” the Catholic practice of calling priests “Father,” Protestant terminology such as “Pastor,” and the important distinction between a spiritual father and an ecclesiastical title. Perhaps the real question isn’t, “Can a pastor be a spiritual father?” but rather, “Who has the authority to make ‘Father’ a required religious title?”