Should I call you "Reverend"?

"Should I call you 'Reverend'?" someone asked me recently. I
paused for a moment, thinking a million thoughts at once. I'm not much of a fan
of the "reverend" title, in part because of its problematic grammar but mostly
because I don't want to be revered.

"Reverend" isn't actually a title at all; it's what's called
a style.
It's similar to calling a judge "the Honorable John Doe," and some grammarians
get their stoles in a twist if "reverend" occurs without the officially correct
"the" before it.

More importantly, "reverend" isn't a noun synonymous with
"pastor"; it's an adjective that means "deserving reverence." When someone
calls me "Rev. Adam," the absent definite article bothers me a lot less than
the fact that I'm being called "revered" just because I happen to be ordained.
I'd rather earn respect than be given it by default.