Religious Etiquette: Addressing Religious Leaders

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religious etiquette: addressing religious leaders

For business letters, much uncertainty can be avoided by using "Greetings:" instead of "Dear So-and-So:" as the salutation.

In general, if the religious leader has a doctorate (Ph.D., Th.D., D.Min.), this is indicated on the envelope in one of two ways: by inserting "Dr." after the religious title (e.g., The Reverend Dr. John Smith), OR, by inserting the degree designation at the end of the name (e.g., The Reverend John Smith, Ph.D.).

Choose a religion from the list below to get started, or use the link at left to download the complete guide.

Adventist	Episcopalian	Pentecostal
Anglican	Free Church	Presbyterian
Assemblies of God	Hinduism	Quaker
Bahá'i	Holiness Traditions	Roman Catholic
Baptist	Islam	Scientology
Buddhism (Pureland)	Jain	Shinto
Buddhism (Tibetan)	Jehovah's Witness	Sikhism
Buddhism (Theravada)	Judaism	Unitarian
Buddhism (Zen)	LDS/Mormon	Universalism
Christian Science	Mennonites	Voudon
Congregational	Methodist	Yoruba-Lukumi
Disciples of Christ	Orthodox Christian	Zoroastrianism

RELIGION	POSITION	ON ENVELOPE	SALUTATION	DIRECT ADDRESS
Afro-Carribbean Spiritualities: Voudun	Manbo Asogwe (female) Hounjan (male)	Manbo Asogwe Hounjan	Dear Manbo, Dear Houjan, Dear Asogwe	Manbo Asogwe; Hounjan;
Afro-Caribbean Spiritualities: Yoruba-Lukumi	Babalorisha (men) Iyalorisa (women)	Babalorisha Iyalorisa	Dear Babalorisha, Dear Iyalorisa	Customs vary
Bahá'i	No clergy; the host of a Baha'i gathering should be addressed just as s/he would be addressed in the workplace.
Buddhism: Pureland	Priest	The Reverend	Dear Sensei ; Dear Rev.	Sensei
Buddhism: Tibetan	Abbot; Lama;	His Eminence His Holiness	Dear Rinpoche	Your Eminence Your Holiness Rinpoche
Buddhism: Tibetan: Gelug lineage	Lama (most lamas are also monks), Abbot Geshey (Doctor of Buddist Philosophy), Dorampa, Tsogrampa, Lharampa (Doctor of Buddhist Philosophy of the highest level)	His Holiness Geshey	Dear Rinpoche	Your Eminence Your Holiness Rinpoche
Buddhism: Tibetan: Kagyu lineage	Monk; Abbot; Gyalwa Karmapa [head of this lineage]	His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa [Abbot] The Venerable Rinpoche	Your Holiness Dear Ven.
Buddhism: Tibetan: Nyingma lineage	Monk; Abbot; Rinpoche	[Head] His Holiness Rinpoche	Your Holiness	Rinpoche
Buddhism: Tibetan: Sakya lineage	Monk; Abbot/Rinpoche	His Eminence His Holiness	Your Holiness	Rinpoche
Buddhism: Theravada	Bhikku; Monk	The Venerable
Buddhism: Zen	Roshi	Roshi	Dear Roshi ; Dear Roshi	Roshi; Sensei
Christianity: Anglican; Episcopalian	Priest (who may be functioning as a Rector; Curate; Vicar; Chaplain)	The Reverend	Dear Fr. * When the priest is a woman, practice varies. Some prefer "Dear Mother Smith"; others prefer "Dear Elizabeth." Beginning a letter simply "Greetings" might be easiest.	Fr. ; Fr. ; *Mother (or, according to her preference, see left).
	Deacon	The Reverend Deacon	Dear Deacon	Deacon ; or, Deacon
	Bishop	The Right Reverend	Dear Bishop ; Your Grace	Bishop; or Your Grace
	Dean (of a cathedral or seminary)	The Very Reverend	Dear Dean	Dean
	Archdeacon	The Venerable FN LN	Dear Archdeacon LN	Archdeacon; Fr. ; Fr.
	Presiding Bishop	The Most Reverend	Dear Bishop -or- Your Grace	Bishop -or-Bishop -or- Your Grace
	Nun, Monk	Sister, OSH Brother , BSG (If also ordained, it would also be proper to write "The Reverend Ellen Francis, OSH", and, "The Reverend Tobias Haller, BSG") ***OSH and BSG indicate the order to which these exemplars belong	Dear Sister ; Dear Brother	Sister; Sister Brother; Brother
Christianity: Church of Christ (not United Church of Christ)	Minister	Titles are not used; leaders are addressed as would anyone in the workplace.
Christianity: Ethiopian Orthodox	Bishop or Archbishop	His Holiness Abuna	Your Holiness Abuna	Your Holiness
	Priest	Qes	Dear Qes	Qes
	Chief Cantor	Marigeta	Dear Marigeta	Marigeta
	Religious Scribe or Scholar	Dabtarra	Dear Dabtarra	Dabtarra
Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses	While the term "minister" is used, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that a clergy class and special titles are improper			Brother Smith; Mr. Smith
Christianity: Latter-day Saints (Mormons)	President (Apostle)	President Gordon B. Hinckley	Dear President Hinckley	President Hinckley
	Bishop	Bishop	Bishop	Bishop
	Elder (includes male missionaries)	Elder	Elder	Elder
	Female missionaries	Sister	Sister	Sister
Christianity: Orthodox	The hiearchy of each autocephalous Orthodox Church (and Middle Eastern and North African Catholic churches) has its own peculiar set of titles; there is no standard title for the head of a Church.
	Archbishop	His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch	Your All Holiness
	Patriarch	His Beatitude NAME #, Pope and Patriarch of Location	Your Eminence, Your Holiness	Your Eminence, Your Holiness
	Archbishop	His Beatitude NAME, Archbishop of LOCATION, Metropolitan LOCATION	Your Beatitude	Your Beatitude
	Bishop	The Right Reverend NAME, Bishop of Location	Your Grace	Your Grace
	Archimandrite	The Very Reverend Archimandrite -OR- Archimandrite	Dear Fr.
	Igumen; Abbot	The Very Reverend Igumen -OR- Igumen -OR- The Very Reverend Abbot -OR- Abbot	Dear Fr.
	Abbess	The Very Reverend Abbess	Dear Mother
	Hiermonk; Protopresbyter; Archpriest	The Reverend	Dear Fr.
Christianity: Pentecostal, Holiness Traditions	Minister; some groups have an array of religious leaders with various titles, such as Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, among others.	The Reverend -OR- Rev.	Dear Pastor	Pastor "Reverend" is used frequently, but is technically incorrect. (Technically, "Reverend" is an adjective, not a noun.) Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist
Christianity: Protestants, Free Church (including Lutheran, Adventist, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God, Disciples of Christ, Mennonite, United Church of Christ; many others)	Minister	The Reverend -OR- Rev.	Dear Pastor	Pastor "Reverend" is used frequently, but is technically incorrect. (Technically, "Reverend" is an adjective, not a noun.)
	Bishop	Bishop -OR- The Rev. Bishop	Dear	Bishop; Bishop
Christianity: Roman Catholic	Pope	His Holiness, Pope John Paul II -OR- His Holiness, the Pope	Your Holiness -OR- Most Holy Father	Your Holiness -OR- Most Holy Father
	Cardinal	His Eminence Cardinal	Your Eminence	Your Eminence
	Archbishop	Most Reverend	Your Excellency	Your Excellency
	Bishop	Most Reverend	Your Excellency	Your Excellency
	Abbot	Right Reverend (add religious order initials)	Dear Father	Father
	Pronotary Apostolic	Rev. Msgr.	Rev. Msgr.
	Priest	Rev.	Dear Reverend	Father
	Religious Order Priest	Rev. (add religious order initials)	Dear Reverend Father	Father
	Deacon	Rev. Mr.	Dear Deacon	Deacon
	Brother (monk)	Brother	Dear Brother	Brother
	Sister (nun)	Sister	Dear Sister	Sister
	Superior of Sisterhood	Reverend Mother FN (add religious order initials)	Dear Reverend Mother	Reverend Mother
Christian Science	No ordained clergy
Hinduism	Priest (male)	Swami	Dear Swami	Swami
	Priest (female)	Swamini	Dear Swamini	Swamini
	Leaders very 'high' on the ladder of spirituality	Swamiji Guruji Guru Maharaj Gurudev Mataji	Dear Swamji Dear Guruji Dear Guru Maharaj Dear Gurudev Dear Mataji	Swamji Guruji Guru Maharaj Gurudev Mataji
	Secular or semi-religious, theoretical or philosophical leaders, or highly respected priests	Panditji, Pandit, Acharyaji, Acharya, Shastriji, Shastri (same forms of use as above; word choice depends on region of India)
	Common forms of address - always acceptable (male) (female)	Shree, Shreeman, Shreeyut, Sri Shreemati, or Soubhagyavati
	ALSO	Mr. or Mrs. will always be acceptable in an American context
	Female renunciates	Sadhvi	Dear Sadhvi	Sadhvi
Islam	Imam	Imam	Dear Imam	Imam; Imam
Jain	No official clergy. Serious believers become monks or nuns, called Sadhu (male) and Sadhvi (female). Non-initiates form the classes of laypersons. (Shravak and Shravika).
Judaism	Rabbi	Rabbi Oriental Jews (from Near Eastern countries) may call their rabbis "Hakam," "Gaon," or "Mori."	Dear Rabbi	Rabbi; Rabbi
	Cantor	Cantor	Dear Cantor	Cantor; Cantor
Quaker/Society of Friends	No clergy; a Quaker should be addressed just as he/she would be addressed in the workplace.
Scientology	Minister	Reverend, Executive Director of the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles (or whatever the person's position in the church hierarchy is)	Dear Reverend	Reverend If you are unsure of the person's official title. Mr., Mrs., or Ms. is appropriate.
Shinto	Priest	The Reverend -OR- Sensei	Dear Reverend; Dear Sensei	Sensei;
Sikhism (No ordained clergy)	Since Sikhs do not have an ordained clergy or a priestly class, these titles are used for both religious leaders and laity.	Males: Sardar Females: Sardarni Note: Often for males, "Bhai" can be used in place of "Sardar".		If one wants to be extremely polite, as is the manner in Punjab, the Sikh homeland, then one would suffix the honorific "Ji" after the last name. This custom is observed most frequently in conversation. Generally, during normal conversation, the first or last names are not always used. Instead, one would use Sardar Sahib (for males) and Sardarani Sahiba (for females). Here one would not use "Ji" as a suffix since "Sahib" and "Sahiba" take its place instead.
Unitarian Universalist	The Reverend	Dear Pastor ; Dear	Pastor "Reverend" is used frequently, but is technically incorrect. (Technically, "Reverend" is an adjective, not a noun.)
Zoroastrian	Dastoor; Dastur	Dastoor -OR- Dastoorji	Dear Dastoorji	Dastoorji; Dastoorji

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