First Names for Leaders?

Some of my friends call our leaders by their first name. Is that OK?

It’s a matter of respect. Although your leaders are your friends, they are still your leaders. They’ve been called and set apart to fulfill a calling, whether it is a Young Women president, Scoutmaster, or some other position. They deserve your respect, and part of that is calling them “brother” or “sister.” Just like you wouldn’t call your bishop by his first name, you shouldn’t call your other leaders by their first names, either.

Elder Theodore M. Burton of the Seventy (1907–1989) said, “Through baptism we have become adopted members of the royal family of Jesus Christ, and that is the basic reason we now call each other ‘brother’ or ‘sister.’ We have indeed become members of the Church, or family, of Jesus Christ” (“To Be Born Again,” Ensign, Sept. 1985, 70).

It would be best to always refer to your leaders as “brother” or “sister.” The same is true for other adults in the Church. If you treat them with respect when you speak to them, it will be easier to be respectful at all times.

(New Era, September, 2008)