[Gman]

Well, most of the folks in the congregation I serve call me Father. In fact, I'm the President of the Ministerial Alliance and so do most of the other clergy in town (of all stripes).

I hold to the belief that the title of Father is earned as a sign of affection and not bestowed just because I'm a priest.

[sionnsar]

I posted for the historical perspective; some of this rings true with my experience. I recall that the use of "Father" was not common in the low church I grew up in -- the addresses noted here ("Mr." and "Dr.") sound more familiar. The one notable exception was Fr. Tom Vaughn (nephew of actor Robert Vaughn), jazz performer as well as minister, known on stage and off as "Father Tom."

And we definitely did not call them "priests"! I think I only started becoming okay, then comfortable, with that after leaving ECUSA.