A Dress Code for Church: Should Pastors Set One?
Should Pastors Set a Dress Code for Members and Visitors?
Women were expected to wear skirts and stockings, period. Especially if you were among the saved members of the church, and if you were serving in any visible capacity, such as singing in the choir. In fact, my wife was sat down a couple of times for being out of attire. There were certain Sundays you had to wear black pants and white top if you served in any capacity, and other Sundays, you had to wear modest attire--which, as I mentioned earlier, usually meant shirt and tie if you were a man, and skirt or dress and a blouse, with stockings if you were a woman.
At another church I became familiar with, the pastor had a policy--which he later repented of, thankfully--that you could not come to that church unless you were dressed in church clothes. You had to look the part of a worshipper, whatever that means. Essentially, what that meant is that if blue jeans and T-shirt were all you had because of money issues--you either worshiped elsewhere, or watched worship on TV.
And back in October of 1998, I had a very interesting conversation with a friend of mine, whom I will call Yvonne. During that conversation Yvonne, a very intelligent, articulate woman who loved God with all of her heart--vented to me, almost in tears, that she once attended a church where old church mothers stood at the door--those mothers who had been "in the Way for decades and decades''--with tape measures, poised to measure a woman's hemline. If it did not come down to a certain length, the would-be woman worshiper would be sent home to change clothes. Thank God she overcame this, and by that time, had become a productive, participating member of a local church!
Should we have standards for would be worshipers? You bet. I think rules of decency and respect for God and His House, and for yourself should carry the day. I do not mean we should allow young men to come to church in pants hanging all off their butts, because it's the cool thing to do. First of all, I have a very severe problem with that. It looks worldly, and it makes a statement that is very disrespectful to the Spirit of God, to the spirit of worship. The same goes for a woman who wishes to go about with all of her cleavage showing. This is dressing in a way to distract people, especially men with lust in their hearts--from centering in on God, Who should be the sole focus of church, and making themselves--the women wearing the decollete blouses--the centre of attention.
When one talked of modest attire, I thought it meant we didn't just dress like the world, in a slutty, disrespectful fashion that distracted from worship! I didn't think it meant that everyone should dress up! That is really the problem with worship today. As my wife once said in a sermon she delivered back in 2005--church today has become more of a "fashion show" more than a worship service which centers in on Jesus, Who should be the only Centre of Attraction. Often times it is a show of oneupmanship, or oneupwomanship. This Easter, for instance, Mother So-and-So will probably come to church in her best white suit. Reverend Mother Biggs will try to outdo her by coming in a hat so tall the person sitting behind her cannot see the preacher! And shame on you if you come in street clothes!
But is that the spirit that Christ would be pleased to encounter if He were to walk into such a church? In James 2: 2-4, we get an idea of how He feels, in the Book He authored through the Holy Spirit: The writer of James says, "If there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man with filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one with the fine clothes, and say to him, "You sit in a good place," and say to the poor man with filthy clothes, "You stand there, or sit at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?" Know this, God will judge everything we do, good or bad. He will judge those in authority who make such decisions even more harshly.
We must realize that "while man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart" (I Sam. 16: 7). What is most important to us as men is not important to God. We should understand that some of the best-dressed men sitting in church with 3-piece suits, dressed to the nines, will be sitting in Hell, right along with those in the Church who have persecuted those who are less well off than the church authority figures think they should be. God will avenge such in His own day.
As for me and Mrs. Koolbreeze, we now attend a church that has an open dress code. As long as you come there with a heart for God, a "heart of worship," to quote a song that has been written by Mrs. Koolbreeze herself--how one dresses is of little consequence. What a difference we could make in the Body of Christ if we learned to see people--saint or sinner--the way God sees them, instead of using a worldly yardstick to judge them.
Published by Dr. Angus L. Koolbreeze III
My name is Dr. Angus Koolbreeze III. I was born in Detroit, Michigan on 1/30/66, making me 43 right now. I graduated U of M with a BA in English, and Western Michigan University with a MA. I am a freelanc... View profile
- Ten Ways to Kill a Church - Damage Pastors Can Do
- What Makes a Church a Church?
- Modest-Sized Church in North Carolina Helps with AIDS in Africa
- The Nature of the Church: The Church as Ekklesia
- The Nature of the Church: The Church is Holy and Spotless
- The Nature of the Church: Perceiving the Church of Christ
- Finding a Church in Another Country
|
|
- Under fire, Obama adjusts his birth control policy (AP)
- Obama shift seeks to defuse birth-control fight (Reuters)
- Catholic group backs Obama birth control policy (AP)
- Catholic furor over birth control rule turns Democrats on one another (The Christian Science Monitor)
- Creator of Revolution Muslim website, inspiration to US jihadis, pleads guilty (The Christian Science Monitor)
- Did you know that how one dresses for church doesn't matter all that much to God?
- He is looking more on the heart of man.
8 Comments
Post a CommentShould a pastor wear Kiss T Shirt in church?
I've attended many churches and have seen both sides of the dress code. What I have observed is that the 'come as you are' churches seem to have less respect for the pastor and those seated in the audience. There's lots more talking and getting up during the sermon. It's just a more relaxed and less reverant environment compared to the dressed up crowd. I prefer the dreesed up environment.
To say that "We must realize that "while man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart" (I Sam. 16: 7)." is a cope out...We forget that Jesus said that whatever a man does and thinks comes from the heart. So God sees that these people prefer to wear rags in their heart becasue they have their priorities mixed up. The dress code should be that one ought to dress the best one can because we are in the presence of the judge of the universe. If all you can do is a nice tshirt and shoes good. But don't tell me that you buy that one only has money for shorts and crocks while at the same time carries an ipod. Give a a break!!! We expect less of people so we get less and more dumbed down than ever... you want to wear rags to church, ok then do so if all you can afford is rags. But don't show up on your mustang, ipod and rags!!!
Reference should read "866" not "1866" and misunderstanding on attire has existed much longer than that. Intolerance of nonconformity is easily the most prevalent sin in clothing! See the pdf to see how the church rejected women in pants until these women became a majority element. Had churches continued to reject these women, their income base would have been assassinated. Now they want to discriminate against men. Don't lose sight that everyone is born naked. Self determination not demands of others should prevail in clothing choices!
A word of caution about the "God looks on the heart" verse regarding how we dress in church. If rags are all you have, you have no choice, and God is not offended. But I attend a church where people of means come wearing John Lennon t-shirts, harley davidson clothes, ripped jeans (it's the latest style), flip flops, football jerseys, heavy metal t-shirts, etc. And these people are not poor. They simply choose to not attribute any importance to worship by their appearance. What does it say about their heart if they choose to come before God dressed as if they are going to a garage sale? The Bible is full of allegory regarding the importance of clothing, and God was very clear to the priests how they should dress, so it is important. I don't see how you can have a heart of worship towards God and yet choose to identify with drug users and rock bands by your clothing, or come looking like a hobo.
Eric, you got the whole point of my message. In James we are told very clearly that using dress to keep people out, or determining where they will sit, is SIN.
Let's focus on the hearts of the people. You don't go to Hell for not dressing appropriately. You go to Hell for not living Holy.
Aurora, I'm sorry, but I must still disagree. You can dress to the nines and still have a basic disrespect for the House of God. As Scripture says, man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.
There is too much legalistic emphasis on dress, and it leads to a snooty, seditty attitude that has no place in the Kingdom of God.
I strongly disagree. If someone comes in off the street for the first time, they should be welcomed if they are humble rather than disruptive and loudly demanding their "rights". But coming in week in, week out looking slovenly is choosing to show disrespect. Very few people are truly unable to afford a clean suit and tie, or an appropriate dress and pantyhose, etc., at a thrift store or the like if they cared enough to set their minds to it and set aside or delayed some other treats or nice-to-haves. We all make choices. If someone is truly penniless, the church can help them obtain appropriate clothing that honors God, themselves, and the community. The Bible also mentions clothing many times and how important it is and what it symbolizes, on people, angels, and Jesus Himself.
Excellent words. Respect for God, for His house, and for one's self (as one loved by God) are important, but dress should never be used to keep people out of the church.