Question of the Day ??
I was reading the book Becoming an Orchard by Bryan Collier yesterday. In it he talks about bringing the unchurched into church. One of the points he made was interesting to me, and I wanted ask your opinion. It was that our churches need to make people who look different and dress different welcome. That is, of course, a no-brainer. And one of the things he suggested is that we dress as those who might be visitors would dress. Even us pastors should, as he puts it, "punt the robe, punt the tie, punt the coat (unless it is cold!)." He goes on to say that he wears jeans or khaki's almost every Sunday.
So the question is this. Is it necessary for the pastor to dress up? Will God strike us down if we dress down? Or should we do as Collier says and "Think about what (our) target person might have to wear and wear the same?"
posted by Greg Hazelrig @ 8:36 AM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Alan's comment got me to thinking that my generation, the Baby Boomers, went to church in coat and tie. So if BB are coming back to church, they are probably dressing up as part of tradition.
I struggle with this whole 'formal vs. casual' thing. On one hand, church shouldn't be a fashion show. On the other hand, you can go so casual that it looks sloppy. If we are dressing down to attract unchurched people and introduce them to Christ, then we are drawing from love, our supreme motivation. If we are dressing down because it's more comfortable "for us," then maybe we are going casual for the wrong reason.
Alan, could it be that the visitors dress up because they think they are supposed to? My question is how do they dress the second and third times that they come? Do they continue to dress up or come more casual?
Mark, I think we should all come to church in the outfit that you're wearing in your picture. Especially the hat, yet it may have to be hung up so the little lady behind you can see!
I like your comment about the reasons that we do it. That is always important.
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Greg: Actually, I sometimes DO show up in church dressed the way I am in the picture. That's my circuit rider character, Brother Obadiah Ryder IV.
And I always remove my hat in the presence of ladies. :>)
That's a tough one. On the one hand, the Biblical guidance on modest dress should be taught and encouraged. Yet it is easy to cross the line into Pharisee-land, so most churches seem to skip that step.
Perhaps the best idea would be if there was a variety of dress. Then any visitors wouldn't feel too far out of range. Frankly, I wish we ran the gamut of motorcycle attire up through suits.
Seems like most of the decisions about what pastors should wear have been man-made, so it wouldn't hurt to revisit them.
We usually dress "business casual," but sometimes I wear a suit (which leads to lots of "You got a job interview or something?" comments.)
Hey Greg:
The Bible has no dress code for attending church and Im sure if it did we would be teaching it. Now days anything goes but I think you should be more selective in what is actually worn to church. Just be clean, smell good, put on smile and bring your Bible and the rest will work out.
Our current pastor is usually wears a suit and tie. I can't say I ever remember him in a robe.
I think a pastor should look respectable. Casual is fine, but I agree with Mark, not sloppy.
I dress casual for our contemporary service, then change into a suit & tie for our traditional service. My son once accused me of hypocrisy because of it. But as I explained to him, I don't want what I wear to be an obstacle to people hearing the gospel.
Most individuals in the traditional service still put on their "Sunday best" when they attend worship and they expect their pastor to do they same. So I do, not because I want to please them, but because I want them to hear what I'm saying.
On the other hand, I don't remember the last time I saw a guy with a suit & tie on in the contemporary service. So I dress accordingly.
It's a small attempt to "be all things to all people, in order that I might save some."
For me it applies to the situation. At my last charge it was dress shirt and slacks (no tie). The congregation was mostly farmers and workers. My current appointment is Robe always. The congregation is professionals and management. I see good things either way.
For me the most important thing about pastor's wardrobe is that they represent themselves professionally no matter what.
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