When did it get so hard to decide what to wear to church?My brother and I worshiped at Zion Lutheran Church in St. Ignace, Michigan on the Sunday morning of the Labor Day weekend. We were in this Upper Peninsula town to fulfill a lifetime goal of walking the Mackinac Bridge. Among the 70 or so in worship that morning there were about 20 children and at least 10 visitors. As the visitors were invited to introduce themselves, I took note of what they were wearing. I must admit that as I had gotten dressed I wondered what unwritten dress code this congregation might have.
I was wearing a short sleeve dress shirt and a pair of khaki pants. I was as casual as I could be and still feel comfortable in church. Brant was dressed similarly. We were, after all, raised in the same family and in the same Sunday School. I remember well a Sunday School teacher in about 1965 telling our class that it didn’t matter what you wore to church as long as it was the best you had.
Among the visitors an older couple was dressed very nicely. She was wearing a dress and he was wearing a suit and tie. A young family was dressed in t-shirts and shorts. Most of the members were dressed about like me. Everyone seemed to be comfortable.
I saw a piece in the Chicago Tribune (Sept. 18, Tempo section, p. 4) with the headline “Casual clothing is too relaxed for some churches.” It tells of a Catholic congregation in New Jersey with a dress code printed in the bulletin. Parishioners and visitors are admonished to not come to church dressed in “short shorts, tank tops, miniskirts, shoulderless dresses, etc.”
How do you decide what to wear to church? Does your congregation have an unwritten dress code? What should I wear when I come to visit your congregation?
Pr. Clements;
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if my first comment went through, however, my question to you is this:
When you find the answer to your question, will you please pass it on?
Rev. Carol S. Gates
Your first comment didn't make it through, Pr. Gates, so I'm glad you tried again. To answer your question, yes, I plan to share the answers I get! --jc
ReplyDeleteWell, growing up in Yuma, Arizona, most of us went to church in shorts and flip-flops, especially in the summer; however, the snowbirds came that way even in the winter. I few dressed up in a suit and tie, but most came like going to the beach.
ReplyDeleteHere at Trinity in Durand, you get all types.
Well we don't have an official dress code at church, and in fact we are fairly casual - meaning most worshippers show up in jeans with several in shorts. I know many churches do have written or "unwritten" dress codes and a church I visited recently taught that the clothes you wear to church are a way of demonstrating your offering to God by what you are wearing. I would have to weigh in that this most likely is a personal decision - is that what it means to you personally? If you feel that dressing in one's best is an offering to God that I would tend to believe that God sees it that way as well. If the dress "code" of the church however becomes the focus and not what is in the heart then I believe it has gone too far.
ReplyDeleteI think wearing business casual to church is fairly accepted at most churches - Looking at the heart I would wonder in reverse: How do you wear Jesus to Business?
Brian - Lord of Life - Oswego
I always wear a dress on Sunday, except in the dead of winter on an especailly cold day. Saturday night service I may wear crop pants in the summer. I was told that your church dress is a matter of respect. PLUS you made sure that you wouldn't embarrass your grandma by what you were wearing.
ReplyDeleteJonette, HTLC
I too saw that article and an interesting aside is the congregation in New Jersey is my mom's former congregation (she's moved to GA now). At LOC we see the spectrum and I am glad they are all there! Somehow on "high holy days" it seems dressier is my expectation and I am transported back to childhood days especially at Easter with new dresses & hats, little white gloves and shiny white shoes! Now... it's business casual on Saturdays and the same on Sunday but with a cleric blouse :)
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a dress code for worship at our congregation in Wisconsin, although most people still wear dressier clothing . . . frankly, as odd as it sounds, our architecture just seems to call it out of people. However, we have started asking that brides and bridesmaids dress modestly or, if they insist on low-cut dresses, to wear a wrap of some kind for the service. We have been amazed at how many (all) have responded appreciatively. We have also banned cowboy hats for the guys and camaflouge (yes, a query for that was made). Now if we could only ban white tuxedos . . . .
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