Here’s one of the eternal discussions that churches have: should people come dressed formally or is it ok for people to come dressed casually? Here’s a great video of Ja Rule that helps to make a case for people dressing casually to church. The video is just about 3 minutes long, but I think offers a really interesting perspective.
What do you think? Should churches be a little more casual in their dress if it will help to reach people? To leave a comment click here.
[h/t Church Leaders]
where did the social custom of dressing up come from and come into play? Interesting Desire of Ages points out that Jesus told the 70 when He sent them out not to dress like the religious leaders because it would hinder their ability to connect with people. I think sometimes we make to much out of nothing on clothing. If someone wants to dress for service then cool, if they want to wear jeans and a Tshirt cool. Man looks on the outside God looks at the heart. The only issues in scripture in regards to dress for worship issue to deal with are modesty and cleanliness.
I’m actually not sure where the social custom of dressing up came from. Would be good to find out. Perhaps the book Pagan Christianity describes some of that?
Interesting post, Rodlie. I think that there are several items that come into consideration when you ask the question: “should people dress formally or should they dress casually?”
For me, personally, it’s never been an issue of sacred space as much as it is an issue of respect for God during this time of worship. I think the question we should be asking ourselves is: am I being respectful of the King of the universe? People who don’t dress up for church but will dress up for going out at night ultimately reveal something about their priorities and views of God.
On a separate note, ministers should ask themselves if they are representing their holy office in their manner of dress when preaching time comes during the sacred hour and in general.
On the whole — people should come just as they are. But we should not encourage dressing down. Giving a welcoming impression has more to do with attitude and genuine care, not with dressing down to give the impression that we are approachable. Thanks for sharing this!
I’m going to stretch this argument to an extreme here…bear with me: If it’s not an issue of sacred space, then does respect for the King of the universe during my worship necessarily have to look any different than how I might worship Him outside of church?
Thanks for your comment, by the way!
Sacred time 🙂 ??? I dunno 😛
First of all I’m glad Ja Rule has given his heart to Christ, though I’m a bit concerned about his statement about what he may or may not have to leave behind in order to follow Jesus. The whole “journey” thing can be quite dangerous as it puts off sacrificing those things dearest to us until we are comfortable doing so.
Now, to the point of the post. I think it’s really a matter of principle that must be applied depending on the cultural context. Wether a church is “welcoming” surely has little to do with the dress code, however I can see instances where dress can be a hinderance to people attending in the first place.
As an undergrad at Andrews, I often found myself frustrated by how preoccupied many of my peers would be about how they and others dressed for church. It often seemed to me as an opportunity to show off their recently purchased fresh bow tie, or pair of heels.
This was at a time when some friends and I were deeply committed to developing relationships with a few families from Benton Harbor. We were so sold out for these kids that we would often spend late nights on Friday figuring out which house they were staying at, and bring them over to our apartments to sleep on a clean bed while we slept on the floor. In the morning we would bathe them, wash their clothes and get them up the for a decent breakfast and trip to PMC(most likely violating a dozen policies related to child welfare). While their parents clearly felt uncomfortable at PMC the couple times we brought them for a series, the kids were less concerned, though they still noticed that they were different. So my friends and I made a decision; whatever they were wearing, we were wearing. I knew that when I walked down the center aisle of Pioneer wearing Jeans and a hoodie I’d stick out like a sore thumb, but I also knew that the two kids whose hands I was holding, were enough of an indication of why I was there. Did I think I was sending a rebuke to my peers about how shallow their preoccupation with their appearance on Sabbath morning was? Yes. But I was 21, so there’s that.
Yeah, I agree with you on Ja Rule’s comment. Seems like he’s trying to avoid committing fully.
It can be a tricky issue, indeed.
In speaking with people in the community here, some that are uneducated, they feel like PMC is a church for “higher class” people because when they’ve gone everyone is always really dressed up, and they feel uncomfortable.
Someone told me, “Do I have to buy a suit to go there?”
Hearing stuff like that grieves my soul.
Have you read “Deep and Wide” by Andy Stanley?
I read the first two chapters, but I can’t remember what the gist of them are. Help me out.
It’s basically a memoir of his experience planting NorthPoint as a church for the unchurched. He mentions dress in passing and his basic point was that the more they focused on reaching the unchurched the easier it was to lose the suit and tie. He includes lots of other ways they sought to make people feel welcomed and cared for. However, he was insistent on preaching deeply to his congregation without watering down the message because of the non-believers in the audience. He would just preface his words with something like, “if you’re a non-believer this part doesn’t apply to you so don’t worry about it. But if you are a Chistian…” Thus the title “deep”(biblical preaching) and “wide” (expansive embrace.)
I hate suits. I wear them cause I have to sometimes…Just a personal pet peeve. When I visited church for the first time, I felt very uncomfortable. I was not used to wearing suits, I grew up in a humble household. I still get that feeling every now and then when I visit churches.
The only thing I wear differently for church is my shirt, I use long sleeve. The feedback I have received throughout the years have been positive. People see me as more approachable rather than on a pedestal.
I also hate suits. 🙁
I always get a gag reflex going when I wear a tie.
hey rodlie, interesting post!
i believe that the healthiest way to approach this topic is by clarifying the reasons, the rationale, behind our behavior. what we do is an expression of what we think (even if we don’t think about it).
so the question really is: where does the necessity/desire/responsibility of dressing up to go to church come from?
if we can outline that clearly, maybe we can open the conversation to the real assumptions behind our behavior (or lack thereof).
blessings to all!
So what do we need to do to outline that? 😉
One size does not fit all – but it does fit some one! While I praise The Lord for how He is using this young man to reach some, it is sad to see how how some are using him to influence many un discerning youth to follow him rather than Jesus just because he is a famous rapper, being made even more famous as a “preacher” when he needs to be taught himself. Novice Christian celebrities are given “Christian bully pulpits” by unthinking Christian leaders who are “pressed” into the culture of the day. Selah!
I agree with you! It’s tempting to get really excited about someone like him begins flirting with Christianity…we should be discerning like you suggest.
I think it all depends on who you are trying to reach. Jesus met people where they were. He was accepting. He didn’t major in the minors. He himself was poor and didn’t have multiple outfits to wear to go to synagogue or temple.
Historically, only rich people had special clothes to go to church. 150 years ago the average person had two sets of clothes. Their work clothes and their non-work clothes. It’s true that clothes are less costly today then they were then but it’s still possible to spend crazy amounts on dress clothes…
When it comes to bringing your best to God, which would God rather want? A nicely dressed person or a broken, repentant and humble person?
Romans 8:1 tells us that “there is therefore now no condemnation in Jesus Christ.” Let us be willing to accept that God can reach people in all kinds of different ways and that dress isn’t the priority to God that it is for us.
Great points about Jesus and the average person 150 years ago. It’s important to also note that repentant people and well-dressed people do not necessarily have to be two separate groups. Are there any examples of Jesus altering who He was to meet people where they were? Meeting people where they are, to me, as to do more with attitude and less with mirroring who/what they are. I’m not disagreeing with you, just processing… Thanks for your thoughts.
When we look at the principles involved, somehow we have to find balance between two seemingly opposite values:
1) We are entering God’s house, God’s very presence, to praise & worship Him. He is the King of the universe. Therefore we should wear our very best, whatever that may be–good quality, clean, modest, neat, attractive without drawing undue attention to the wearer.
2) God wants us to come to Him as we are, & we need to remember that circumstances may determine what a person CAN wear to church (poverty, having stopped en route to help a bloodied victim, having just returned from a nature walk, etc.). We’ve all heard sad stories of seekers being turned away from a church because they weren’t “properly” dressed; this should never happen. Nor should we discourage others by being overdressed compared to what they can wear.
Should we say perhaps that each of us should dress the best he/she can, yet never judge the way another is dressed–all the while teaching how we can best show respect to God? And we should consider time, place, & Person: Coming to God as we are includes coming to Him when we are naked, yet we would not advocate coming to Him at church naked. We’d wear a bathing suit to the beach, but not to church. I’m really showing my age, I suppose, when I add that this also should apply to weddings, which are sacred services in a church. I cringe at the glorified nightgowns & sexually explicit bridal dresses I see at church weddings today.
BUT! does it – then – means that there should not be a difference between going to church or to the stadium? The unchurched are welcome as they are. Then, by our example we must show them that going the house of the Lord deserves the best of ourselves. Even in the secular world, well dress is a code for many special occasions. Marriages, Interviews, Meetings, classical music concerts. If we can give importance to those things, how come not to the house of the Lord. … Wait… I forgot to mention “rock concerts”…
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I believe dress is an issue of culture. Adventists attract a certain kind of people. Adapt or get lost, you aren’t welcome here…
I don’t buy the argument of putting on our best to go before The Lord of the universe. New Testament theology is clear. God lives inside of us. He no longer dwells in a building. In the bible God is always concerned about our attitude, the condition of our heart. Dress is a secondary issue.
Jesus was always a contrarian. He didn’t conform to social / religious rules. It got religious people really upset. To God the person always trumps the custom. Read the first part of James 2 and you’ll find that James warns us not to prefer the rich over the poor… How many poor people have good clothes?
Yes it is true that people wear good clothes for many occasions even now but how many poor people can even afford to go to classical concerts, rock concerts or even fancy weddings?
I don’t think that dressing up is bad. I simply think that dressing down isn’t wrong.