I never expected to write an article on this topic, and I’m still not certain I should. But I’ve received sufficient questions from readers of the blog and listeners of the podcast to indicate I should tackle the issue.
Allow me three caveats before I go further. First, this post is about high-level issues of attire, not the specifics of fashion and dress. I am not qualified to write about the latter. I once tried to subscribe to GQ and was rejected as unqualified. Second, though I am writing about pastors, much of the content could be applied to other church staff. Third, I am only writing to males. I am not about to delve into issues about female attire.
With those caveats, I must disclose a clear bias of mine. I do not like neckties. They are too similar to a hanging noose for my comfort. With those issues cleared, let’s look at six thoughts about pastoral attire.
- Understand the demographic context. Most churches in South Florida and Southern California have different expectations about dress than some churches in Mississippi and Alabama. Find out how other pastors dress in the community. Find out how the men in your own congregation dress for worship services.
- Understand the church’s expectations. The expectations of churches in the same community typically vary. Because I speak all over the nation, my assistant always asks my host about the expectations of my attire. I would never want the way I dress to be a distraction or stumbling block.
- Understand changes in fashion. I have been fascinated to observe the changes toward a more informal dress in many churches. When I became a member of my church ten years ago, about 90 percent of the men attending wore ties. Now I suspect the number is below 10 percent. Such changes may be a signal to you as a pastor that you can dress a bit more informally.
- Lead change gradually. The pastor’s attire in a worship service can be a sacred cow for some church members. Don’t let the way you dress become a major divisive issue. For example, if you notice a more informal trend for dress in your church, you may want to move from wearing a tie all the time to leaving the tie off in the summer months. Gradual change can be better tolerated than radical and sudden change.
- Don’t put your preferences ahead of your love for others. The biblical principle of the stumbling block (See 1 Corinthians 8) means that we put our own rights on the backburner for consideration of others. It is not a sin to dress without a tie and coat, but it can be a problem for others. The matter becomes sin when our own preferences become our idol.
- Understand your members’ emotional attachment to certain forms of attire. I knew a pastor who was called to serve an established church in the South. Previous pastors had all worn suits and ties in the worship services. On his first Sunday, he wore jeans, an untucked shirt, and sandals. He had the shortest tenure of any pastor in the history of the church.
I welcome your input on this issue. Ladies, feel free to share about female attire for church staff as well. You are far more qualified than I to broach that topic.
Posted on July 13, 2015
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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247 Comments
I suppose there’s a reason there’s not a description of what Jesus wore when He sat to teach in the temple. Unless we figure He was some sort of fashion plate, I suppose He’d wear what the people wear to church, now. As for one mode of dress being “best” compared to any other, I’d say it’s hard to be a robe and sandals ….
Correction: “beat” a robe and sandals.
I own a tux, should I wear that?? After all, aren’t tuxedos considered the highest form of male dress in our society?
I am certainly not trying to be flippant. I’m actually being very serious. This is a question I have always asked myself when I hear this “dress your best” argument. Wouldn’t the best in our society be considered tuxedos? If you watch or go to any of the most formal events, that’s what they wear.
I’ve read here that some consider the best to be suits and ties, some consider a type of robe to be the best, others consider the best to be expensive name brand shirts, slacks, and shoes, I think that most would agree that tuxedos could be considered our best (even though I don’t ever see anyone wear one to church). So what makes one person right over the other? Why is a suit and tie more “our best” than a robe, our most expensive clothing (when it’s not a suit), or a tuxedo.
I’ve just never heard a good biblical argument on this subject. Modesty is the only specific thing I can see regarding clothing in scripture. The rest just seems to be preference and tradition.
Suits are the minority’s in our AOG church,and non existent in the under 35 crowd. Many of us in the 60 and older crowd however still wear suits on Sunday morning,as does our 58 year old pastor.
I wear a suit for one reason……I like to wear a suit! I have many beautiful ties that I like to wear just because I do. I wear a work uniform five days a week so I don’t mind “playing dress up” for a couple of hours one day a week. Mid week service you’ll find me in slacks or Dockers as I typically don’t have a lot of time to get ready for church then.
I don’t believe for one second that the Lord cares what I wear so long as it is modest and does not create a stumbling block. Neither do suits make me more holy or righteous than the guy next to me in shorts and flip flops. It’s what’s in the heart that counts.
I tend to agree with many others that a person should wear what they have. Really, is it that big of a deal? BTW….I’ve preached several times in jeans or Dockers on Wednesday night and I haven’t noticed that they hindered my ability to preach!
I found one that says pretty much exactly that: Matthew 6:28-34.
“28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
If God really cared about the clothes you wear, explain this:
from Genesis 3:
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Clothing is a concept invented by humans, not God. In fact, it’s one of the first fully human concepts to come into existence according to the Scriptures. That’s why it’s irrelevant to God. If wearing your “Sunday finest” makes you a better worshipper, then by all means do it. But from what I can determine, He would have much less of an issue with the congregant in casual attire than you thumbing your nose at that person, thereby ignoring the command to Love your neighbor as yourself.
I don’t think anyone has said that advancing the Gospel is not a big deal or that the King of kings is not a big deal.
I have been in third world countries where they didn’t dress up for church because they didn’t have anything to dress up in.
And from what I have read regarding the culture of the early church, they did not dress any different than their normal daily dress.
So I tend to agree with the previous post by Ron (which is not this Ron by the way) that it is not all that important. It’s simply a cultural and generational thing. If we were as concerned about the lost as we are about what people where to church and what style of music we sing, we might actually be experiencing revival in our churches.
Do not the Scriptures tell us that God looks not at our outward appearance but at our hearts?
Too often what folks wear to church is not to show respect to God but to gain human approval and approbation like the Pharisees and teachers of the Law who were deliberately late to the prayers at the local synagogue so they would have to pray in the street where everyone would witness their piety. As Jesus himself pointed out, they received their reward but it was not God’s approval and approbation.
We raise so many barriers to the gospel for the unchurched. Dress is one of them.
My own church may be described as casual in dress–shorts, t-shirts, sandals, bare feet, skinny jeans, sneakers, and the like. The senior pastor himself wears an open neck shirt at our worship gatherings. This is intentional. We want people to come and hear the good news. We do not want them to worry about what they should wear to hear it. Over time they may decide that they want to wear something more dressy to church but is not because there is any pressure to do so–an unspoken dress code to which they must conform. While some women may come dressed to the nines, which is what they most likely do wherever they go. It is, however, rare to see a man in a tie, much less a jacket and tie. We rejoice not when someone shows up at church looking like a fashion plate but when someone turns to Christ and trusts in him and makes a public declaration of repentance, faith, and commitment to Christ in baptism. Then he or she is putting on the only garment that really matters–Christ.
Dr. Rainer,
What about those who have separate style of services? I know pastors who do complete attire change between services which seem silly to me. I feel like taking off my suite coat & tie should be fine. Thoughts?
I agree that we should wear our best, as we are going to meet with the King of Kings. I wear a coat and tie because that is my best. Your best may be jeans and a t-shirt. I wear dress shoes because they are my best. Your best may be flip flops. I’ve heard the argument time and again about people not coming to church because they don’t have nice clothes. One excuse is as good as another. I come from a very poor background. When I started going to church, it was at a very large church where all the men were in ties. I didn’t own coat or a tie. I pressed my shirt and slacks (K-Mart), shined my shoes, and went. Some may not have liked it, but no one ever said anything to me about my dress. Eventually, I was able to purchase nicer clothes and that became my attire for church. I will say this as this has been my observation. Casual for the pulpit is not the same as casual for the pew. I’ve seen many times where those in the pew took casual to a new level, not intended by the pulpit. The Pastor may think by wearing a polo with the church name on it is casual, while the guy in the pew will now find that running shorts and a baggy t-shirt are the uniform of the day.
I don’t understand the “wear my best” argument. I own a tux and I know several pastors that do, should they wear that. After all, aren’t tuxedos for men the highest form of dress in our society. Or would that be considered over dressing for God??
My mom has told me many times the story of going to church with her brothers and sisters when she was a little girl. They were very poor and had torn clothes. Some people on the pew behind them made several ugly comments about what they looked like. She has one older brother who didn’t go back to church for thirty years after that and another who has not been back at all because of the comments. And sure, that’s a bad excuse to not go after so many years, however, someone in a pew at church gave them that excuse. Whether right or wrong, it’s my uncles view of what many church people are like. I just believe it’s not necessary to give people an excuse not to come to church because some people have certain clothing standards and preferences other than modesty.
Robert,
I would caution you to consider who your comment here is judgmental of. Often the people who are run off by comments about their dress or not worshiping properly are people who have yet to commit their lives to Christ and who should be meeting Him through His believers.
We should never judge the unbeliever on their worship to a God they have not yet committed to follow.
Everyone who has said that context is the key is correct, of course—as context has always driven matters of dress and fashion. What I think is often overlooked is that in our recent and current context, the “suit and tie” look is, like so many other things, a UNIFORM: generally, people see someone in a suit and tie and assume, “Professional.”
But professional what? If you go into a courtroom, you know who the judge is, because he’s wearing a black robe. If you go to the hospital, you recognize the doctors because they are in either scrubs or white lab coats. When you need a policeman, you can find one wearing the appropriate slacks, shirt, badge, and hat. And if you go to a bank, a lawyer’s office, or a fortune-500 company headquarters, you know who the executives are because they are the ones wearing suits and ties. (Not uniformly in the business world, anymore, I know…)
Should a pastor wear a businessman’s uniform? Should he wear NO uniform at all (and only “street clothes”) and thus communicate that there is absolutely no difference between himself and the rest of his congregation? (I know that some will answer with a vehement “YES!” to the second question, which takes us in a different direction about the doctrine of ordination…)
In the first church I served, I inherited a huge leadership mess: the pastor before me had been excommunicated, and the elders had also been split on other issues resulting in some of them abandoning the congregation. I realized quickly that I needed to be mindful that everything I did was subtly teaching the congregation about leadership in the church, and (hopefully) rehabilitating the idea of the office of the pastor for them. As was their tradition, I preached in a Geneva gown, which I think was a fortuitous blessing for these goals. Over time, I gradually began to wear a clerical collar in most other occasions when I was serving them in some capacity as a pastor.
I never wore the Roman Catholic black shirt with white tab collar; I usually wore white shirts or subtle colors. I also never made a big deal about it, but I was regularly affirmed that it lent a visual reminder of my calling, my ordination, and my office. This was a blue-collar, semi-rural small town church in the south, and my congregants never had a problem with my clericals. It also opened many opportunities to minister to people in the community, as they would recognize me—at the bank, the dry cleaners, the hospital, the grocery store—as a pastor and speak to me as one. This would never have happened if I were wearing “street clothes” or even a suit and tie.
The only people who ever gave me any grief about it were other pastors! When I got this kind of ribbing, the best question they would ask would be, “Are you ever mistaken for a Catholic priest?” My answer was: “Sometimes—but when that happens, it isn’t because they want to debate transubstantiation with me; it’s because they want me to pray. And I can do that.”
One of my fellow pastors, who worked on the campus of a major university, told me this story. There had been an on-campus shooting, and the student services administration had arranged for all of the chaplains and ministry workers to be available in the student union at a certain point, in case students would like to seek counsel from them. He was there, wearing (if you will) his campus minister’s uniform: shorts, a t-shirt, flip-flops, and sunglasses around his neck. He said that, when the Anglican campus pastor came in wearing his clerical garb, everyone—including students from my friend’s ministry—flocked to him. By his dress alone, he brought an authoritative presence that was needed at that moment.
I have never been one to advocate that all pastors should wear clericals like I did/do. But I do think all pastors need to ask themselves about the questions of “uniform” and what they are communicating in their dress. Is your ordination truly something that sets you apart for a particular kind of ministry, one that not just anyone can do? If you believe it is, then you should consider your dress as communicative of that ordination and the office that you occupy.
Thanks, Ron. You said it better than I did
Ok, I’m a Pastor’s wife and I am always trying to get my husband the Pastor, to dress nicer! He’s gone from one extreme to another. He’s tired of wearing a suit and tie, which he did for many years. But now he’s swung over to being too casual in my opinion. Many in our church dress nicer than he does, which should be an indicator of how he should be dressing. I think this issue is a LIBERTY thing. The Bible talks about not letting our liberties cause anyone to stumble. For a Pastor, I think they should assess the attire of their congregates or geographical area, and dress a notch above to make sure they do not offend anyone for dressing too casually. In today’s Church age, where we’ve become so casual, casual in the pulpit with God’s Word, casual in our worship, casual in our obedience, we need to guard against making this an idol. Some people won’t take you very seriously when you’re dressed like you’re going to the beach during the time you are proclaiming to them GOD’s WORD! I know it sound ridiculous to some, but it is the human condition. So because some will react that way, it’s better to err on the side of being conservative. Romans 14:16 ” So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.” If you want a much better understanding on how we should handle issues like this which fall under Christian liberties, read the whole chapter of Romans 14. It’s a great rule for handling “gray” issues.
These comments have been interesting. Suit or no suit, tie or no tie. I attend a medium size church (the largest in the small community I live in). Our pastor and associate pastor wear levis and a shirt un-tucked. In fact I can’t remember the last time they wore something else. The only time I ever saw them in a suit was at a funeral. I personally am a suit and tie kind of guy. I find the over 55 group tends to wear more suits than the under 55 group. Interesting article.
I lived near Phoenix for 13 years and no pastor wore a suit, of course. But worse, they dress there like they don’t know what Dockers are or they never heard of tucking in their shirt tails. The worse blue jeans are worn like they don’t have better. Yes, yes, I know–we don’t want to make unbelievers feel unwelcome, and of course, most of them dress in blue jeans, tails out, and maybe even sandals. But you know, casual dress doesn’t put off unbelievers, and surely a nice shirt, tucked into Dockers, won’t dissuade a seeker. You think? In the northern climates, I always thought Bill Hybels did it about right–using sweaters and dress pants when he wanted to dress down. This business of not wanting to dress any better than the worse dresser in the audience is a phony argument. And the women might want to rethink what “modesty” is all about–certainly not about short shorts, uncovered legs, and hardly covered torso. And they wonder why men look–even in church.
Dressing up in your “Sunday best” is going to alienate outsiders because they won’t fit in. Suits are no longer being worn for most people in daily life, so it doesn’t make sense to continue wearing them if they are no longer part of the culture. If you want to keep outsiders out, continue wearing suits. If you want to be welcoming, be culturally relevant and welcome anyone wearing any type of clothing, just as Jesus would have. Also, God would probably rather you spend your money on something else than expensive suits to wear to church.
Appreciate the post and all the comments. Helps us all think through the reasons behind our decisions. Even for the ladies, dress is still a matter of cultural context (which changes) and concern for others (which should only increase). In other times and places, wearing our best to honor our Lord meant wearing the items which were least worn out and being sure they were washed and pressed. The fact that most of us have closets so full that it takes time to decide what to wear is different than the life of most people in most times. Modesty and the attitudes of our hearts remain the most important – those are the examples we must also provide for any who are looking to us for leadership. (We kept wearing choir robes for a long time just because they eliminated any distractions associated with different ability and choices in dress) If something about our pastor’s clothes was offensive to someone, I would privately let him know so he could pray and talk to them, and I would pray that the Lord would give him wisdom. The focus has to remain on removing any unnecessary barriers to the mission to reach the world around us and disciple the ones inside the church. There is no way to meet the preferences and traditions of all the people all the time!
I pastor in the Pacific Northwest where most men don’t even own a suit. But…the previous pastors before me all wore them. I typically wear jeans and a tucked in button up shirt.
I think the danger – especially for younger Christians or non believers – is that if you directly teach or indirectly imply that God cares about what you wear, then you perpetuate an Old Covenant relationship with God. Sunday is a powerful time to gather and worship but it is not the only time. As people who have the Holy Spirit, our worship is continual and his presence is constant. The ‘King’ is not more or less present with us on Sunday and he doesn’t live in a temple made by human hands.
From a missional perspective outward appearance can reflect inward spirit but it also may not. It used to be that only people in the Navy had pierced ears, then later it was only rebellious rock and rollers, and now it’s no different then wearing a hat or a tie (preference). Whenever we judge based on mere outward appearances, create our own spiritual standards for holiness, or war over preferences we enter Pharisaical lands.