Does it matter how the preacher dresses?
(I posted a paragraph on Facebook calling on pastors to dress “to inspire confidence,” and not look like they’ve been hitchhiking all night. It’s important to note that I didn’t say you should wear the previous generation’s uniform, I pull and tie, but simply to “wear one. I step in front of most men in church,” whatever that means. Twenty-four hours later, we had 245 comments. Clearly, people have strong feelings about this.) .
“If I see you standing in the pulpit wearing suit and tieI’m out”.
I smiled at that. The guy who said it is so hell-bent on making sure the church doesn’t put too much emphasis on appearance that he…well, puts too much emphasis on appearance.
As I write, the television in this motel room is showing the results of last night’s Iowa caucuses. At some point I realized something about the candidates for the presidential nomination.
They all wore suits and white shirts and ties. Why? Watch any news. Presenters wear suits and ties. How? This cannot be accidental. It can’t be because they’re stuck in a rut. It also can’t be because they’re trying to flaunt their wealth or impress the world. These people never do anything, I repeat, they never do anything! for no good reason. So why do candidates and presenters dress up when they go to work? We’ll pause here while you consider your response.
At the same time, visit the typical church and you will be surprised to see that the guy who looks like a hitchhiker just got back from a day on the road turns out to be the preacher. His jeans need ironing and the t-shirt he’s wearing looks like he’s been wearing it all day. His shoes from him? Shoes with a lot of miles on them.
Some in the congregation actually take pride in the carelessness of the preacher’s attire. They say the object is to make the stranger feel comfortable entering the House of the Lord. They say the preacher is making a statement against the older generation’s overemphasis on the external, on the dress up for church.
Now, if you want to incite a holy reaction against your hypocrisy and superficiality, say something about how the preacher dresses. (He’s not even saying that he should wear a jacket and tie, but that he should “dress up a bit.” Watch the reaction to his simple suggestion.)
Comments will include:
- That’s why I don’t go to church anymore, the emphasis on clothes!
- God doesn’t look at the outward appearance!
- A suit and tie would drive away the people we’re trying to reach!
- My jeans cost more than my grandfather’s entire outfit.
- Only the heart matters.
- We want outsiders to feel welcome here.
This “storm in a teacup,” I suggest, is ridiculous. We can also defend the lack of musical taste of outsiders and install heavy metal music so as not to turn them off. Oh wait, we’re already doing it.
At one point, the call for pastors to “disguise” was well-intentioned, I grant.
Rick Warren (in his Hawaiian shirts, remember?) is probably as guilty as anyone.
Since I am gray-haired and 70 years old, I have no right to talk about such a thing. TRUE?
There was a time, in the Jurassic past, I guess, when grown-ups were supposed to know a bit and were respected when they voiced their opinion. Those days are a distant memory. This generation automatically dismisses the point of view of anyone older than their parents.
My last pastorate was from 1990 to 2004. To show how completely things have changed in a decade, it was my practice to forego the tie during August. One month of the year, he didn’t wear a tie. In the evening.
Yes. He wore a tie on Sunday mornings every Sunday. But for evening services one month of the year, we take off our ties.
These days, the preacher without a tie is the norm. (In my itinerant ministry—what some would call “retirement”—host pastors usually give advance notice that no one wears a tie. And frankly, I’m not unhappy with that. I think I’m contradicting myself here!)
From the beginning, the casual appearance in the pulpit was a reaction against the emphasis on fashionable clothing, as people dressed differently for Sunday church than we did during the week. As I say, the change was well intentioned.
But that trend has run its course in my opinion. In fact, it has deflated in the ditch.
I see preachers going up to the pulpit with shirts that stretch to cover their bellies. I wonder if they have any idea how ridiculous they look.
Anyone who knows the first thing about me knows that I am fully committed to encouraging pastors. (That was one of three vows I made to God during a difficult time in my ministry more than 25 years ago. I promised to live simply, give generously, and encourage God’s shepherds.)
Not long ago, a young pastor friend where I was preaching confided in me that he would be willing to move to another church if the Lord so directed. That’s when I made a suggestion. “The way you dress in the pulpit fits perfectly with your congregation,” I told him. “But a pastor search committee is going to want a little more than professionalism of what you are showing. If I were you, I would dial it up a bit more.” He took that advice the way he gave it to him, and has thanked me ever since.
I will admit that finding a young pastor who is open to a suggestion about these things is refreshing.
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The time has come to reverse the trend.
I urge preachers to turn up the dial a little, to dress a little better than the sloppy hitchhiking model. I have been giving to the Lord’s people.
Some say, “Overdressed preachers turn off teenagers.” My answers are several:
- No one is suggesting that you put on a “dress.” Just go up one level. (In many cases, I suggest starched dress shirts, not necessarily white, and khaki pants or slacks, sometimes with a sports jacket.)
- Since when do preachers modify their approach to suit the youth of the congregation?
- Since when do we allow the unchurched or the immature to set the direction of anything in church? (Answer: We do it when we are lost and without direction).
- It’s time for preachers to look and act like the adults in the room. Stop following the children and start showing them proper respect for the house of the Lord, the service of the Lord, and the worship of the Lord.
Honestly, most teens aren’t “turned off” by the preacher who wears a coat and tie. What they will think, and you may not be able to handle this, is that he is the adult in the room.
The problem, of course, is with the preachers.
As often happens, this comes down to the preacher.
Many preachers tend to be followers, not leaders. They make decisions out of fear and not faith. Once they hear that someone is criticizing them for preaching about tithing, that’s the last thing they’ll mention for a year. Hearing that someone is unhappy with their haircut or facial hair, the typical preacher grows it out or shaves it off.
Nobody likes criticism, of course. No pastor enjoys hearing that he was the topic of discussion at a family table.
No pastor who makes decisions out of fear of criticism has the right to stand in the pulpit of God on Sunday. .
“Be strong and brave”.
If clothes don’t matter, why such a backlash against someone who suggests that the preacher and worship leaders should dress smartly and not casually? ?
A few years ago, one of the low-fare airlines just starting out had its cabin crew dressed in shorts and polo shirts. They made many jokes and played with the passengers. They thought people wanted that. They were wrong. What passengers in those death-defying pressurized aluminum tubes rocketing through the stratosphere want from the crew is competence and professionalism.
We don’t want airline pilots wearing jeans, sweaters and sneakers. We like to see them in their uniforms. Inspire confidence.
Inspire confidence.
That’s what it’s about. That’s why TV networks require their male anchors to wear a suit, white shirt, and tie. Even sports commentators wear suits and ties. Mike Carico and John Gruden go into their Monday night games dressed better than 90 percent of the preachers in the country, all with the goal of inspiring confidence.
That is why presidential candidates wear a suit, white shirt and tie. . (Sure, they occasionally throw on khakis and polo shirts for a quick bite at a cafe in Laconia, New Hampshire. But before the day is out, they’re back in uniform for a rally somewhere. Inspiring confidence.) .
At the New Orleans airport, I picked up a denominational leader who was heading to our annual meeting that evening. It was a hot day, and yet he was dressed in a suit and tie. I said, “Dr. Gary Frost, why are you wearing a suit? That has to be hot! He laughed and said, “When the crew is looking for someone to move up to first class, they choose me.” It happens a lot, he said.
Inspire confidence.
Discuss all you want. The truth is what it is.
POSTSCRIPT…
I thought readers might be interested in some comments from the Facebook discussion.
From Michael: “Here is my follow-up thought for this. Why is a T-shirt and jeans good enough for Sunday morning preaching but not for preaching at a funeral? If the deceased was fine with his Sunday attire, he certainly wouldn’t mind wearing the same attire while he preached at his funeral. But I’ve never been to a funeral where the young, hip pastor wasn’t wearing a suit.”
From Todd: “I have noticed that if I lead a meeting in a suit and I lead a meeting in khakis and a dress shirt, there is a qualitative difference between the two meetings. Whether it is psychological or fair is irrelevant. It is real, and sometimes leading a church requires one to do things a certain way, regardless of whether that is the way I would choose to do it. Just as I didn’t choose to be “called by God,” I can’t always choose how I follow him!”
From Jeremy: “I pastor a very contemporary church, and I started dressing smarter about six or seven weeks ago. I looked at the camera and felt that I looked careless. Interestingly, two doctors have joined in recent weeks. I don’t know if there is a correlation, but anecdotally, I think wealthier people are more comfortable with a better dressed pastor. I don’t wear a tie, but I do wear pants and a nice sweater…