Choosing to Preach Discussion
#13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Kent Anderson on August 26, 2006 19:13
It seems there is no longer a standard for dress in the pulpit or in church. As churches begin to meet in warehouses and shopping malls, the expectations of the past have dwindled. Older believers remember when dressing well indicated one’s desire to bring their best to God in worship. Younger believers tend to think that being comfortable in God’s presence is more important. Is there any bottom line when it comes to how one dresses when preaching? How do factors like age and socioeconomics affect the question?
(from page 99)
Replies
re: #13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Andrew Eby on Oct. 01, 2008 at 00:37
I believe that context is important when preaching to people. I think a sermon intended for youth aged 13-18 will be different than a sermon intended for a congregation aged 25-60. In this light it is important to dress appropriately in order to make sure people are not distracted and will pay attention to the words coming out of your mouth, and not the logo on your t-shirt. For me, if a church asked me to wear a dress shirt, it is not a hill worth dying on to insist I wear jeans a t-shirt. I need to respect the people I am preaching too and hope that they hear from God as I present the Word to them. If i do anything that distracts them from hearing the Word then i havent done my job.
re: #13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Thomas Calamunce on Sep. 19, 2007 at 12:30
Obviously you are not supposed to bankrupt yourself to dress up on a Sunday morning when you are preaching. But I do think that there is a bottom line in any context. If you are preaching to a street church to show up in rags would be seen as making fun of someone’s situation and if you were preaching in a youth church to show up in a tuxedo would be seen as a sign that you don’t relate. I think that the bottom line has two principles: dress to fit your personality so that people see you as real, and second to dress so that you are not distracting to those who God is trying to reach through you.
re: #13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Steve Driediger on Feb. 22, 2007 at 12:12
It is easy to think about this question in terms of not dressing well enough for the congregation to which we speak. But what about dressing too well. I guess I wonder about this because I enjoy dressing more on the formal side of things. Is it possible for overly formal dress to be a distraction to the people who are listening, or is it not something worth being concerned about?
re: #13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Jon Mair on Feb. 02, 2007 at 19:31
I think having comfortable dress is okay and does not compromise the preaching for the most part. There are a few things that need to be clarified though. I think it is important to be aware of your surroundings and the expectations. In some environments it is important to maintain a certain dress code in order to be taken seriously, which is important for preaching. Also the dress needs to be something that would not cause a brother or sister to stumble, this of course can be taken many different ways but as long as it isn’t revealing then likely it is appropriate.
re: #13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Michelle Young on Jan. 31, 2007 at 22:15
Ultimately, I think the way we dress when preaching should not draw attention to ourselves or to our appearances, but rather dress modestly, in a tidy and clean manner. Whether we are wearing jeans (outdoor with youth group) or suits (indoor with an older group), it really doesn’t matter as long as we don’t stand out too much from the crowd (which then means drawing attention to ourselves). We must constantly examine ourselves in terms of our motives for the way we dress. If I have a clear conscience with God, I think I can leave the door.
re: #13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Tim Durksen on Jan. 31, 2007 at 16:57
I think many times we overreact with the way we think some things are going to effect people. Obviously sudden change is going to make people a little on edge with what were doing, but, i think that as long as we are being respectful in our dress code for preaching and that we arent trying to offend people most of the time we will be ok. There will be obvious times when this just doesnt work but for the most part i think being repectful and understanding our congregation will lead us to what we need to do.
re: #13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Brad Olsen on Jan. 30, 2007 at 23:04
I tend to agree with Aaron that the bottom line on this issue is that when preaching one should dress in such a way that one’s appearance doesn’t become a barrier or distraction to our listeners’ hearing from God. But, I wonder if there are times when the preacher can use his or her dress to illustrate or model the big idea of the sermon to good effect. For example, when preaching about being loving the outsider, the preacher might want to dress as an outsider would, provoking a reaction on the part of his or her listeners.
re: #13 - Appropriate Dress
Posted by Aaron Richert on Jan. 29, 2007 at 14:02
The bottom line for me is that I must be willing to "become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). I’m willing to put aside my preference in terms of what I wear in order that my appearance doesn’t become a barrier or distraction to others hearing from God. This will require for us to be aware who we are preaching to, and things like age and socioeconomics will have an effect on what is the preferred dress in that congregation.