Podcast Episode #553
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Pastoral attire has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Today, we examine why that has happened and how to adapt to this change.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- When preaching in a new or unfamiliar place, be sure to ask about the expected attire.
- Bow ties have replaced regular ties as the hot fashion for dress attire. But bow ties aren’t for everyone.
- Sometimes, fighting the “expected pastoral dress code” isn’t worth the battle, and you put the greater good of the church above your personal preferences.
- The church plant culture we have in the US doesn’t have the same expectations for pastoral attire as the established church culture does.
The seven things you need to understand regarding pastoral attire are:
- Understand the demographic context
- Understand the reasonableness of the church’s expectations
- Understand the changes in fashion
- Understand the community
- Understand the principles of change leadership
- Understand the issue of love over preference
- Understand the members’ emotional attachments
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
Rainer on Leadership is a member of the LifeWay Leadership Podcast Network
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Folks never say much about my business casual attire but they make a point to overstate just how much they appreciate it when I wear a suit. ?
That’s funny.
I have very similar experience on that. No negatives; but a couple really make it a point to comment on the suits or jackets and ties.
I am really glad you did this piece. When I interview with respective churches in view of a call I will always ask what the expectations for dress both in and out of the pulpit the congregation has for their pastor. This is a great way to avoid something hurtful and or ugly down the road. Thanks Thom for doing it!
Absolutely.
So this has been a learning curve for me. Moving from the upper plains and Wyoming to a much more traditional southern Indiana culture has been like a time machine experience. Dress is such a function of church culture which is like removing your shoes when you enter church in Nepal. Culture trumps everything.
“Time machine experience.” Classic.
I would like to know the practice of Rev. Thom Rainer as regards clothing during preaching, congregant visitation and finally every day in the outside world…
His answer would probably mirror mine, but inquiring minds wish to know.
I am a suit and tie kind of guy but I’m looking to become more applicable to our time.
Blessings! Pastor Craig Wilson, asstshepherd@yahoo.com
Speaking of “time machine”, try moving from Ohio to Florida,the land of perpetual flip flops and Bermuda shorts.
Down here a few of the hipster pastors have taken to wearing what they call ‘Jesus sandals’.
Not for me, but neither are my brightly colored ties for everyone either.
I love Florida.
The one area of concern as a pastor for 47 years is respect for the office one has been called to. Today’s attire is anything but modest in many cases. The younger generation is a terrible example of descent dress to start with, especially women and young women or girls. Pastors stand before the congregation dressed like many of the these young generation. As an ambassador of Christ i believe we should set an example of respect for the office we hold, not a sloppy disrespectful appearance. We should be setting an example not trying to join them or identifying one’s self in a way to be accepted of them. An example would come out of the world not try to identify with the world as the word states. Christians are different than the world! (Romans 12:2 ) Even the Priest in the old testament were commanded to wear certain dress as a respect for their office.
Who are we setting an example for acceptance? by the younger generation, if so, WHY is my question? I believe what we see happening is a duming down not a building up.
That would be “dumbing” down…. #JustSayin’
I was asked to leave a church where I was the most chronologically advanced deacon. It was because I complain about young women on the music team wearing short shorts. I mean SHORT shorts. Heartbreaking for my wife and I.
We are appearing before God almighty, leading worship ! I think we have forgotten to be our best and wear our best.
I would ask the question of “how do you think Jesus would dress while doing ministry?” In my opinion I don’t think we should put so much emphasis on dress.
However, I do agree with the fact that nothing we wear should distract us from worship. So in the case of the “short shorts/skirts” we need to be able to seek after modesty.
I wear a suit every Sunday (no tie). And other than on special occasions (one or two Sundays per year) I am the only one who wears a suit. These are rural country folks who often come to church in work boots, jeans, and maybe a polo. I do not believe that my wearing a suit makes any theological statement about respect for the office of the pastor, but I do believe it makes a statement about the way I feel about the people I serve. By that I mean that my congregation is used to and expects a pastor to wear a suit, and therefore I see no reason to ruffle their feathers by wearing jeans instead, although I secretly wish I could. And in case you think it is because I am afraid to ruffle feathers I would direct you to the left over rubble from our nearly 100 year old sanctuary that we tore down. Brothers, at the end of the day love, hard work, and humility goes much farther than appropriate attire toward earning respect for the office of pastor. Even millennials know when they have been loved and cared for by an elderly pastor in a suit, likewise, older saints in the hospital didn’t care that I sometimes wore jeans and a t shirt to visit them in the hospital. Love is always in style.
We’re an Anglican church and will, for the foreseeable future, maintain a strong traditional service, but we see the greater opportunity for growth in our slowly emerging contemporary service. As new, non-believing folks are drawn in, they just don’t get the vestments and religious language.
I’d love to get perspectives from any pastors who have been in liturgical, vested settings (with robes, ropes and stoles) and have made a transition to street clothes.
Dr JP Dane always told young preachers that you don’t have to dress so that everyone knows you’re the pastor, but you should dress in such a way that they aren’t surprised when they find out. However, that was in the days when most everyone was like south Indiana was described.
I don’t think we must have 3 piece suits but sloppy, wrinkled shirts and pants is a disappointment to me. We represent the Lord Jesus. I’ve seen pastors dress sloppy for church but wear tuxedo for their children’s wedding. Which one receives the most respect?
I’m a Baptist, but I have to admit I admire the simplicity and genuine appropriateness of the Salvation Army uniform. It’s neat. Clean. Identifiable. And works it just about every context when worn.
Man! Sorry, but this was not helpful at all. Rarely happens but this was it.
In our push to become ‘mainstream-distinctive’ we’ve largely lost our ‘sought-for’ distinction. Faded blue jeans, a checkered shirt, left hand in and out of our left side pant pocket , scraggly unshaven face; all on display to say, “Hey! we’re cool; nothing ‘s scary about ‘church’! “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we’re about persuading men!” I’m reading that from my i-phone, but it’s in the Bible you know”!!
So true, so heartbreaking for me, anyway, and I’m sure for many others here.
When I interviewed for the church I have been currently serving for the last 25 years, I did tell them I had one condition, I would not wear a robe. I think I’m the first pastor not to since it’s beginning in 1891. (Traditional New England Baptist Church) I’ve pretty much worn a suit and tie until about 3 years ago when I realized I’m the only one in the entire church wearing one, especially in the summer. Now I just dress casually nice which is what pretty much reflects the congregation. I thought that was the best point here, resonably pay attention to what most are wearing.
Praise God for Rick Warren’s Hawaiian shirts and Chris Brown’s flip-flops!
America’s pastors, Dr. David Jeremiah and Dr. Charles Stanley, the most highly respected in America today, not only preach the Bible, but they also wear suits.
Pastors: take note. People are hungry for the word from people who bring class and dignity to the pulpit.
Pastors who look they just came from a hunting trip and went straight to the pulpit seem to have no other dignity as well.
Stereotyping at its best. There have been just as many people wearing a suit with no dignity than those who do not. It’s a shame that we perpetually put down our fellow brethren for a humanistic approach to dignity. The question I have, would Jesus be wearing a three piece suit to take his message to the world today? I think not.
Jesus wore a robe of high quality: no seams, hand woven.
He did not wear rags, as is common in today’s pulpit.
Mark 12:38. Speaks to people receiving honour by people impressed by what they wear. John 19:23-24 tends to lead credence to the fact that it was plain and nothing that made him stand out. For me, I wear a suit most of the time, not always. I’m just not so quick to judge a book by its cover. I’m just saying that there have been as many moral failures from a man wearing a suit than those that don’t. We should look at the heart, not outward appearances. Thanks for the great discussion!
I have worn a coat and tie in every morning service for 17 years now. At the church I just left at 11 years in West Tennessee, there would be maybe 3 of us in a tie. I was told multiple times I didn’t have to but felt in order to bridge the generational divide I needed to out of respect for the older generation but would usually go with the wild socks and a wild tie to help the younger gen. At my new ministry in a distinctively different setting in central Florida I too have folks in flip flops and shorts as well as some in dress attire. The last pastor was a blue jeans kind of guy (nothing wrong with that I wear them in the office through the week and kakis on Wednesday. But as I have evaluated the church I see a need to bring the worship time mindset up a level as It is almost to lax during that time. I think sometimes that we put so much emphasis on
meeting the cultural curve that we forget we need to be all things to all people that by all means we might win some. All I am saying is, tie or not to tie? That might be the question but sometimes it’s better to put it in that take it off.
I teach in a state university.
Some of my colleagues wear flip flops, jeans with holes in them, shirts that don’t cover their big bellies, etc.
It must be an attempt to be “cool.” I am not sure.
I wear a sport coat, shirt and tie, slacks, with shoes and belt to match to class.
Most of my students say they appreciate the fact that I take the responsibility of teaching seriously and dress like a professional.
I don’t appreciate a supposed “man of God” wearing skin-tight jeans, “muscle shirts,” with hair that looks like a rat slept in it the night before, and who parade around on the platforms like a rock star, carrying an electronic devise and says “you know” in every other phrase or sentence.
Sorry: I am old fashioned. One of my students told me recently, except for my technological knowledge, that I am “old school – from the 80’s and 90’s.” 🙂
Although this is not what the text is about, I gather from James 2: 1 – 4 that there was no dress code in the early church. However, having said that, I am a landscaper. I dress in a pair of blue jeans and a polo shirt all week. It feels good to put on a suit on Sunday morning. I dress the way I do not because of what anybody else thinks. It just helps me to focus on the task at hand for some reason. On Sunday night, I am more casual. But the service is different from Sunday morning too. I don’t know if what I have said makes sense at all, but how I dress on Sunday morning is more about the way I feel than the way I think.
I was ordained in Louisiana in 1972. I wore a suit every day, except for my day off, until the mid-80’s when I was pastoring in California. I have always liked wearing a suit and tie, except when it’s hot.
I notice people treat me with more respect on the rare occasion I wear a suit.
I’m not asking for the respect. I’m not demanding the respect. The suit attracts the respect. I like the respect it gets me.
If I were a pastor today, I would seriously consider wearing a suit in the pulpit, but not in everyday wear as we did back in the day. Today, at 71, I am involved in a mission project, and I occasionally speak in churches.
Thank you for this article. It caused me to think. I think I’ll dust off the suit and wear it for most of my preaching engagements in the North America from now on.
I can understand that coats and ties are no longer a “thing” in many of today’s churches, but I worry that we’re going too far to the opposite extreme. We’ve gone from “business casual” to casual to downright slovenly. As one commenter noted, some of the styles border on indecency. I fear it’s only a matter of time before we see worship leaders wearing their britches at half-mast.
Call me a legalist if you want, but I truly fail to see what is so spiritual about looking like something the dog dragged up. It’s one thing when you can’t afford better, but most people aren’t dressing this way for economic reasons; they’re doing it because it’s trendy. If you don’t think so, just look at the clothing racks at Wal-Mart. Clothes that are faded and ragged cost twice as much as clothes that actually look new! Is that your idea of good stewardship?
Certainly a church shouldn’t turn people away because of their appearance (unless they’re being purposely and flagrantly indecent), but it seems to me we could do a better job of setting an example. A few years ago, I jokingly told me wife about some “young radicals” I saw at the Southern Baptist Convention. They were young men in their late 20’s or early 30’s. They were clean-shaven, their hair was neatly combed, and they were dressed in suits and ties! Actually, they were quite a refreshing change from the middle-aged men wearing the ragged jeans and unbuttoned shirts. The latter group probably thought they looked “cool” and “hip”, but the truth is, they looked ridiculous.
Quite frankly, many pastors look like a bunch of slobs. It sends a silent message to those who then also come to worship, looking like slobs. It is nothing more than a trend that serves absolutely no purpose. Worship music is also ridiculous as most are sitting there listening to a concert, because the music chosen takes time to rehearse to ‘know’ the songs. It sends out a powerful message to one another and to our attitude towards the Gospel of Christ. The days of playing church need to be far gone, but it appears not to be, which is 2 of the reasons, people are leaving the church in droves and staying home. I speak as a Pastor and a follower of Christ!
What a shame this is a topic of discussion.
Kudos, Brother! When we consider how poorly we live as a Gospel Community, how badly we “one another” throughout the week, and how poorly we interact lovingly and brokenly with the unsaved in our communities, it grieves me to see all the “dress to respect” comments being made here. While we’re throwing around anecdotes to prove our positions, here are a few: “If people want to wear blue jeans, they can go to the church down the street.” “That young man doesn’t have enough respect for God to wear long pants to church on Sunday!” Does the “dressing up” mindset align more with the Pharisees, or with the teachings of Jesus? Sorry, folks! A suit or tie says NOTHING about my respect for God!!!
Why have we spent so much time developing a weakly inferential, patently extra-biblical interpretation of how to dress to “go to” church when the clearly taught truths about who and what we should be as a church are ignored from week to week? Show up as a pastor without a necktie and see how many people notice, but gather as a church where people are not loving one another, not living holy lives, not praying, not walking with God, not loving the lost, and we don’t even blink! As Freddie Mercury said, “Show must go on!”
A wise man once said, “To the extent that we emphasize things NOT emphasized in Scripture, we de-emphasize the things that ARE!”
Could not have been better stated bro…..especially your last quote which I have heard from my pastor/friend many times. The lost and hurting are all around us and that’s what the church needs to be seeing.
People used to wear old and ragged clothes because they couldn’t afford better. Today they pay twice as much for clothes that look and ragged as they do for clothes that actually look new. I think that raises some very important (and biblical) questions about the wisdom, stewardship, and priorities of the modern church.
One of the things I saw at a previous church was watching the youth pastor preach at the main service. He had a short sleeve button up shirt. People around me were talking about him, “he’s just a pastor with the kids. We can’t take home seriously.” Although he had a great sermon.
Each situation brings its own customs and demands, as does each person.
Audience analysis is not only important for speaking, it is also important for dress.
My youth director preached for me once on a Sunday night. He was a summer intern and told one of my leading men he was going “to preach the sermon of the year.”
The Sunday night crowd was mostly older people. He was hardly dressed for them.
He came to the pulpit barefoot and in tight ragged jeans and a pull-over shirt that “showed his muscles” (so I was told).
I heard his sermon later in the week on CD as recorded. It was hardly the “sermon of the year.” It was not even a good homily, just a few tests thrown together with no central subject and comments after each one.
But he said, “I know all about church.” 🙂
I believe that the context and demographics really determine your attire. I have worn everything from a shirt and tie to jeans and boots. I do tend to get more recognition when I have a tie on though.
When I lived in a major US city, I was called for jury duty at least once a year, and was chosen to serve once time in a civil case, on which I was selected foreman.
I read that wearing a bow tie made one appear less trustworthy. The next time I was summoned I wore a bow tie. I was assigned to the repeat offender court. Of course, when the attorneys for every case found out I was a Baptist minister I was rejected. At the end of the day, the judge asked the jurors who had not been selected to remain. He explained the process and then, leaning toward me as I sat on the front row, he said, “Some people are not selected because of the tie they wear.” I wanted to do a fist pump.
“When you go into court, you’re putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.” – Norm Crosby
I have preached the Gospel for forty-eight years. When ordained my pastor challenged me to always wear a suit and tie. I have never liked suits and ties; I am mostly a bluejeans man. For almost thirty years I only wore a suit and tie during every service and around town. Several years ago I was called to be an Association Director of Missions in a southern Georgia small town, rural Baptist Association. The culture was very different and the heat and humidity is very uncomfortable. Its hot! The gnats are terrible. In my effort to fit in the culture I soon sold my automobile and bought a pick-up truck. I also observed each of my churches in an effort to identify with them more closely. During some of the seasons of the year I mostly wear a suit, or sports coat, and tie during the Morning service in most of the churches and do not wear a tie during the Evening service. I always wear a suit and tie during both services at three of my churches since that are more formal and expected.
During the summer months I started to wear a pull-over shirt and sport jacket during the morning services (except the three formal churches). And often just wear the pull-shirt during the evening service. All because of the heat and humidity. Many of the pastor in the rural areas wear bluejeans; not for fashion but out of culture. I am not just trying to be all things to all men, I am trying to overcome the heat and humidity. Something else that I do when attending many of the churches in the deep rural areas is to find an over-weight man who sweats and sit next to him. That way when the gnats come in they will bother him and leave me alone.
African American Churches tend to be more formal. Most pastors still preach in ties.