Dress up in church or come as you are?
Remember when everyone dressed like this for church?
Summer’s almost here, and the church-going among us know what that means.
The call for VBS teachers, and the season of sundresses. Rallying volunteers to teach Bible School is a challenge, sure, but at least it’s a pretty straightforward operation.
But how about when ladies comes to church wearing garments that, well, display a little too much of God’s creation? Or the fellows who seem ready to hit the beach or the park right after the final altar call? Do some folks take the hymn “Just As I Am” a little too literally when getting ready for worship on Sunday mornings?
For the beach, yes. But for church?
Some congregations actually tout their casual, “come as you are” dress code. (Really, can you quote a single passage in Scripture where Jesus says, “Hey, don’t let that guy in here. He’s dressed like a bum! Tell him to get some better threads and THEN we’ll talk salvation!”)
The Web site for the contemporary Buckhead Church welcomes new worshipers with a fast-paced upbeat video, set to Christian rock music, that gives you an idea what the service is like. I didn’t spot a single tie. The Web site for the Cathedral of St. Philip, on the other hand, suggests a more formal atmosphere.
Does it matter what you wear to church? Have you ever felt under-dressed or over-dressed at a worship service? Should churches post some sort of guidance on their Web sites regarding attire?
Even sexy Carrie Bradshaw goes prim on a Sunday morning.
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41 comments Add your comment
dress code
May 12th, 2009
10:52 am
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dress code
May 12th, 2009
10:52 am
Nancy YOU ARE RIGHT……….halters,tattoos and please don’t forget THONGS, Ladies please learn how to cover up and learn when you should and should not wear thongs. if you are going to wear them to church please wear something dark or buy a slip.
Church is important to me and i do think we all should put a little more thought in Church.
PatricePinkFile
May 12th, 2009
10:00 am
If this was Buckingham Palace and we are talking about meeting the queen, would there be a dispute?
I believe that it’s appropriate to look as presentable as possible going to church. I dress up for church because I am coming before the King of Kings (not Queen Elizabeth). Would I rather a person without “presentable” attire stay out of church. Absoultely not. However, the real issue is the regular congregates who instead of displaying a standard use the “come as you are” excuse to be lazy.
I think churches can be helpful by having a nice rack of cover up options (shawls, sweaters, pants, etc.) available for those who need them and not be afraid to ask a person to consider using them during the service.
Ladies, please cover up the bare shoulders with a scarf or sweater. The tatooes and deorderant streaks are distracting. Men please wear a shirt with a collar. Just like the office code says, leave the flip flops at home.
Present yourself with some decorum before the King of Kings.
Mitch Drew
May 12th, 2009
9:21 am
Often it’s just great to see the kids IN church and with busy sports schedules, I’d rather see a the kids in Church in soccer or baseball gear..than NOT in Church at all. As far as our family is concerned, we light it up on special holidays and tend to go a little more casual on regular Sundays….and often hit the 5:00pm mass…often attending by families in the same situation.
Read THE BIBLE
May 12th, 2009
9:06 am
We need to respect God House,Have Love For The Lord at ALL TIMES.
I do agree with you Nancy The Tattoos GOT TO GO, PLEASE COVER THAT UP……The men come very Casual and when they wear jeans They even make those look nice, To the ladies please put some clothe on this is not the CLUB……… PLEASE HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR GODS HOUSE.
I to dress casual when I ATTEND CHURCH BECAUSE I RESPECT GOD.
ON SOME JOBS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SO YOUR TATTOOS THEY MUST BE COVERED UP. SO PLEASE COVER UP JUST A LITTLE WHEN YOU GO TO CHURCH.
YES WE ARE ALL GOD CHILDREN AND YES WE ALL SIN, BUT GOD LOVE US IN SPITE OF………SO LETS SHOW GOD HOW MUCH WE LOVE HIM WHEN WALK INTO THE CHURCH BY DRESSING A LITTE DECENT.
Jennifer Brett
May 12th, 2009
9:02 am
Goodbye, Rick. Your profanity has been excised from this blog. We’ve also removed one comment in response to yours, that repeated your scatalogical phrase.
Peadawg
May 12th, 2009
8:58 am
“The Word says to come as you are but it is talking about condition of your heart not your dress.”
So, Deborah, why do care how someone dresses? Why are you judging someone else?
Deborah
May 12th, 2009
8:53 am
I think people should come to church dressed respectfully for themselves and others. It is distracting for men when ladies dress in halters or splits all the way up their legs. The focus is supposed to be on the worship service. The Word says to come as you are but it is talking about condition of your heart not your dress.
Peadawg
May 12th, 2009
8:42 am
“The whole point of worship service is to worship God and enjoy fellowship with your fellow Christians…not to show off how much style you have.”
If you are there to worship God like you say, why do you care how much style someone has?
jwr
May 12th, 2009
8:38 am
PW,
There is a difference between someone not having the suit and tie and having to wear what they have, and people dressing flashy to draw attention to themsleves. The latter is what we are discussing. The whole point of worship service is to worship God and enjoy fellowship with your fellow Christians…not to show off how much style you have.