Standards of Dress

Some people work on Sundays. All the women who work in our mall that aren't working in the restaurants or in janatorial work are dressed in dresses or pantsuits every day, even Sunday. So yes, work on Sunday could involve a suit or dress.

 

Absolutely correct.

 

So are you suggesting your car mechanic dress in a three piece suit?

Where did you ever get that idea? I managed a business that never made any money since its inception. The company required the workers to wear slacks and a tie. It was a retail lumber yard. When I became the manager we went to blue jeans and a company shirt. The sales only increased 220 percent in the first year. For the first time that branch made money. In fact we became the fastest growing branch in the entire company.

 

I don't think there is any scripture to direct us to dress in our "Sunday best" for praise and worship services. I think that it is a tradition of among Christians to do so, not that there is any instruction to do so. It's kind of like that assumption that there is a scriptual reference for the saying "Cleanliness is next to Godliness". There isn't as far as I know.

Yet as a man who is not blind I prefer not to see women of any age but mostly of a younger age groups, dress in mini-skirts or slacks that define the "gluteous-maximus" clearly and distinctly. There is nothing more distracting than standing to sing and seeing a few pews in front of you a bare pair of legs (even attired in hosery) from about the mid thigh on down or a well defined pair of buttocks attired in long pants. Church is no place for such attire, not because they are unholy but for what message it is sending to the males present. Believe me we have enough trouble keeping our minds off this train of thought every 10 minutes as it is out there on the streets of the world, much less when attempting to worship.

Oh and...... to you ladies who wear all of those expensive fragrances: my father-in-law is one whose olfactory senses are so well developed that certain scents cause him to feel a rush. He says when he is in church and gets a whif of some perfumes that those women should be held accountable for what they cause men to feel. Btw, he's only 83, but maybe he has a point. My nose was never that good or at least I was never effected that same way from the scents a lady wears.

Some men though would still find a woman alluring even if she was dressed in a gunny sack from her chin to her ankles and a veil to cover her eyes.

 

I did not equate Modesty to a dress or appropriate to a suit. I do agree that dress is dependent upon the area of the country or world that you live in.

GB, you have missed the point. There are appropriate times for appropriate clothes. I believe that we take the same casual approach to church as we do going to the mall. We dress no differently than we do to go to a ballgame. People come to church in shorts and a t-shirt. If we were to go to a nice restaurant, we would get dressed up. If we go to the opera, we would get dressed up. If we go out on a date with our wife, we get dressed up. Appropriate clothes for appropriate occasions. We should get dressed up for God's house.

As far as business is concerned, it is a proven statistic that people who are dressed appropriately work more productively and the business will improve. Companies go to uniforms for a reason. My company requires business casual for a reason (Slacks/Shirt; no sneakers, jeans). There are always exceptions to every rule (your company), but that doesn't change the fact that how we dress effects our attitude and work productivity. It is only reasonable to then take that and say that those who dress casually for church, take church casually (though I have no statistic to prove that).

As far as being casual on Sunday night or Wednesday. I wear a suit to all services and have done so since I was saved. btw, I have never spent $300 on a suit.

 

You missed the point by a mile. You are so far out of the ball park that you don't even know what's important. I have actually had people say to me that they feel uncomfortable in a particular church because they don't have nicer clothes. And that is a fatc all over. Why do you think it is often the wealthier follks go to one churhc and the poorer folks go to another.

When I was in seminary in Ft. Worth a friend of mine went to a church growth conference. When he returned I asked him about he learned. He told me all they said was if you want to start a church to do it in a wealthy area. The fact was that he had already started a church in a poor area and it was doing well.

FYI I was one of those in college who hardly had any money to buy nicer clothes. I was putting myself through college and working at the same time. I didn't have parents who owned an oil well. At that time not one person in the church offered to buy me any clothes. During my time in college a number of men that I was discipling took up an offering to pay for my way home to visit my family during Christmas. My family was about 1100 miles away and I could not afford it.

The number one, most important thing is how people are treated. The company I worked for was number one in the US in its field. The company treated us well. The man who owned the company was a Christian and expected business to be done ethically and honestly. In fact when I was interviewed they told me if I ever lied to them I would be without a job. In our investigation of our competition we found about 85 percent were not honest in their dealing with customers.

In 1977 the company I worked for was awarded the Phillips Award for ethics in business. Only about three companies were given that award in 1979.

But in 1990 the company was sold and 23 of the top 24 people in management left. The company began to hire temporarty help and ship an inferior product. They had the employees wear nice uniforms while at the same time work production went down and morale was at an all time low. Today that same company has sold two of its branches. Production has never reached what it way the day beofe it was sold. If you lok on their website they claim to be ethical but they are not.

 

The proven statistic that productivity increases as standards of dress increase is simply neither true nor legitimate.

Case in point: go to a marketting firm or tech firm handling progressive cases and ideas and slap those people in business suits and watch their productivity

Also, I've never equated going to church with meeting the President. When I've met the President I've never been in a suit...of course I've never been in the Oval Office either...

 

I wear dresses to church, but I wear dresses everywhere so I guess I just wear my nicer dresses to church...

 

I dress the same every day. I don't see any reason to wear something that is not me just because it is Sunday and people want to see a suit in church. If I give in and change just because people expect it, isn't that just like lying?

 

My neighbors know I'm going to church because:

1. I tell them that's where I'm going
2. They've known me long enough to know that's
where I'm going
3. They often get invited to church

Does anyone think the President cares if your wear a suit or dress when you meet him?

 

Not President Bush.

 

Common sense tells us that we would not go up to the president of Merrill Lynch and ask for a job in our daily attire. We would put on our best for the interview and pray that we get the job. Why should we be any different when we come to church? God demands the best from us and I believe our attire fits into those demands.

Really people, why, if you've got the clothes, would you not want to wear your best. You are Christian that respresents God, not only on the inside, but the outside.

God bless,
RR

 

I agree, but why does that have to be a coat and TIE for the men folk.

 

Exactly!

Here are 2 more of my thoughts on the issue of feeling that one has to dress-up for church:

1. The idea that one must dress-up to go to church can effectively serve to deter some visitors. I can think of a perfect example: years ago I knew a woman who repeatedly turned down invitiations to go to church. Nobody ever seemed to get a straight answer why. She never flatly refused; she just always seemed to have some weak excuse or just seemed reluctant. It turned out that she felt that she'd be looked down-on by people in the church because she was very poor & wore clothes largely from Goodwill. She eventually did visit; stayed and got saved- after she found out for herself that the church wasn't a fashion parade.

2. I've been made to feel unwelcome myself once in a church because of what I was wearing. I visited an IFB church several years ago, dressed in tailored dress slacks, a custom-fitted button-down dress shirt, a very nice sweater, and wing-tips. (No jacket or tie though.) After I was seated, one of the ushers made his way towards me. Thinking he was coming over to greet me, I extended my hand. Turns out, he actually wasn't coming over to greet me as much as he was coming over to scold me for not being "properly dressed for church". It then became evident to me that I was the only man present not in a suit! That's a dress-code run-amuck!

 

Here's why:

The president of Merrill Lynch may judge us by how we look on the outside, but God does not.

 

I agree, but why does that have to be a coat and TIE for the men folk. </font>[/QUOTE]It doesn't, I said if you have them use them. I have worn a coat and tie once to church. I'm not proud of that, it's just the only one I've got and now it's kinda....well....it don't fit right, if you know what I mean. BUT, I have had the money to go out and buy another suit, but I chose not to. I wear slacks and a collared shirt.

God bless,
RR

 

Here's why:

The president of Merrill Lynch may judge us by how we look on the outside, but God does not. </font>[/QUOTE]And I agree, but why would you not want to wear nice clothes to church? You don't have to go out and buy a tux, just wear the best you got, common sense clothes.

 

I dress nicer than most in our small town church, but it's because I like too. not because I feel compeled to. I don't know if we're trying to please or ompress God with this whole dress thing, but as has been said before, why is a suit and tie the best? And one more thing where in scripture does it say the building we meet in is God's house? Isn't the Church made up of people? Aren't we the temple of God? Just checking.

 

Actually, I have worn a tux to church once (other than for a wedding). I was in a Saturday wedding, and I had the tux until Monday, so I wore it on Sunday too!

Seriously though, I own 6 suits- but I only occasionally wear one to church. (I used to never set foot in church w/o a suit.)

I now usually dress much like you say that you do- slacks & nice shirt, w/o jacket or tie. Why? I figure that God isn't impressed by what I'm wearing- I know that for a fact from Biblical references. Also, I'm not there to impress anyone else. If some were to judge me based upon my attire, that's no reflection my me, but in reality it's their problem. God sees my heart, and he knows my attitude- whether I am humbly worshipping Him or not. I'm convinced that's what really matters.

Also, as I mentioned several posts above, I'm more & more convinced every day that there are more God-honoring ways to be stewards of the resources that God has entrusted to us than having a lot of money tied up in what's in our closets. If Americans spent less on expensive clothing, and instead put that money toward advancing God's Kingdom- I think that brings more glory & honor to Him.

Finally, one of my personal areas of ministry is working with & teaching younger elementary-aged children. I've tended to find that they respond better to me if I appear more down-to-Earth, dressed more casually. Perhaps I appear less like an imposing, authority figure w/o the jacket & tie; so that they can relate to me better.