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Does it matter how we dress when we enter the house of the Lord? Should we dress up a lot, a little, or even at all? I don't think this question is given enough thought, even among pastors and church leaders. People often just wear what is comfortable or what is deemed acceptable in their local church.
Half a century ago, it was a given that you "dressed up" for church. Corporate worship was the highpoint of the week and wearing your "Sunday best" was assumed. But in the 1970s and 80s, there was a shift in how people thought about Sunday dress. Many pastors were concerned that visitors would feel uncomfortable attending church if everyone was dressed to the hilt.
I don't know of anyone who dresses down for church. But I do know plenty of people and churches who dress "level" for church, wearing clothing on par with what they wear the rest of the week.
Has the pendulum swung too far?
When I first started pastoring 16 years ago, my Sunday attire was definitely more on the casual side. My views have shifted over the years. It was a slow progression, but now most Sunday's find me donning more formal attire.
It is important to note that this is not a core doctrinal issue. This is never a reason to divide over. The bible is largely silent on the matter. It is hard for me to picture Jesus or the apostle Paul dressing up for worship services. They owned little compared to us and were always on the go.
When Jesus sent out the twelve, He said, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics" (Luke 9:3). When Paul wrote, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12 NIV), his abiding concern for the Colossian believers was the state of their hearts, not the clothing on their backs. It can easily become a pride or vanity thing where someone strives to be noticed, or to simply fit in.
Concerns aside, I still believe there are good reasons to dress up for church. Here are 3 reasons.
The nature of corporate worship
When a local congregation gathers for worship, there is a sense in which they are meeting and encountering the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Creator of the universe. If you were called to go to Buckingham Palace and meet with King Charles, you would want to give some thought to what you wore. In fact, there is a dress code for meeting with the royal family.
When we gather for worship, there should be a sense of the holiness and greatness of God, and the awesome privilege of meeting with Him. The Bible says, "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!" (Psalm 24:7-8).
When your church dress can be likened to what you wear to the baseball game or the movies, that says something about your view of corporate worship.
The last thing anyone wants to do is to show up and present himself as if he just rolled out of bed. Undeniably, we are dealing with a low view of corporate worship today. In our culture, everything is casual, and people struggle to take things seriously. Dressing up for church won't change these cultural dynamics, but it does convey something of the gravity and importance of our worship gathering.
The value of preparing for worship
When the people of God show up for church, it is critical for them to prepare their hearts for worship. Getting a good night's sleep the night before, along with spending time in prayer and the Word is a must in order to get the most out of corporate worship. This is true for pastors, but it is also true for all believers.
Wearing formal attire can actually help in this "preparation" process. It gives us a little mental note that corporate worship is unique and supremely important. It is not akin to everything else we have done during the week. The process of thinking through what we are going to wear and getting ready can help orient our hearts toward God.
The cultural precedent
The majority of people dress up for events like weddings, funerals, graduation ceremonies, dinner parties, etc. This is not unique to American culture, it is something you will find all around the world. The idea being, you want your dress to reflect the occasion.
It must be asked, is corporate worship of any lesser importance than any of these? At the very least, Christian's would say that worship is of equal importance (funeral or wedding), or of much greater importance than other events that people typically dress up for.
As Christians, we never want to take our cues from culture. We must always be a people of the Book, being guided and directed by the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). But some traditions are good traditions.
Conclusion
It has always been true that "man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). If our reasons for dressing up (or not dressing up) are more about pleasing man, then clearly our approach is wrong.
As a pastor, I want my dress to communicate that corporate worship really matters. This is the most important hour of the week, and nothing comes close. We have an engagement with the King of kings, the Lord of glory, and the Creator of the universe.
To be clear, I am not suggesting you should wear a tuxedo or a coat and tie every Sunday to church. Nor am I suggest that we start judging everyone by what they wear. That is precisely the reason why many reject "dressing up" for worship. But I would encourage you to put some thought into this. You might come to a different conclusion, but it is well worth thinking through. The Bible says, "Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:5).
No matter where you land on this subject, may we strive to have worship services that honor and exalt the risen Christ. And may our churches be filled with "true worshippers" who call upon the name of the Lord with pure hearts (John 4:23, 2 Timothy 2:22).
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Daniel Stegeman, serves as Director of Pastoral Care with Fruitful Vine Ministry. Daniel has been a pastor for over 15 years and blogs at pastoral-theology.com. Daniel and his wife Stephane are the proud parents of four children.