RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (Full Version)

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seagullplayer -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 9:39:13 AM)

As the Pastor, I wear a suit and tie every Sunday morning many times the jacket has to come off during the message, I am rather hot natured.

I normally wear jeans and no tie on Sunday evening.

Many times I wear a tee shirt and jeans to mid week service.

Why the difference? Am I a hypocrite in some way? Aren’t we all?

I know there are several people that attend our meetings that grew up with different values, when you wore your “Sunday best” with pride. We are blessed to very often have company in our morning service. My wearing less than a suit and tie would be a stumbling block for some, not all, but some for sure. These people seem to have no such expectations for other members of the congregation, thank the Lord. But it would be seen as disrespectful if the Pastor wasn’t wearing a suit Sunday Morning.
Yes most of these folks are older and set in their ways, but they are committed Christians and go out of there way to welcome everyone. Some are from a “high Church” background I have come to believe this adds to their idea of what a Pastor should look like. These same expectations are just not present at the other two weekly Services, fewer folks attend the Sunday Evening Service, and many people come strait from work for the mid week Service.
If I can remove a stumbling block by simply wearing a suit once a week, I am glad to do it, I would wear a clown nose if it helped the cause. We have no dress code one man wears his bibs to every Service. I have only seen a suit on one of our board members at a funeral.



crankius -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 10:08:21 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: leftwing

quote:

ORIGINAL: crankius

quote:

ORIGINAL: Walker311

Jeans are fine but the grown men wearing shorts to church are going to the bad place.


AMEN AMEN AMEN


I wear skirts and tops to Sunday morning services. My husband dresses up, often with a tie and jacket. But many at our church wear jeans, and we even have grown men who wear shorts.


Church is not supposed to be a social event nor a beauty contest.


I agree.



jhuperetes -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 12:51:28 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WhiteRoseBlessings
quote:

ORIGINAL: jhuperetes
I didn't know that "freak" or "freaking" as an adjective was vulgar in any sense, in some circles.
The two words you've listed are not interchangeable and are not even related.


Thank you.[sm=blush.gif]



AslansChild -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 1:31:18 PM)

I've thought about this as we are attending a new church (as of November of 09 so maybe not so new). Anyway, When I began my career it was a suit and tie every day and that was the norm, over the years the suit gave way to a shirt and tie with slacks (a look I never liked without the suit jacket). This gave way to business casual (chinos and a polo or more casual button front shirt). And now there is "dress Down Fridays" which is jeans and a t-shirt. How does this relate to the OP, well as the corporate culture goes so has the church dress code. I went to a mega church where you were out of place if you didn't wear jeans (and biker boots for that matter). I also went to a few denominational churches and the code was dresses/skirts for women and suits and ties for men. THe church we are in now is both ends of the spectrum for the men but it seems like the women are stuck with pant suits as the most casual. I wear jeans, my kids wear jeans, and sometimes my wife wears jeans. I do not feel out of place, I feel like I am causing a revolution. One issue I have is my BIL is always dressed up and he is one of those people that cannot pull off jeans (especially in church). When I see him attempt jeans it looks like he was on his way to work, spilled coffee on his lap and only had jeans to change in to, not a good match with the rest of his "style".



agapetos -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 1:37:34 PM)

I get dressed on a Sunday morning and stay in the same clothes all day generally, so I'd wear the same clothes for church in the morning and evening and not worry about it.

Would I wear the same clothes if I was cleaning the sanctury? No. But then I don't wear my 'outdoor' clothes when I'm cleaning my house either.

Does wearing a skirt or dress mean I dress up for church? No. I wear the same skirts and dresses through the week too (unless they are ones that are relegated to cleaning clothes ~ but I wouldn't wear those to go to the shops in either).

Hmmm... does that mean that I dress up not only for church, but also for going to the shops?[:D]



EclecticJoy -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 1:54:04 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jhuperetes

quote:

ORIGINAL: WhiteRoseBlessings
quote:

ORIGINAL: jhuperetes
I didn't know that "freak" or "freaking" as an adjective was vulgar in any sense, in some circles.
The two words you've listed are not interchangeable and are not even related.


Thank you.[sm=blush.gif]
My pleasure. And jhuperetes, thank YOU for being receptive to my posts regarding this.



EclecticJoy -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 2:14:12 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: agapetos

Hmmm... does that mean that I dress up not only for church, but also for going to the shops?[:D]
LOL!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm finding this thread intriguing.

I dress according to a variety of factors: my mood, time of year, weather for the day and sometimes function of where I'm going.

Regarding church, I use the first 3 parameters when deciding what to wear . . . which is pretty much anything that I would wear when seeing a client, running errands, meeting a girlfriend for dinner or even going out on a date. And no, I do not see Our Lord as a client, or an errand to run, or a girlfriend or even as a date.

But, basically, unless I'm home or out hiking in the woods or doing some sort of exercise activity, I prefer to dress as nicely as I can. Even my "casual" is becoming a bit more dressy, as I have given up jeans for everything except for hiking in the woods and such.

But. As with everything, there are exceptions to what I've said above. Even including what I wear to church. It's just not that big of a deal to me.

It used to be a very big deal, years ago . . . but over those years, I started questioning why I held the "beliefs" I did in relation to what I wear to church. I couldn't come up with any truly good answers; and certainly none of them were Scriptural.

So, I concluded that it's just not a big deal. My clothes are clean and presentable and I dress modestly. That's the pre-requisites for me.






Regarding modesty and clothing . . . Sometimes this simply is not going to happen. But. It doesn't automatically mean the person's heart isn't in the right place. As Christians, we are called to know to dress modestly; but there are people who aren't Christians and who truly don't know this adage. If a person has a heart transformation and gives their lives to Christ, why in the world would we try to dampen that by immediately shaming them based on what they wear and all the while ignoring the fact that they have just entered into a relationship with Our Lord? I've seen it happen.

However, I could really take the topic off-topic if I continue with this train of thought, so I'll just leave it at that for now.



Child4Jesus -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 2:15:30 PM)

No. Not at all.



agapetos -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 2:16:35 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WhiteRoseBlessings


quote:

ORIGINAL: agapetos

Hmmm... does that mean that I dress up not only for church, but also for going to the shops?[:D]
LOL!
Couldn't resist...[:D]



jhuperetes -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 3:32:41 PM)

Again, it is my personal choice, and however emotional, my feelings. I do not scoff at or even think of negatively at someone if they dress very casually.

It is a straw man, because it presumes I somehow judge others by their dressing within church.

I rarely do, and in those occasions the individual would be rebuked even in general public.

I think it is an extremely fine line between legalistic and representing the Church.

As I described, primarily it is my show of respect, however misguided, however selective.

Also, I do not wish someone looking at me and say - "Look, an other slovenly Christian. Why would I even think about becoming one?"

quote:

ORIGINAL: Eutychus
You did not completely answer the question: Are there any services or occasions when you go to the sanctuary less "dressy" than you do on Sunday morning?

As far as the maintenance crew, it is a legitimate question. Either the sanctuary is somehow a place one enters the presence of God and requires extra special clothing OR it isn't. If it is, then everyone should dress up to enter there any time and for any reason whatsoever. If there are some situations that special dress isn't needed, then the whole idea of dressing to the nines on Sunday morning is just tradition without substance.



Eutychus -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 3:55:50 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jhuperetes
Also, I do not wish someone looking at me and say - "Look, an other slovenly Christian. Why would I even think about becoming one?"

In soul winning, the biggest problem I've encountered when inviting someone to my church after they are saved is that they have seen the fancy dressers on Sunday and say they don't have clothes good enough to attend. Those fancy dressers are an obstacle to the less well to do new believers. And even when I've been able to overcome their reluctance to give us a chance despite the well dressed, it takes awhile for them to get over the feeling of unworthiness - some of them aren't able to and go elsewhere.

Going church in casual, clean, and modest clothes does not make one a slovenly Christian.



jhuperetes -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 4:14:10 PM)

That was the "biggest problem"? I have much to learn then.

I don't recall saying, or even implying "modest clothes make one a slovenly Christian".

I do have personal experience of some discounting Christians because of their appearance.



McFatty -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 4:16:57 PM)

I guess I've witnessed the opposite. I've seen people discounted for trying to out-dress others, or at least appearing to do so.



Focusing -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 7:29:05 PM)

quote:

Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service?

Nope.

There was a time in my life when I felt I *had* to dress up ... then I read ... man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart ...



ChristopherJ007 -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 11:23:03 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: m4maggie

I think it depends on how you were raised too.. When my mom, kids and I go to Church, my mom puts always puts on her sunday best while my girls and I are in clean comfortable clothes.. And if that means jeans, then so be it. What's funny is that my mother gives me a harder time about me wearing jeans than any congregation ever has.. LOL I pick her up and I always get that "hrmmm...." look !


M4maggie,

Cool seeing someone else in the forum from Canada... hello!

I used to attend a church where everyone dressed very formal (suits & dresses) and I didn't like it too much. My new church is much more casual, and I like it. However, as the pastor, I don't wear jeans and a T-shirt to preach on Sundays, even though I often wear that during the week. I will usually put on a nice pair of dress pants and a collared shirt or a sweater. Every once in a while I'll throw on a tie just for fun, but that usually only once or twice a year.

I think everyone should be free to come dressed comfortable for them, whether that's formal or casual! Remember, God looks at the heart, not what we're wearing...



ChristopherJ007 -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/21/2009 11:24:39 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Focusing

quote:

Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service?

Nope.

There was a time in my life when I felt I *had* to dress up ... then I read ... man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart ...


Focusing,

I should have read your post before making my last one, I just quoted the same Scripture... :)



Lapidoth -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/22/2009 2:18:47 PM)

Regardless if I wear a suit, or if I wear casual,
I stand "naked" before the LORD.



crankius -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/24/2009 3:04:53 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lapidoth

Regardless if I wear a suit, or if I wear casual,
I stand "naked" before the LORD.

As long as you keep that nakedness between you and the Lord at church, I'm ok with that. [;)]



cornergas -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/27/2009 7:34:07 PM)

Does God really care how we dress for church? He reads the heart, and the inner person, and I do not think He is impressed by three piece suits, or whatever..it is what is inside the person what counts..


Know the truth and it will set you free
Remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy
God bless us all.



jhuperetes -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/27/2009 7:36:41 PM)

I think that knowing God does not care how we dress is true, but there is more to dressing then how we are present ourselves to God.



greatdivide46 -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/28/2009 6:59:49 AM)

Perhaps you've heard about the grizzled old cowboy who attended a large Baptist Church in the only "duds" he had. After the service the Pastor told him he should ask God about what was proper attire for that church. The old cowboy returned to church the next Sunday wearing the same clothes. Following the service the pastor said to him, "I thought I told you to ask God what was proper to wear to church."
"I did," the old cowboy responded, "But God said He didn't know. He ain't never been here." [:D]



McFatty -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/28/2009 7:46:41 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jhuperetes

I think that knowing God does not care how we dress is true, but there is more to dressing then how we are present ourselves to God.

True... like how we present ourselves to people who are unable to afford expensive clothing.



jhuperetes -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/28/2009 8:09:50 AM)

Or, we can become stumbling blocks to others.

I teach my children that although how they dress does not make them, others may be offended, however wrongly, because of those others' short comings. As in Romans 14, Paul pointed this out. I told them not to go crazy about it, just think when choosing clothing.

quote:

ORIGINAL: McFatty

quote:

ORIGINAL: jhuperetes

I think that knowing God does not care how we dress is true, but there is more to dressing then how we are present ourselves to God.

True... like how we present ourselves to people who are unable to afford expensive clothing.



Lapidoth -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/28/2009 4:41:15 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: greatdivide46

Perhaps you've heard about the grizzled old cowboy who attended a large Baptist Church in the only "duds" he had. After the service the Pastor told him he should ask God about what was proper attire for that church. The old cowboy returned to church the next Sunday wearing the same clothes. Following the service the pastor said to him, "I thought I told you to ask God what was proper to wear to church."
"I did," the old cowboy responded, "But God said He didn't know. He ain't never been here." [:D]


I had heard that before, but I still got a good laugh out of it.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock......................



EclecticJoy -> RE: Does anyone else feel strange wearing jeans to Sunday morning service? (10/28/2009 5:16:13 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jhuperetes

I think that knowing God does not care how we dress is true, but there is more to dressing then how we are present ourselves to God.
I'm not trying to be dense, but I cannot figure out what you're wanting to convey with the above statement.

Can you please expound a bit further on this?



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