For Wilshire Baptist Church
Apparently, I touched a raw nerve last week when I commented on a photo that a pastor posted on Twitter. The photo showed him standing at a lectern and praying with his music team behind him. One of those musicians was sitting directly behind him with his legs spread. He was wearing shorts and sneakers. At first glance it looked like the pastor had on shorts. At second glance, it looked like he had four legs, two of which were bare. The main thing is it just looked peculiar.
“Hey pastors,” he said, “you may want to think strategically about where your instrumentalists are placed on stage as you pray at the end of your sermon. Otherwise this (which is me) could be you.”
I found it humorous, as others did, and I offered this comment: “Wearing pants to church would solve everything.” That triggered a wave of comments directed at me and to others who commented on my comment. (That’s a problem with Twitter: It’s often unclear who is talking to whom.) What I found interesting is the strong opinions people have about what is appropriate worship attire.
On the “anything goes” side:
“Just a reminder that David danced before the Lord in nothing but a cloth that covered his loins. All these cultural add-ons to what is acceptable in church is what keeps some from ever walking into our churches. May we never put more worth on clothing than on who we worship.”
“And cultures change, obviously. What people wear to church is a ‘culture’ thing, not a spiritual or theological issue, and it’s obviously changing. At this point I’m just happy if worship leaders aren’t out there advocating against vaccines.”
“Jesus didn’t wear pants. Maybe you should question how devoted you are to the Lord if this is an issue for you.”
From the traditionalist side:
“I’ll give a pass to teenagers, and young men. But when I saw several 40 year old men wearing shorts to church I get concerned if I’m mistakenly at a football game.”
“Not sure why this is so revolutionary. There are a few ‘man-child’ at my church that can’t be bothered to wear pants and at a certain point you begin to question some things.”
And this direct exchange between two people:
“There is decorum in every culture. In the east you don’t wear shoes into a person’s house. In the west men wear pants to important meetings. I meet with vendors all the time. They never wear shorts.”
“Decorum, schmorum…come as you are. This isn’t a board meeting, it’s church.”
After all of this, I have two things to say. First: Twitter really is a strange, humorless place. And, second: I really don’t care or worry about what other people wear to church. My choice is my choice, and your choice is your choice.
I’m a product of my upbringing, and that puts me in a coat and tie on Sunday mornings. In the 1970s, that meant three-piece suits with wide lapels, deep cuffs, wide neckties with huge knots and platform shoes. There also was a period when white belts and shoes were popular for men. I didn’t buy into that trend, but I was all-in when big bowties made a brief appearance. The point is: It was a dressy time in suburban Bible Belt America and the trends extended to church on Sunday mornings. Even with the youth movement and the pop culture it brought into church in terms of songs like “Pass it On” and modern language translations of the Bible, we still dressed up on Sunday mornings. Sunday evenings? Now that was different. Jeans and tie-dyes were fine for youth in worship and events in the youth center, and even the grown-ups shed their coats and ties and relaxed a little.
What to wear to church was a moot point during the COVID shutdown since we weren’t going to church. In fact, I only wore a suit once between March 2020 and June 2021, and that was to a funeral where I was asked to pray. But when I turned on Wilshire’s live stream and later our pre-recorded services, I liked seeing our worship leaders wearing their traditional “Sunday best” in the sanctuary. I’m guessing it became tiresome to dress up and sing, pray and preach to an empty room; I bet the temptation was strong to stay at home and lead worship more casually. But seeing our worship leaders in the sanctuary helped satisfy my longing to be there. And I believe dressing up for the recorded services helped reinforce for the online audience and newcomers especially that we have a more traditional worship style. I don’t know if it was a deliberate decision to maintain the status quo, but I appreciate that extra effort. When we came back to church on June 6, I had no trouble putting on a coat and tie.
But that’s just me. I’m pleased that we have longtime members, new members and guests who are comfortable coming to church dressed in whatever they wish. Wilshire is just that type of church; we are truly “open to everybody” and that includes lifestyle and attire. For me, that still is a coat and tie. That’s my life story and my personal choice. I’ll live my story and you can live yours — with or without pants – and we’ll all be fine together.