Sunday dress should be your best. Or should it?
Although many elders teach their young that church-going requires only the finest attire, many others say that's not the point.As society at large becomes more relaxed, more and more parishioners are dressing down at church, too. Of course, the trend is dependent on which church you belong to - and who leads it. But area ministers report casual dress is up. And in some cases, the church actually encourages it.
Pastor Jim Schaedler, who leads the Assemblies of God-affiliated Metro Fellowship, says his church was founded 10 years ago so dress would never be an issue. The 36-year-old Pastor Schaedler, who noted that his congregation is part of a nationwide movement, said "casual would be the appropriate term" for describing his church's attire.
"We encourage people to be themselves. We present the attitude that man looks on the outward appearance; God looks on the heart," Pastor Schaedler said. "The reason many young people don't participate in local churches is because dress is irrelevant to their culture."
Thirty- to 35-year-olds are the bulk of Metro Fellowship's congregation. Pastor Schaedler said church leaders are the only ones encouraged not to wear shorts and "determine (for themselves) if what they're wearing is something the Lord would be comfortable with." Pastor Schaedler himself usually ministers in slacks and a pullover sweater.
Most area ministers agreed that what someone wears to church is not very important and noted that under-25-year-olds tend to dress more casual on the whole. Of the six pastors surveyed, none said their church had an established code of dress. In turn, all agreed that immodest dress is unacceptable.
"You can't bring everything from the world into the church," said the Rev. George Glass of New Pilgrim Baptist Church. "We come to church for a particular purpose. You don't want that distraction. (Immodesty) distracts the service and takes people away from the message."
The Rev. Glass, 43, leads a predominantly black congregation with a strong multicultural bent. He noted that the mostly Southern-reared congregation tends to dress up for church, while whites, American Indians and Latinos tend to dress down. Most youth dress down, too. Glass said he has no problem with anyone's dress.
Pastor Arthur Dahl, head of West Valley Seventh day-Adventist Church, is of a different opinion, though.
"The church service is a formal gathering to worship the God of the universe. If you were going to a function with the president of the United States, I doubt you would in casual wear," Pastor Dahl, 77, said. "Who's the greater? I feel it's only appropriate to be formally dressed for a worship service."
Pastor Dahl described his congregation's dress as the "special occasion" type, although there is no formal, established dress code. "If they (visitors) come with the best they can afford, they're welcome," he said.
At South Valley Community Church, also in West Valley, "very comfortable and casual but nice" is in. "If you wore a tie to church, you would know that person is visiting," Pastor Jack Perry said.
Pastor Perry, 37, said obsession over dress is "one of the mistakes churches have made." Pastor Perry noted that in his two years as pastor at South Valley, he's worn a tie only twice.
"It's more important that the people come to church and they're comfortable. When you dress up, it's more a show. You're not yourself. We try to emphasize that you don't just go to church to be showy and be a Christian one day a week," Pastor Perry said.
"When you go to church you're all dressed up, but are you all dressed up when you pray at home? We're Christians seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Pastor Perry said.
While congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are more traditional in wearing "Sunday best" to church, LDS Church Bishop Flint Tuit-avuki, of the Harvard Ward, agreed that it's more important that someone goes to church to worship, rather than dress to impress in the wardhouse.
Bishop Tuitavuki, however, noted that while some attend in less formal attire, the 500-member congregation's dress on the whole is "Sunday best, almost formal."
"To me it's not important. It's not important at all," the 45-year-old Bishop Tuitavuki said. "If they keep coming, they'll change. Their lifestyle will change and they'll change the way they dress in church."