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I recently came across a brief piece of his titled, “Clothing Tips for Ministers.” He makes clear that he is not wanting to exalt appearance over godliness, but simply to offer guidance. He states:
So I’m writing these clothing tips specifically to help the minister … who sometimes must dress up, but who feels some need for guidance on the matter and cannot afford to spend a great deal on clothes. …What follows is great advice on ways to save money, including what items and colors are most versatile. Whitney notes that most of what he mentions is what fathers once handed down to their sons, but obviously these things are not being handed down so often today.
But no minister wants his appearance, especially on more formal occasions, to hinder his ministry in any way or be an embarrassment to those he represents. So to help ministers dress at these events in ways that will not be a distraction or a stumbling
block, and yet be as affordable as possible, I offer these suggestions.
I think this is a very helpful article.
5 comments:
I would simply note that these comments from Dr. Whitney may be more for So. Baptists and especially in certain parts of the country, like the south, perhaps. As an itinerant preacher, I ask the church in advance what the pastor wears, and in BGC churches I am wearing a jacket and tie less than half the time. Especially in the western half of the U.S., a great majority of churches no longer have a "jacket and tie" standard, even for the pastor. For today's young pastor in much of the country, one dark suit (for weddings and funerals and formal professional settings) and one jacket with slacks is probably sufficient. But a church's tradition and culture will determine whether that is so or not. That said, Dr. Whitney's comments are interesting and fun to read, though as a "Big & Tall" dresser it's much, much more tough to find clothes (thrifts, consignments, garage sales are out). Thanks Dr. Ray. Mary is having an outstanding summer at Wycliffe HQ and Orlando Summer Project.
If its good enough for weddings and funerals then why not for the worship of our God?
I find the dressing down of worship sad. If it is not important and even not an issue then why should we dress up for weddings and funerals?
I don't think region, style of worship etc. should dictate what we wear or don't wear. I do think that it is a matter of what is right or wrong. Of course I do think dress is an important secondary issue.
I think this issue is a matter of the heart. Whatever way we dress, we can be insincere and hypocritical. How about focusing on something other than ourselves? (Christ would be a good start)
related post
http://katarashop.blogspot.com/2009/06/ecoskin-whitney-dress.html
best regard
katarashop
Anom. pastor: If the majority of the congregation "dressed up" I probably would as well. In our congregation you have no suits and ties. Many men wear Khaki pants/dress shirt and some wear jeans/dress shirt or t-shirt. I ended up going back and forth... it is not an issue. Some ladies wear dresses and some don't
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