Shorts in church service?

Uh, exactly what kind of church do you go to, Mike?

I'm a pretty good looking guy who wears shorts from April into October (and all year 'round when I lived in the Keys and I often go shirtless) and I have several gay friends and lived in Key West, where the gay population is really big (By the way, please pray for me. I may be moving back there).

You know, in all these years, not one gay guy has said to me, "Oh, you big hunk of Alabama Grade 'A', where have you been all my life" and certainly not in church.

Mike, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but if you're not gay, you're not really on their list.

Trust me, my gay friends and I have had this conversation many times.

Mike

http://www.keylife.org

[ May 29, 2002, 07:46 PM: Message edited by: Smoke_Eater ]

 

I, personally, wouldn't wear shorts to church... but I don't wear shorts very often anyway.

I haven't noticed anybody wearing shorts to the church I attend, but there may be some that have or do. I seriously doubt it, though, as the ministry staff and the congregation as a whole seem pretty conservative, as are all the people I know there personally.

I think no matter what a person wears to church God will still look at the condition of the heart... the true intent for having worn whatever that person wore.

Shorts in church??? I don't personally approve!!!

 

Sunday best?
Is that having seperate set of clothing for sundays?

Isn't there a word for being different on sunday then any other day of the week?

 

I crawl around manufacturing equipment all week long. I can't go to church like that.

I'm in the choir, and play special music pieces a lot. So when I'm up there, I will wear a tie & jacket.

It just looks more respectful.

When I don't wear a tie & suit, I try to wear a shirt that will cover up the big tatoo I have on my arm I got while in the Navy.

But shorts.....I don't think they belong in church. I'm not judging anyone, it's just how I feel.

 

I have been to achurch that it was customary to wear shorts to church in the summer. I myself have even done it on occassion. Let me say when I did it made me feel uncomfortable because I felt I was dishonouring God. I went to church causual and I took God casual.
I think the way we dress for church shows alot of our inward relationp to God. IMHO

 

Where does the idea come from that it is 'honoring to God' to dress like snobs and to spend more money than is reasonable-- certainly more than is necessary-- on clothes?

 

Hey CC, you look like a snob in that picture

 

I know. The people we work for, or others, may require us to dress or talk in certain ways, and that's the only picture I have had taken in recent years.

 

I think "snob" is a bit strong. Now those that "underdress" (for lack of a better word) for church are being just as judgemental as those that "overdress."

Like I said before, I'm rather apathetic about the clothing situation. I wear a coat and tie, but I am certainly no "snob." I have a friend at church who is rather poor and doesn't own a jacket, but he is no slacker. I would like to think that he and I are equal in God's Eyes. From my own observations of my friend, I believe he is storing away treasures in Heaven...

 

I was thinking about this as I arrived for the choir and orchestra rehearsal last night...straight from watching my daughter's game (didn't go home first)...in, oh no, shorts!!!

I was relieved to see just in front of me, one of the elders and his wife, both in shorts...

We were rehearsing in the sanctuary, but presumably the same dress code doesn't apply to rehearsals...or, does it?

On Sunday evening, for the praise and worship time we were practising for, we'll all be dressed up...

I think it's interesting that in my last church (quite conservative, evangelical, Bible-believing, more dressed-up than my current one, on average), which had Sunday morning and evening services every week, people changed in-between services, for the most part, being less dressed-up in the evenings.

I noticed this the few times I made it to evening service. However, I don't think they dressed down into shorts, as I recall. Although - they didn't have air-conditioning so on those days when it was 90s in the sanctuary...who knows...I probably never made an evening service on one of those days!

 

When you start judging people's relationship with God based on what they can afford to wear then you yourself have a problem, not them.
I see many people on her insisting that you don't love God, are not dedicated to Him or don't have a good relationship with Him, based on what kind of clothing you can afford to wear. Does that sound godly to you?
Well it just so happens, and anyone whose ever gone outside their church to work among the people, that many people don't want to go to a church where everyone is all dressed up fancy because they themselves don't have anything nice to wear. I've known(and at one time was one of them) people who all they had was a few changes of clothing, never had anything new in their life, and what they had looked like old work clothes. They expressed to me they'd like to go to church, but didn't have anything to wear. They were embarressed that everyone there was dressed up, and church seems to have a dress code that says you have to wear fancy clothing and have money. Now thats some picture to give to unsaved isn't it? You can't go to God unless you have money and fancy clothing is whats being communicated to them. Now many of you may never come across this kinds of people. But when my husband and I go out visiting we go to the poor. The ones with money have people climbung all over them to come with them to church, but the poor are usually the last one most peopl want to invite to their church, becasue they just don't fit in, they can't afford to wear suits,and fancy dresses. After we spent more then a year trying to minister to these people we decides then we'd never dress up for church again, we'd wear our everyday clothes (I do wear dresses most of the time, but you might just as easily find me house cleaning in one of these dresses), so that peopel we invited would feel welcome. So we could tell them what you see me wearing right now is what you'll see me wear in church. People felt more comfortable talking to us.

 

Katie,
For once you and I agree. I believe the same thing. It is not about expensive clothing but modest clothing, that covers our bodies. I wear this type of apparel at all times. I have nicer dresses that I wear to church or a birthday party. But, the clothes I wear all week are the same type that come to church. I do not buy name brands, but modest dresses from Christian women, make my own or thrift shop.
And I completely agree that when people see us during the week living the life it is much more likely to have them see us as sincere, which hopefully we are.

HCL

 

Sorry, Tuor, I can't resist! It is possible that doing what you say would cause more hungry people!
Jobs are a main earthly reason that most people are not hungry or hungrier.
Shifting income away from the people working in the clothing industry does not NECESSARILY mean more income elsewhere.
(Written by a person that does have a couple of "church outfits" but keeps them for years. They are nothing incredible.)

Karen

 

CC, that's my number one problem with the idea that we should dress a certain way for church.

"Church" is a two or three hour per week thing. Walking with God is a 24/7 thing.

You're no less in God's prescence when you're in your back yard sipping tea and reading a John Grisham novel than you are in church.

If God is with us all the time (not to mention in us, via the Holy Spirit), then why is it more or less disrespectful to dress a certain way in His prescence just because there's stained glass on the windows?

If you're going to wear a suit and tie (or dress) on Sunday mornings, then you should be consistent and wear a suit and tie all through the week.

Mike

http://www.keylife.org

 

AMEN!

I suppose this whole thread wouldn't even be an issue if people would cover themselves when they dress and be modest on a daily basis. If that was happening there would already be clothes in the closet for church services.

suzanne

 

Someone said that since God is with us 24/7,and that if we ware suits and ties, or dresses to church, then we should do the the same always.
Now, under most surcumstances, I would agree, but not everyone is able to ware dresses or suits all the time because of certian things. Such as work conditions. My pastor's wife had a job were she wasn't able to ware dresses, and my grandfather worked construction and couldn't.
I, personaly don't own a pair of pants or shorts. My grandmother complains that whenever we go somewere that she looks like the teenager and I look like the granny!
I agree with HCL. It's about how modest we are. I also agree with Ernie.
Church is God's house. We ought to respect it. We ought to dress modest at church, and really, we ought to dress modest always. We are representing Christ whereever we go.
I used to ware pants everywhere but church, but about a year after I got saved, I really felt convicted about how I dressed. I mean, when you saw me, you could see no difference from any other teenager. It bothered me. I wanted to be a good representitive for my Savior.
Some people say it is more about the heart than how we look, and, true it does have to do with the heart, but people can't see my heart. They only have an outward view of me. If they see someone who looks just like them, then they will probably think:"hmm. She says she's a Christian, but she looks just like me. If she's okay, then i must be."
And this also applys to a church too. If a lost person walked into a church and saw men and women wearing shorts, they might think: "well, I can't tell a difference. They look like the world."
Now, I'm not telling you what to do, or putting anyone down if you believe differently. I try not to allow myself to think about what a person wears, but about their personality. I think you SHOULD be modest especialy at church, because it's God's house and we should show respect, but everyone must make their own decision.
And I know someone is going to ask, so I'll clear it up now.
NO, if someone wears shorts to church or anywhere else, that dosn't make them any less saved than anyone else.
Simply stating my opinion on this issue.
Thanks for reading this,
Abby

 

Honestly, I know this reference, but, I can't seem to find one on a dress code around it.....

Mathew 18:20

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

 

That verse is referring to God being with those who are follwing Matt 18 on church discipline.

God is with all of us individually all the time....that is if we are walking in His ways.

 

Saggy woman !!