I bet you didn’t have any idea that dressing properly for church would be so important.
But it is. And today, I’m going to show you 7 reasons why it will change your life if you start dressing appropriately for church.
Stay away from colors that are too bright.
Remember, you’re in church. This isn’t the club or a rave. Stay away from colors that are too bright. Such colors include red, yellow, pink, orange and purple. These are considered too bright for church and should be avoided at all costs! Instead, choose subdued colors such as grey, navy blue, forest green or black to complete your outfit!
Another thing you want to avoid is wearing white socks with your suit (unless you’re going for the 1980s businessman look). White socks aren’t very stylish and can be a distraction from everything else in your outfit. It is recommended that you wear either no socks or black dress socks so that your shoes truly pop out!
Black is an extremely formal color.
Completely dark, black is a color associated with death and funerals. Although this may not be particularly helpful to your church wardrobe, it does tell you that it’s an extremely formal color. In some countries and cultures, people feel that black is a very unnatural color because it absorbs all light, so you want to keep that in mind if you’re thinking about going out of the country. Black can also be associated with rebellion—you’ve probably heard of how rockers wear a lot of black—so if you want to use black as part of your church outfit for any reason, try to avoid going overboard with it.
Denim and other casual fabrics don’t belong in church.
As you’re evaluating your wardrobe, keep in mind that dressing for church is all about respect. Denim and other casual fabrics just don’t cut it. You want to go for fabrics like cotton, silk, linen, or wool. And be sure to avoid anything too skin-tight—you wouldn’t wear pants tighter than leggings at the office, so keep that same mindset while selecting an outfit for church.
Go with a blue or grey suit.
A blue or grey suit is an excellent option for a man attending church. Both blue and grey are formal colors and are appropriate for church. However, they are significantly less formal than black or charcoal. Blue, in particular, is one of the most versatile colors because it goes with almost anything. Grey, in addition to being a good alternative to blue, also transitions well into fall and winter wear.
If you’re unsure whether or not your suit is acceptable for church, try pairing it with a white shirt (or even your best button-down). You’ll find that it’s difficult to go wrong with these two options.
Avoid the jacket-and-shorts look.
You know what I mean by the jacket-and-shorts look: sneakers or sandals, sometimes with white athletic socks, shorts and a button-up shirt. Though it may seem appealing in the summer, as a practical way to keep cool when the weather is hot, you should be wary of wearing this look on Sundays. First of all, most people who wear this to church aren’t trying to keep cool—they’re attempting to put together an outfit that looks “dressed up” without putting too much thought into it. And that’s fine—it just doesn’t look great. But beyond that, consider the ramifications of wearing this outfit for your classmates in church; for them, seeing you pull out an old suit jacket and pair it with gym shorts sends a signal that you don’t need their respect—that you can dress like you’re going fishing and they will still take you seriously.
Wear your best clothes.
Wear your best clothes. Pretty much every church denomination I’ve ever attended has been clear on one thing: God wants you to look nice for church. But there are a few rules about looking good for church that you should probably know about.
Of course, the way you define “looking nice” will vary depending on your personal style, but a good rule of thumb is to dress up a little bit more than you would for work or school. You don’t have to wear something fancy or super expensive, but make sure it’s clean and well-kept if possible. And while this might seem obvious, make sure you take care of any hygiene needs before coming to church (like taking a shower and using deodorant).
Skip the shorts and jeans.
Jeans and shorts are not appropriate for church. While there are some churches that may be okay with this, or even allow it as part of their dress code, most churches don’t allow these types of clothes in their buildings on a Sunday.
If you want to wear jeans or shorts to church and your church is okay with it, make sure that the jeans aren’t too tight or short. Some men’s churches don’t mind if you wear blue jeans or khakis, but they might not like you wearing jeans that look like they were painted on, or have holes in them. If your shorts are a bit longer than your knee caps then it should be fine as well.
Dress modestly.
Modesty is important to God. If you are unaware of what modesty is, let me explain. Modesty is refraining from immodesty which can be described as “the state or quality of being immodest.” Now that we have established that being immodest is not modest, let’s discuss the topic at hand: what to wear to church. As we have discussed previously in this article, it is important to dress modestly. You should never wear sexually revealing clothing to church. There are a number of things that you should consider before going shopping for your next church outfit. For example, if the neckline on a shirt plunges too low it may be considered inappropriate to wear it to church as it draws attention away from God and towards yourself or other attending members of the congregation. The same can be said about skirts and dresses as well. In order for an item of clothing to be acceptable for worship service, it must cover most, if not all, of your body parts such as your arms and legs and torso, among others.
Go with a soft pastel-colored sweater.
Though sweaters are often associated with winter, you can make the most of a soft pastel-colored sweater all year round. If a casual look is more your style, wear a light gray acrylic or cotton sweater with dark blue jeans. An alternative approach would be to pair it with some high waisted khaki pants for an elevated, yet still relaxed Sunday afternoon outfit. If you’re looking to dress up your sweater, throw on some dark dress pants and brown loafers for good measure. No matter what you choose to wear it with, a soft pastel-colored sweater will always be the perfect accent piece to any outfit.
Wear your Sunday best – or better!
If you live in the North, then winter means snow and cold. This can be a good thing if you’re one of those people who loves to jump in the snow or wear a hat when it’s 30 degrees outside. For others, it can be quite boring as we don’t have much opportunity to go outside when it is freezing cold.
Now, there are some things that you should do before heading out in this weather:
- Wear something warm! Unless you want your hair to turn into Prince Edward Island hair gel and your skin to melt off, dress warmly. I don’t mean an extra coat for fashion sake; I mean something that will keep your body warm and comfortable for at least an hour, without being too bulky or hot.
- Wear something that is easily washed! You’ll find yourself going outside a lot during the winter; wash your clothes carefully so they last longer. Keeping other stuff clean is also important since dirt and germs from other people and pets will accumulate on them (not just yours). We all have dirty clothes lying around- try not wearing them after every outing! Do laundry whenever possible rather than letting them pile up until they are dirty enough that washing seems like a chore or take them out on loan (be very nice about this though).
- Stay healthy! The cold weather makes us feel lazy which can lead us to eat unhealthy foods and even start drinking alcohol too often… this is bad news especially if you’re trying to avoid drinking alcohol because you know it will make other people think that you are cool . A good tip is to limit eating fast food and junk food which contain high amounts of sodium and calories which our bodies really don’t need….(especially since we might exaggerate about how our health condition was affected by ice crystals trapped in our stomachs). Also remember not wearing gloves while shoveling/working outdoors or even when handling trash… DO NOT THROW IT AWAY!! Most of the things we throw away
Dress up a little more than you normally would for work.
Dress up a little more than you normally would for work. Because it’s unlike us to suggest that you wear something just because we say so, we’ll back it up with some reasoning:
- You’re going to meet some people at church who are dressed this way. Let’s not kid ourselves—you want to be accepted. While it’s true that Jesus doesn’t care how you dress, if you want others to see Him in your life, they might see the shabby guy walking into the building as someone who doesn’t care about looking good or fitting in.
- It shows respect and honor for God. We know that God really isn’t impressed with clothes (Isaiah 64:6), but He does appreciate our outward expression of inward commitment.
- Dressing well for church is part of your testimony as a Christian man; paradoxically, dressing casually sends the message that “I’m not taking this too seriously,” which is probably not what you mean!
Don’t assume that your typical office attire is appropriate for church.
However, if you simply can’t bear to wear a dress, then at least don’t assume that your typical office attire is appropriate for church.
A skirt is a good idea—skirts are more forgiving than dresses, so you shouldn’t look or feel out of place. But please consider a nice pair of slacks instead, as jeans should be avoided at all costs (unless your congregation is very casual and expressly states otherwise).
And men should wear a collared shirt, with or without the tie. If it’s not too obvious in your church how formal things are meant to be, try to err on the side of caution and go slightly more formal than you would normally wear to work.
Church is worth dressing up for!
The level of formality you should aim for will depend on the type of church you attend, and most importantly, the culture that’s been established there. For example, if you attend a very traditional church where most women wear dresses and/or skirts below their knees, it’s important to observe this custom rather than wearing pants or a shorter dress. The same goes for men—if your church has an established standard that everyone wears suits and ties, do your best to suit up accordingly. If people wear jeans at your place of worship because the pastor is laid-back about the dress code, or if you feel that God doesn’t care about what you wear when he looks at your heart—go ahead and rock those jeans! The most important thing is being respectful of others’ expectations while also dressing in a way that makes you feel comfortable and confident.
In general, it’s good to err on the side of caution when it comes to choosing how to dress for church. As long as what you’re wearing isn’t too tight or revealing (no plunging necklines or miniskirts), wearing something nicer than usual shows respect for both God and yourself. And remember: You can always take off layers if you get too warm inside!
Conclusion
After carefully considering all these points, you may have a clearer sense of what to wear to church. If not, remember that most people who attend church are there to worship God, so they won’t be too concerned with whether or not your shoes match your belt. That’s why we call it faith: even if you don’t understand it, you believe in it anyway.
