In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble…. 1 Peter 5
“Why do you have that type jacket on? You should not wear it to church because you are disgracing God.” This was said to me by a Pastor at a rural north Florida church a while ago. It just so happens that I was serving as his Assistant. From my observation, there was nothing inappropriate with the attire except it was not part of a formal suit with matching slacks.
Was I really disgracing the Lord with that jacket or was it disgracing the Pastor who has a penchant for dressing up like he was heading to the night club back in the day?” Some theorists go even further to note that dressing up for church was once the quintessential past time since Afro Americans could not do so at any other venues.
As a youth minister who frequently exhort with young people, I learned that a lot of them, especially our young bucks (men) don’t go to church on a regular basis due to the stringent dress codes. If we are truthful, many of us can attest to being told “child, I would go to church with y ’all, but I can’t cause I don’t have nothing to wear.”
Even here in rural America there are magnanimous amounts of pressure for members as well as visitors to ‘dress up’ and wear expensive clothes to the sanctuary. This has been ostensibly true for most of our African American congregations. These socio-economic norms may have been status quo in reconstruction days, but they are now counterproductive to saving souls for Christ.
Using outcomes of appreciative inquiry (source: 14 Church Statistics You Need to Know for 2020 blog), we find that according to recent Gallup Polls, only 50% of Americans belong to a church. That number has dropped 20% since 1999. Most of the decline in church growth and attendance comes as a direct result of millennials (young folk) reaching adulthood and starting families. Research shows only 42% of young people attend church services on a regular basis.
All is not lost though. One way to reach more young people is to engage them more. Many of our youth want to become active participants in helping each other and the community via outreach ministry. This can be especially beneficial during these times of Covid 19 pandemic. This may also translate into letting them dress as they desire. I mean if they are not showing as much anatomy as Nicki Minaj, Cardi B or Megan Thee Stallion, then God bless ‘em…..let them come into the temple of the Lord and work as servants of the Prince of Peace.
A popular radio advertisement proclaims that if you shop at a certain clothing boutique “you can look better than the Pastor and the First Lady.” Yourakadisha and Jamaal Darnell should not have to compete with that racket. Mary Beth and Cody Tanner sure don’t have to wrestle with that dilemma to be received into the house of faith.
I have worked at a number of middle schools and Juvenile Detention Centers. Almost every kid I have encountered are already under enough demands to dress a certain way based on high standards propagated by social media and peer pressure. Conversely, the church should be a place of acceptance and refuge, and not one where our kids and grandkids face a deluge of criticism for not wearing proper attire. Lest we forget, they are going to church, not to go and perform on Soul Train or at the Ebony Fashion Fair. Even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shun too much pressure.
In a nutshell, we should ask what does the bible say about how we should dress for services? Proverbs 31 promotes: charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. The word reverberates to a greater degree in 1 Samuel 16 even more about dress codes. It connotes… but the Lord said to Samuel, “do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” All in all, whether our youth shop at Neiman Marcus or Tractor Supply, we are to accept them into the Lord’s house and nurture them towards their soul’s salvation through Jesus Christ.
Respectfully,
Rev. Gene Hall
Youth Minister
Providence M. B. Church
Monticello, Florida