People don't seem to be dressing up for church like they used to, therefore, is dressing up for church really necessary and important?

Necessary? Probobly not.

A good idea? Yeah.

I always want to look my best to meet God in His house. But some may not feel that way or may not have the means to do so.

Our first elder doesn't think so. It seems like a lack of respect to me not to.

There's so many other things to worry about, I don't make a bid deal about it, however.

"Dressing up" is a cultural and personal thing. We all have our own ideas what it means. For some it means a 3 piece suit, wing tip shoes, tie, tie clasp, etc. For others it means dress slacks, tieless shirt and walking/hiking shoes (since the person wearing them walks to church many times)

Should we dress nicely (modest, clean and neat) for church? IMHO yes, as a sign of respect for God and our fellow worshipers.

Redfog

How would one dress for an audience with the president in the White House? Also, if you dress nice for a wedding, why does God deserve less? On the other hand, we must remember that we are worshiping God, not having a fashion show. We are goint to meet the King of the Universe, and should dress adequately for that occasion, but our clothes should not call attention to ourselves.

Therefore, is there a general expectation on how we should dress up for church?

What would any of you say to the following situations?

1. A young woman just lost everything she owns, all but a few items of clothing, none of which are what most people would consider "church clothes." She has a pair of clean blue jeans, but there are small holes in the knees. She has a couple of shirts, but they have stains on them. He shoes are ripped, her sockes have holes in them. She wants to attend church on Sabbath morning. She is staying with her cousin, who lives in a different town. How would you treat this young woman if she entered your church?


2. A truck driver is stopped for the weekend. He normally sleeps in his truck to save on expenses. He has a nice pair of jeans and a flannel shirt (it is wintertime) but they are not ironed, so they are wrinkled, because his space is limited and he doesn't have the extra money available to iron his clothes on Friday, so they will look nice on Sabbath morning. What is your reaction when he walks through the door?

3. A businessman is traveling over the weekend. He has a nice suit packed away for Sabbath. He checks into his hotel, but he has just enough time to check in, then eat before the Sabbath hours start. Not enough time to get his suit pressed for Sabbath. He arrives at your church in his wrinkled, but clean suit. How do you react?

Now, suppose that they all arrived together? What if we found out that they are all related, but the cousin mentioned in scenario one has a very small living space, so the business had to get a hotel room because there was nowhere for him to sleep? And the trucker slept in his truck because, 1. no room in the cousin's place and 2. he got in so late that he didn't want to disturb anyone.

Would you treat any of these people differently? Of course, you wouldn't necessarily know the various scenarios until you spoke with the people. What would be your first reaction? Would you change your opinion once you knew what was going on?

I think it is important to dress in the BEST YOU HAVE! Not necessarily wearing THE BEST clothes, but wearing the best you have. And, I think we should reserve judgment because we don't know EVERY situation! Don't assume that someone is being disrespectful because he/she isn't wearing a nice suit or dress. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Besides, how do you know that you aren't being TESTED when these people come for a visit????

Daryl: "Therefore, is there a general expectation on how we should dress up for church?"

My own general expectation is that we should normally dress modestly, cleanly, healthily and neatly for church. We may or may not dress nicer than in everyday life.

Or are you asking the specifics of what we should be wearing to church? I think that would be a impossible question to answer. Depending on the type of church, location, average age of the members, season etc. There are areas of the world where going to church barefooted is normal, in some very hot non air conditioned churches in the US shorts on men are normal (or so I've been told). A liberal church will dress more casual than will a conservative one. If you walk to church, as I often do, then you will be wearing nice walking shoes. If you are taking part in the service you might dress differently than if you are sitting in the pews. The list of variables is endless.

Redfog

Remembering somewhere that the clothes God cares about are the ones He Himself provides to everyone for free. To be honest, we are dressing up not for God but for the other members of the congregation. God asks for mercy and compassion.

/Thomas

Let me present another scenario:

I go to church in the same casual clothes I use at home. I have better clothes to wear, however, I choose to wear the same casual clothes I wear at home.

With the above scenario in mind, is it, therefore, ok for me to wear the same casual clothes at church that I wear around the house, or does it matter?