Come as you are or show some respect–which is correct? Does God care what you wear to church? Find the real answer here.
Growing up, I was raised to dress very conservatively at church.
Not only was my grandfather a preacher, but we also attended a church that was pretty legalistic.
I remember, in middle school, judging the girls whose skirts didn’t extend below their knees. Didn’t they know that wearing skirts that hit right above the knee made them look “available??” (for lack of a better word).
I was absolutely stunned the first time we attended a different church and one of the girls was wearing short shorts. This was church! Why wasn’t she dressed in her Sunday best??
Even now, as a grown-up, I have a difficult time not dressing up for church.
I’ve worn jeans a handful of times — when I was majorly pregnant and that was the only thing that fit — but that’s about it. It’s just habit. I don’t particularly care what anyone else is wearing, but I feel weird if I don’t dress up at least a little.
I stopped thinking much about it — figured it was mostly a matter of personal preference — until I spoke with some other Christians who were pretty passionate what I asked, “Does God care what to wear to church?” So I figured I’d better address the issue as well.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps cover the many costs of running this site and allows me to help provide for my growing family. Thank you!
Related Reading: Is Going to Church Really Necessary?
Ready for More Confidence in Knowing God’s Will for Your Life?
Do you find yourself stressing over small matters — like what to wear to church? Do you want to become more confident in following God’s will for your life, whether it’s something big or small?
I have an accessible, easy-to-read guide for you! Check out my brand new book, Follow God’s Will: Biblical Guidelines for Everyday Life, along with the Follow God’s Will companion workbook.
Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Follow God’s Will is designed to help you answer questions including:
- What does God want me to do?
- How do I apply the Bible’s instructions to my life today?
- Where is God calling me personally?
- How can I make a difference right where I am?
- How should I navigate relationships with those who think, act, or believe differently than I do?
- And so many more!
Want to start reading for free?
Simply enter your first name and email below, and I’ll send you an exclusive “first-peek” right away, right to your inbox!
Does God Care What You Wear to Church? Well… Yes and No.
Honestly, I think “What is appropriate to wear to church?” is the wrong question. Not only does it completely miss the point, but when you try to narrow down exactly what styles/cuts/fits/lengths are and are not appropriate, you’re pretty much guaranteed to wind up in a legalistic mess. Plus, it doesn’t take into account various circumstances and situations.
For example:
Does God care what you wear to church for…
- The divorced man who is finally ready to attend church for the first time in years, but the nicest thing he owns is a pair of ripped up jeans and a wrinkly old t-shirt. Should he not come?
- The party girl who is fed up with her current lifestyle and ready to make a change, but the nicest thing in her closet is still pretty risque. Should she not come?
- The tired mom who barely made it out of the house, who didn’t have the energy for yet another clothing battle this morning. Should she not come?
- The family who is desperately struggling to make ends meet, but who has chosen to tithe faithfully even if it means they go without nice clothes. Should they not come?
The truth is, wearing nice clothes doesn’t make you a better Christian, or more holy, or any of that nonsense. In fact, wearing nice clothes may even interfere with our ability to be good little Christians when it steals our focus or makes others uncomfortable.
I love how Pamela Hodges writes in her article, Today was Easter and I almost didn’t go to church. You might be surprised why:
“When we meet Jesus in the long line to get into heaven, he won’t be asking us, “Did you wear a pastel Easter dress to church on Sunday?””
How sad to think that people all over the country miss out on church every Sunday simply because they don’t have the “right” clothes to wear! In these cases, does God care what you wear to church or that you are simply showing up to church?
Furthermore, NOT wearing nice clothes can actually be the most loving thing to do sometimes, as Amy Reasoner points out in her thought-provoking post, Why I’m wearing the same thing I wore last Easter (and it’s not a dress):
“That’s when it hit me – Easter is also a Sunday when people who do not regularly attend church are most likely to set foot through your doors. And I knew in that moment that if someone visited our church in jeans on Easter, I most certainly didn’t want them to be the only one.” And she’s a pastor’s wife!
Interesting…
Or consider 1 Samuel 16:7, which says:
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
But the truth is, there is a big difference between someone who comes to church in clothes that aren’t as nice because they don’t have the time, energy or money and someone who comes to church in clothes that aren’t as nice because they are lazy.
And honestly, don’t most of us fall into that second category more often than we’d like to admit?
We don’t think about preparing for Sunday (or Saturday night, depending on when you go to church) until it gets here, and so when church time rolls around, we pretty much grab whatever we can find that’s reasonably clean and head out the door.
I know I’ve worn a shirt with a stain on it on more than one occasion because, for some reason, Sunday morning is the ONLY time I ever remember that all of my white shirts that match the skirts that still fit my big, pregnant belly have stains on them…
(For the record, the issue has since been remedied…)
We dress up for date nights with our husbands. We dress up for back to school night to meet our children’s teachers. We dress up to impress our friends when we get a girls’ night out. But it’s too much to ask to dress up for one hour a week to meet with the King of Kings?
Ask yourself, “What should I wear to church?” Then decide why you should or shouldn’t dress up. Again, not that dress matters–it doesn’t–but it just shows where our heart is at.
When you go to church, do you find yourself asking, “Does God care what you wear to church?” Do you treat it as something special, something sacred? Or is it just another day?
Do you prepare your heart ahead of time, or do you just show up? Do you remember that you’re meeting the King of Kings, or is it just another thing on your to-do list? When you get dressed, are you thinking about what will make YOU look good and draw attention to you, or are you thinking about the One you are there to see?
THESE are the questions we need to be asking ourselves. And when we do, appropriate things to wear to church will follow.
So, personally, I’m going to keep wearing long maxi-skirts with white t-shirts and flip flops. It’s dressed up enough to be nice, but not so dressed up that it would be uncomfortable or distracting. It’s modest and it’s practical (I can walk, kneel, stand, chase children etc. without worry).
And when I see other people wearing things I maybe wouldn’t pick, I’m not going to judge. I’m just going to think “I’m glad you’re here” and know that God is too. Even if they’re wearing short shorts. Because I don’t know their heart or their circumstances. Only God does.
Dive Deeper Into God’s Calling in Your Life (Beyond Sundays!)
God cares about every aspect of our lives, from clothes to career to kids. Did you know God has a plan for your life, suited to your one-of-a-kind circumstances? Want to know just what that looks like?
If so, I’d love for you to check out my brand new book, Follow God’s Will: Biblical Guidelines for Everyday Life, along with the Follow God’s Will companion workbook.
Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Follow God’s Will is designed to help you answer questions including:
- What does God want me to do?
- How do I apply the Bible’s instructions to my life today?
- Where is God calling me personally?
- How can I make a difference right where I am?
- How should I navigate relationships with those who think, act, or believe differently than I do?
- And so many more!
Want to start reading for free?
Simply enter your first name and email below, and I’ll send you an exclusive “first-peek” right away, right to your inbox!
Related Reading: How Can I Get My Kids Excited About Church?
Have you ever asked yourself, “Does God care what you wear to church?” How did you answer that? What do you wear to church?
Brittany Ann is an ECPA bestselling author and founder of Equipping Godly Women and Monetize My Ministry. She’s also a Christian speaker, podcaster, and conference host. Her work has been featured on numerous TV, radio, and online ministries, including CBN, MSN, Christianity Today, Evangelical Alliance, Patheos, Crosswalk, and more.
Good Day …I have been enjoying the discussion. There are many good points here as well. I believe the dress attire is dictated according to the culture environment of the church specifically the Pastor or Priest of the church. Something similar to corporate culture is what defines the attire of the business environment when the owners of the company determine the corporate culture attire. I believe God is more concerned about the heart which is most important. How I determine the proper attire is I don’t want to do, say or wear anything that will be a distraction from the Word which is going forth. So I ask myself ” if someone came into church wearing this would it distract me?”… that is my determining factor. …Love your Blog! .
“if someone came into church wearing this would it distract me?” — that’s a great question. Although, what distracts us isn’t necessarily what distracts others… And thanks! 🙂
One Sunday a visitor let our pastor know that the young woman in the band was very distracting .
well the young woman in question is a very beautiful young woman. but does dress very scantily ..
SO ..are we to dress so that we distract from the worship ?
NO! It is not about US.. SUNDAY service is the Lord’s day , period !
Agreed. Maybe she didn’t realize how her dress was affecting others? That’s why it’s so important to be able to speak the truth in love when necessary.
that has got to be the most beautiful thing I have ever read. I think I might just wear some jeans on Easter Sunday!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write this.
lol, you should probably read more 😉 And hey, if you are doing it for the right reason with the right heart–go for it.
Well .. yes.. wear clothes that show respect & that aren’t a distraction to others.
we are NOT attending Sunday service for any other reason then to worship the Lord.. it is HIS day. AMEN
one time a new person to our church told our pastor that one girl in the band was a HUGE distraction for her & her entire family b/c of her dress, so yes it does matter..
Also , as a side note. we are HUGE thrift store shoppers & we always dress ‘well’ 🙂
most of my entire outfits from pants, jeans shirts, belts , ear rings & so on totally prob. cost me 5.00.. so to say you can’t afford to dress for church is just plain lazy.
yes.. lazy. as a people we wear PJ pants to the groc store. & barely brush our hair ,. forget about brushing our teeth ! LOL
I read on funeral home site .. How to dress for a funeral. amazing.. people have to be told when & where to show respect. !! It stated , please dress as to show RSPECT to the family.. NOT as if you are attending a BBQ right after..
would it hurt to have ONE place a week you go to that you dress up ?
come on people. ADULT UP !
Well, I’m sure there really are some people out there who can NOT afford church clothes. especially people who are barely making it and are wandering in to church for the first time ever with no knowledge of if they will stay or not–I’d much rather them be welcomed in than feel like they can’t come until they go buy something nice. Come on it! We’ll worry about clothes later.
When you say “…prob. cost me 5.00.. so to say you can’t afford to dress for church is just plain lazy.” What about the people that are homeless who cant barely afford anything? I understand there are organizations that can help but a lot of times they really only have one outfit. Also if we are so concerned about how someone dresses aren’t we taking our eyes of the real reason we are there? If we are really that concerned we can donate our clothes to the people at our church who tell us they cannot afford it.
I am a Pastor’s wife, and grew up dressing up for church. Times have changed A LOT! I still feel compelled to dress up. I dress up for work, dates with my husband. I feel like it is a sign or respect for the host. Jesus is the “Host” at church, so I dress or Him! I am happy for all who come. I believe that many were not raised the way I was. Jesus, says “Come as you are.” He’s really looking at how our heart is dressed!
As the granddaughter of a Pastor–I totally understand! I grew up dressing up too. Now, all moral issues aside, it would just feel *weird* not to!
I think you’ve nailed it. If we are wearing “any old thing” just because it’s handy and we’re being lazy, that’s the wrong attitude to have. But no one should ever feel uncomfortable in church because their best is ratty and worn.
Exactly. 🙂
The God of the cosmos came to earth in a barn with stinky animals and made his bed in a manger. His mother became pregnant with him out of wedlock. Do you really think He cares about appearances? If God cared about appearances, His debut on earth would have looked much different.
What about all of the verses in the Old Testament where He specified EXACTLY what he wanted the tabernacle and ark of the covenant to look like? He was pretty specific about what He wanted…
Just like what you had mention we are attending church service to meet the King of Kings so it is appropriate not to wear sexy, or dresses showing so much skin. Women now a days go to church with sooo tight dresses, sometimes showing cleavage and that sometimes makes men sin. Remember they are babies, young adults around. We are supposed to be their role models.
Very true. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a role model, you never know who is new and looking around to see what is “normal.”
It has always been my understanding that a person is responsible for his or her own actions and, therefore, their own sins. One cannot “make” someone else sin without their permission.
God was very specific about worship and how things should be. Worship should be approached intentionally. We should always offer our best to God, because He gave us His very best. I think you should wear the best clothes you have to church. If your best are not typical church clothes, that’s okay. As a person matures in his or her relationship with Christ, the motivation to give your best will follow. There are few excuses for a mature believer to arrive at church inappropriately dressed.
Agreed. It’s not a matter of we HAVE to wear XYZ, but as mature believers, shouldn’t we want to as a matter of the heart?
I’ve been a Christian for 35 years, attending church weekly most of my life. Going to church right now is hard because our family is wearing Goodwill jeans most of the time now and almost EVERYONE is dressed like a wedding every Sunday. I’ve been on the lookout for Goodwill finds but our local store is in a poor area so no luck really. So today, on Easter Sunday, I finally had enough. I took my three year old to Sunday School, us wearing our jeans, and then went home before the service. The humiliation was just too great.
awwwwww, I’m so sorry to hear that! Was it really a matter of everyone else looking at you, or more a thing about you being self-conscious? The truth is, absolutely no one knows where your jeans come from but you. I’m sure no one even noticed! I definitely understand though. I have been known to have anxiety at times too, and have walked out because I just couldn’t handle it either. *hugs*