Church Chronicles: Ep 1: Holy Chic: The Ultimate Guide to Church Attire

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Hello, and welcome to Church Chronicles, part of the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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I'm your host, Connie Morris, and today we're diving into our first episode of Holy Chic.

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Yes, I said it, Holy Chic, the ultimate church attire handbook.

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We're going to walk, we're going to talk about how to address appropriately

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for church and why is so important.

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Yes, this will be a download available on my website. So don't worry,

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you'll get all the juicy topics.

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If you heard about the introductory, if you took time to listen to the introductory

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episode, you know it's going to be full of some juicy, juicy topics,

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but I won't keep you long.

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I just want to hit on some key stuff, key points and move it on.

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And so why is it important that we are dressing appropriate for church?

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You know, I think Juanita Bynum has something on YouTube and she was just going

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there about what the lady was wearing that you can see all through a lady's

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dress and these form-fitting outfits and people singing in a choir without, you know,

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the proper undergarments on.

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I mean, what are we doing in our holy temple these days?

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And so that got me thinking is if you come to a church and no one really tells

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you what the boundaries are, what the rules are, then you might need to be told.

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And so let's not be critical. Let's be teachers.

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Us older women in the church need to sit down,

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our younger women, and we need to actually begin to educate them on what needs

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to happen in our sacred places and not be under the assumption that they know.

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Can I get an amen out there for our church ladies, right? So we're always so quick to jump on.

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YouTube, whatever we do on our social media to criticize, but have we really

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sat down and talked to these ladies?

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Maybe we think they should know.

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When we grow up, our mom always told us to, can I just say wear a slip,

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put on a bra, put on undergarments?

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But these days that might not be something where the parents have told them,

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but they want to be known and they can sing and they want to know Jesus.

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So this is going to be basic information that you think is basic,

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but maybe not basic for everyone.

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So let's get started.

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So dressing for church is more, so understanding the significance of church attire.

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So I might sound like a teacher teaching this, but sometimes we just don't know. So just keeping it real.

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It says dressing for church is more than just picking out an outfit.

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It reflects our respect and reverence for the sacred space we are entering and

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the community we are part of.

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By choosing the appropriate attire, we should be appropriate attire,

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we show that we value the spiritual experience and the collective worship.

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So many times when you're a new member at a church, you know what to wear by what you see.

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What is appropriate, you go by what

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you see oh we can wear that you

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might see a little mini skirt you might see different things

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that probably was not approved but no one said it wasn't approved so you as

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a new member you as a visitor you sitting back and you figure out how does this

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church dress because you want to fit in with them you know just saying if you're

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a young girl or young guy and you want to join a church,

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you want to see what's the attire.

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And so you sit back and you're watching, right? And so what they see is what

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you're going to end up having copies of.

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And so if you don't address it right off the bat, you're going to have a flurry

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of the same outfits. If you see a.

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A lot of not wearing any type of upper garments or lower garments,

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that's what you're going to breed in there.

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So it's so appropriate to maybe address that in the beginning of your church

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or have a meeting and then begin to mimic what you want.

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So if the choir is dressed properly, if the ministry of health team is dressed

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properly, if the pastor is dressed properly, if the first lady is dressed properly,

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then that pretty much sets the tone for what is appropriate for what to wear at the church.

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Now, what to wear outside the church, you want to kind of keep that on the low

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too, because you can't just be the church girl and then go outside the church

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and then turn into the hoochie mama too, right?

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So you want to make sure there's a balance because that same person who saw

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you in church also might see you outside of church.

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So it's important for that spiritual experience to be a collective experience

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with worship and that you or whoever else is in the church not be a distraction.

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So think about it. When you dress up for a special occasion like a wedding or

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graduation, you're showing that that event is essential to you.

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The same principle applies to the church. Your attire reflects the value you

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place on your worship experience. Wow.

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So what value do you place on your sacred place shows how you dress.

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You know, sometimes they tell you don't. Like if you ever travel to the Mid-East,

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you can't wear your arms out or your legs out.

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And so they value their whole country as being holy.

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Per se for visitors, right? We don't know what happens when we leave,

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but when you show up, they have a set dress code, right?

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So religious guideline for dressing for worship.

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Different faiths have different expectation for attire.

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For some, modesty is essential, meaning clothing that covers shoulders,

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chest, and knees, like I mentioned.

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For others, avoiding flashy or distracting Alphas is essential.

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It's about aligning with the customs and tradition of your faith community.

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Yeah, we're not in a cult or anything, right?

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But you want to make sure that when you go to church, you want to be able to be yourself.

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But what is that attire for church? If you're serving, you know,

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church is not that tight, you know, that make you have to be robotic.

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But it's saying And if they tell you not to wear your arms out for an event,

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just if you're going to serve no arms out and make sure no deep V-necks,

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you want to honor that event.

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If you're just a just a prisoner sitting in the in the church,

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you know, watching the event, no one's regulating that.

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But if you are serving in any type of event and they have strict regulation

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for what you to wear, you want to honor that.

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So different faiths have different expectations. If you're going to serve,

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you're going to serve in the choir.

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They might have you, maybe you have to put a slip on or your dress can't be above your knee.

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Remember, you're standing higher on top so people can see under your dress.

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So you always want to dress appropriately. You want to follow what those rules are.

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For instance, in many church denominations, modesty is emphasized.

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This doesn't mean you have to sacrifice style, but it does mean being mindful

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of the length of your dress or skirt and the cut of your blouse,

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even with the fabric of your blouses.

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You know what are you know so make sure that if

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it looks too much to you in the mirror then it's too much to

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the congregation if you're singing in a song singing a song for the choir or

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even if you walk serving in the ministry right put a blazer on you know cover

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cover it up in other religious traditions specific clothing items might be required

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such as a head covering of particular garments for men,

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understanding that guidelines help you show respect and tradition and beliefs of your faith.

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So not being a strict policing the garment of what you wear,

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but being knowing that the sacred space is holy, right?

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And there are rules and regulation. And so you look around, what is everybody else wearing?

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So that means that maybe that halter top is not the thing that you might want

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to put on that day, or those short shorts or those yoga pants,

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you want to dress appropriately for church.

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And then the impact of your outfit on your worship experience.

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Believe it or not, that when you wear, what you wear can influence how you feel

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and how you connect during the service.

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When you dress appropriately, you mentally prepare yourself for worship.

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You're more likely to feel focused and present, which can enhance your spiritual

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journey and create a respectful atmosphere within the congregation.

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Wow. So when you come in dressed to worship, if you ever notice that,

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if you ever notice, just pay attention to those who really get into the presence of God,

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that they come in ready to get into worship, right? So they're comfortable there.

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I ain't saying you're dressed fancy. You just got on comfortable clothes that

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you can reach your arms up, that your dress is not going to go up, right?

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You can get on your hands and knees and pray to the Lord without having the skirt on.

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That you have comfortable clothes.

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That if the Lord tells you that you need to bow down, that you're able to bow

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down. That you're comfortable in your worship.

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And you know what that means. That when you worship at home,

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if you can't worship in those clothes at home, then that might not be a good

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worship outfit to take to church.

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Not take to church. Wear the church. Just something to think about, right?

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Some clothes you might just want to wear just to be cute. And you can't do all

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the praise and worship, jumping up and down, running around the church.

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And you just might want to just sit still.

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And you know what those outfits are.

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Think of your attire as part of your preparation for worship.

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Just as you prepare your heart and mind, prepare your outward appearance can

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help you enter a state of reverence and readiness.

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You ever thought about that? that as you get dressed for church,

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that you're entering in.

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Yeah, some people, I'm going to be sharp, I'm going to be cute today. Yeah, be cute.

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But you ever notice those high heels when the praise go long,

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those ain't comfortable no more, right?

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If those stockings ain't fitting right, when you leave the house,

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they can be irritating after a while.

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Just little things become irritant if something goes too long.

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And so you want to just prepare your heart for worship.

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Just prepare your heart for the presence of God.

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Prepare your heart for reverence. It says in a state of readiness.

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Who knows that God might have an altar call and you might be caught up there

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and they lay hands on you, but now you laid out on all your,

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you know, what's majiggered,

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bleep is out because you didn't dress for readiness to be touched by God.

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I'm just doing a wink, wink, right?

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Additionally, dressing appropriately helps keep a cohesive and respectful environment

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within the congregation.

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Can I say that again? I won't say that again.

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Additionally, dressing appropriately helped create a cohesive and respectful

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environment within the congregation.

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When everyone is mindful of their attire, it minimizes distraction and fosters

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on a sense of unity and respect.

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You know, some churches have what you call cloth.

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They cover you when you lay down. Most of the time they do cover you whether

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you dress appropriately or not.

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But what happens if they miss you? You know, because sometimes that the altar

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call line goes fast and they miss you.

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You laid out and some of your private parts are out by accident, not on purpose.

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But so dressing modestly kind of, I love that, that reverence and readiness

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just for in case God calls you up for that one day.

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You know, sometimes he calls you up when you like, oh, not today.

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I got on this dress. And if I lay it out, I'm going to be, so you can't really

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give your whole self to God because you're not dressed properly.

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You ever thought about that?

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Dress appropriately to receive what God has for you.

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Because God can lay hands on you and throw your butt across the room and all

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your skirts above your head.

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You're just a hot mess, but you didn't dress.

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I love this word, reverence or in readiness.

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Ready for God. Dang, that's a good word. Let's go to some scripture.

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First Timothy two, nine through 10.

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You have that out. First Timothy two, nine through 10 said, I also want the

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women to dress modestly.

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It's just not me talking. This is the Bible with decency and propriety,

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adoring themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold or pearls or elaborate

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clothes, but with good deeds appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

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God just doesn't want you to look good on the outside.

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He wants you to look good on the inside.

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Amen. So you can look good with your pearls and your diamonds on,

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your hair all fixed up, but what's your heart look like?

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Are you serving in the church or are you too cute to serve in a church? What's your excuse?

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Ooh, that's something somebody told. What's your reasoning?

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You got all your expensive clothes on and you're looking pretty good,

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but I need you to do a little bit more than just look good.

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You need to get your hands dirty and serve in the church.

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So let's do these decrees with me. Maybe this is to steer some people up.

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It says, I decree that I would dress modestly. That's a good, let's do it again.

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I decree, excuse me, that I would dress modestly with decency and propriety reflecting my faith.

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I decree that my adornment will be marked by good deeds showing my devotion to God.

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I decree that I would value inner beauty over outward adornment.

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Oh, I decree that my clothing choice will honor God and my body as his temple.

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Wow. God wants us not to just look, wear expensive clothes with our hair already.

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You know the people, I ain't going to say any names.

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They looking pretty good, but they ain't lifting a finger to do nothing at the church.

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God needs you to take it. It's nice for you to look cute, but it's also time

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for you to go ahead and get dirty and help out with the rest of the church folks.

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Proverbs 31, 25, it says, she is clothed with strength and dignity.

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She can laugh at the days to come. Why?

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Because this is Proverbs 31, because she fears the Lord.

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God got her back because she's looking good. She's taking care of all her business,

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but she's also serving God with her whole heart.

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A decree for that is, I decree that I'm clothed with strength and dignity.

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I decree that I will face the future with confidence and joy.

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Why? Because God is on my side. That's extra.

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I decree that my outward appearance will reflect the dignity God has given me.

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I decree that I will honor God through my strength and composure.

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I want to go back to number three. You ever see a lady, I decree that my outward

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appearance will reflect the dignity God has given me.

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You ever see those older ladies? I'm getting to that point and being considered

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an older lady, where they look like grace and mercy and dignity, and they're glowing,

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they're beautiful, and they're still serving the Lord.

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They might be a greeter, they might just be, whatever their skill,

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they're using it, but they're using it for God's glory.

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Still looking cute, still looking fancy, but their heart fears the Lord.

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I want to go back and read that Psalm, that Proverbs 31, 25,

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and it says, she is clothed with strength and dignity.

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She can laugh at the days to come because she knows that God has survived.

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The takeaway from this is dress appropriately for church, shows respect for

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the sacred space and the community.

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Understanding and adhering to religious guidelines helps us to align with our faith and tradition.

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And the right outfit can enhance our focus and connection during worship. They're all important.

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Excuse me. The right outfit can enhance our focus and connection during worship.

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And we all know that. If we're in something uncomfortable, our worship is nothing.

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And we feel disappointed. And like, Lord, I can't even worship you because I can't raise my hand up.

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You know, come on, let's be real. So make sure that you come to church prepared

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to worship and be ready for what God has for you.

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That was good. So I thank you for joining us, joining us, yeah,

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joining all of us for this journey.

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Stay tuned for each episode as we bring holy back into our attire.

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How about holy back into our sanctuary, into our tabernacle?

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This is your host, Connie Morris, with Diary of Black Women podcast,

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hosting with Church Chronicles.

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And don't forget at the end of this series, the Holy Chic Ultimate Church Attire

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Handbook will be available for free download for the month of November.

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God bless you.