Is There A Pentecostal Dress Code?

[TwistrAndy]

After reading your post FR, I just wanted to post how I feel with no hard feelings, but I just want to state my belief on the matters above, so both sides of the issue can be seen, without people getting upset.

Pants/Dresses:
The way I feel about it is this:
In our culture, you go to a public place, you need to go to the bathroom, you look, and you go into the one symbolizing a man, and a woman would go into the one wearing a dress. When you have 10 seconds to sketch a woman you're probably gonna draw her in a dress. About the Africa thing, to many African's I'm sure killing people is no big deal, incest is no big deal, and cannibalism is probably no big deal, But does that make it right? No of course not, neither does running around naked. It's their culture, and it's because they haven't been enlightened into Christianity and teachings of more modern civilizations.

As for hair:
You're right about it not being law, that's why it's not that much of an issue in our church. But, I don't understand where you get the fact that it meant they looked like prostitutes. Where is a prostitute even mentioned? Paul said a women ought to have long hair because it is her power and glory, and because of the angels not a prostitute. He said that doesn't even nature itself teach you that long hair on women is her glory, and long hair on men is a shame? Never have I seen that it mentioned a prostitute.

Jewelry:
The Bible doesn't say wear gold, and pearls just don't over do it, it says don't do it. It says that we are not to be adorned with pearls, gold, costly array, and broided hair, and this will be shown in women who profess godliness, our spirit will be a quite one. So therefore since it says don't do it, I don't. About pride, yes people do take very much pride in they way they "don't dress" but that is wrong too. Only my church friends and best friends and family know they way I live because they are around me all the time or believe that way themselves, but my friends don't even notice, because they don't pay attention to what I wear, and I never bring it up, I don't go around saying "I don't do this, and I don't do that" People have known me for months, and not figured out the way I believe. I prefer to let it be shown, by the love of God, and in the fruits of the Spirit, trust me around here it's hard to do it for pride, cause you get made fun of alot, and criticized (obviously) you get called names, and I don't see how anybody could do it for pride, because if I did it for pride I would've quit along time ago, because if it's for pride and not because of your relationship with God, you'll give in, I know I wouldnt' want to dress a certain way just because I was prideful when people are laughing at you and making fun of you, I would want to be like the people making fun of me, I would do what they did to fit in, but I don't do it for pride. But, if you are around people who have built up great respect for your lifestyle, and it goes to your head, then you've got problems, and need to repent, and make yourself humble, which in reality is one of the reasons why we don't wear jewelry, and things of that nature.

 

[PastorRod]

Romans 13:14 (NIV) says: ". . . clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." This means to accept Him as your Savior and Lord, be baptised (identifying with Him in death, burial, and resurrection), and take on His qualities (i.e., love, humility, selflessness, truth, servanthood, etc.).

Colossians 3:12 (NIV) says: "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." v.14 "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

God doesn't look upon the outside of a person, rather He looks at the heart. Imagine how the prodigal son looked when he arrived home and yet the father accepted him exactly as he was.

The only exception to this is when your spiritual authorities (i.e., Pastor, Minister, Priest, leader of ministry, etc.) require a certain level of dress. For example, the Worship Pastor may ask all members of the worship team to dress in beige slacks with a blue denim shirt. In that case, you must submit to the authority God has placed over you (even if you don't agree or don't like that level of dress).

Pastor Rod Nichols
Truth and Grace Foursquare Chruch
University Place, WA
Author, God's Prosperity Plan

 

[ApostolicHolinessGurl]

The Oneness Pentecostals believe in strict dress code, that would be: United Pentecostal Church, and Apostolic.

Not all Apostolics believe in Holiness. or the dress code. I do, but I've seen one group of Apostolics that didn't.

 

[Zenaide]

Assembly of God here, none that I know of. You get a dress code in... you get visitors. They will feel as an alien. Then depending on how they are dressing.... you got judgemental issues starting... Bible does say not worry what to wear, but if it makes you happy to dress up go for it. I wear what I wear everyday to church. Also, I always wanted to walkin a strict dress code church with a trench coat on to see their iniatial reactions.

 

[majorgen]

I think it depends on the area you live at. If your poor and don't have the right clothes to wear especially on the islands where it's hot, some will wear skirts or what they have. If you're in a fine church with air, I don't think it should be worn, but that's not the answer either. I believe it should be modest and respectable, because someday visitors, the unsaved will see us as we are. Just like we are to be a good witness outside the church, so are we to be a good witness inside the church, not two faced. This will also help those who may be weak and what their eyes see, may cause them to sin. For the one day that we come to spend with the Lord for those few hours, we should do it unto Him, it's His house. These are moments we come to meet Him in worship, prayer and to be guided in His word. There are other days we gather together, also. Do it with respect to each other and unto God to help reach the lost. It depends on the church and location, I know sometimes dress pants may be allowed, but even myself, I don't approve that tight pants or blue jeans be worn in church. Through our lives, we should be the examples of Christ for the lost. It's not just the clothes, but everything about us from our hearts, minds, words, actions, etc., for the world is watching.

 

[Zenaide]

I think it depends on the area you live at. If your poor and don't have the right clothes to wear especially on the islands where it's hot, some will wear skirts or what they have. If you're in a fine church with air, I don't think it should be worn, but that's not the answer either. I believe it should be modest and respectable, because someday visitors, the unsaved will see us as we are. Just like we are to be a good witness outside the church, so are we to be a good witness inside the church, not two faced. This will also help those who may be weak and what their eyes see, may cause them to sin. For the one day that we come to spend with the Lord for those few hours, we should do it unto Him, it's His house. These are moments we come to meet Him in worship, prayer and to be guided in His word. There are other days we gather together, also. Do it with respect to each other and unto God to help reach the lost. It depends on the church and location, I know sometimes dress pants may be allowed, but even myself, I don't approve that tight pants or blue jeans be worn in church. Through our lives, we should be the examples of Christ for the lost. It's not just the clothes, but everything about us from our hearts, minds, words, actions, etc., for the world is watching.

I agree.

 

[charityagape]

IS it actually in the bible that long hair on a man is a shame, twisterandy?

 

[Zenaide]

IS it actually in the bible that long hair on a man is a shame, twisterandy?

Haha if it is, by the end of the summer my hair will be Keith Urban's length if you guys know that country singer. (I dont like country, but parents do, saw his hair and had to grow it out like his). Guess I'll be a shame then huh? What matters is the heart.

 

[charityagape]

I agree on the heart thing. Twisterandy in an earlier post had inferred that long hair on a man being a shame was in the bible, at least I think that's what he was saying. And I don't believe it is in the bible.

 

[chanis]

come as you are is basically the modo at my church, how can we minister to others effectively and draw them into the kingdom when they're being turned away for waht they're wearing Christ never did that...embraces and love them the Holy Spirit will change the heart and will produce fruits that will be evident to others...

 

[merryheart]

Interestingly, when the Bible talks about modesty in dress, it is related to being humble in appearance rather than non-sexual... I would not attend a church that had a dress code. Dress is something we should not judge for another, and should look to our own being "modest" (which means *not* overly dressy, and otherwise *not* calling attention to oneself. It is *not* simply an issue with the expression of sexuality)

 

[dsided4him]

I could not agree more with PastorRod's post.

We just moved to an area that is into the Holiness movement. Most of my neighbors refuse to consort with us because we wear shorts in our back yard!

I visited one of the area Holiness churches one Sunday wearing dress pants and a short sleeve button down shirt (August in the south) and caught the glare of the majority of the congregation. Apparently I should have chosen long sleeve.

I work in an office that requires suit & tie. I have plenty of polyester to throw on my body for Sunday service. Interestingly enough, I don't feel comfortable going to church in a $100+ suit while sitting next to a family that can barely afford food to put on the table and has only shorts and t-shirts to wear because the air conditioning in their home broke down.

Fortunately for us, one of the few non-Holiness churches in the area happened to be Spirit-Filled with no dress code. I have learned much from them about God and grown in my relationship with Jesus. I experienced being filled by the Holy Spirit, and am learning the true meaning of humility.

The type of clothes we wear to church have nothing to do with serving God. If wearing a suit, or nice dress affords comfort to you in the church, give thanks to God! If you find peace wearing casual clothes during the service, praise God!

One final note. I decided to confront my neighbors head on over this issue of not speaking to us because of our clothing options. I delivered them fresh baked goodies dressed in, you guessed it, a suit & tie. They still don't talk to us, but that is OK. I'm planning on brownies next.

Thanks for opportunity to share!
God Bless

 

[TwistrAndy]

Charityagape,

I'm trying to stay away from posting on here. But I feel that I must answer you.

YES, the Bible says word for word long hair on a man is shame and long hair on a women is her glory. Don't believe me, look it up.

1 Corinthians 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him.

15 But if a women have long hair it is a glory to her, because her hair is given her for a covering.

Zeniade,

About the heart thing.... If the heart is right, it will conform to the Bible, not go around it. The Bible is the final authority. So in my beliefs (lemme put that in there so a riot doesn't get started, haha ) I believe that when my heart is truly in good shape with the Lord, I will not only have a relationship with Him, but a desire to live according to His Word, which means if it says it's a shame for men to have long hair, you better believe I'd cut it, out my love and obedience to the Word of God, and Jesus Christ. You dont have to believe what I say, you don't even have to read it. I'm just stating the way I feel, and I hope no arguments come out of it.

Chanis,

If a holiness church is turning people away for a certain way of dressing, then they are not the loving christian churches that they are supposed to be. The Holiness Doctrine is not meant to turn people away. At my church we would NEVER tell someone to leave for what they were wearing. Please just don't stereotype all holiness churches as a church that turns people away. Because many holiness churches show the love of God more than non-holiness churches. It's one of those things that cannot be categorized in the ALL category but the SOME category. Some non-holiness churches look at people weird just as much. Some of the Baptist churches around here tell women not to come back if they can't wear a skirt. But in our church a visiting women can wear whatever she pleases, as long as it's not extremely reavealing.

 

[TwistrAndy]

dsided4him,

Sounds like you did have an awful run in with holiness people who are caught up in pride. Keep in mind that not all of those type of people act like that. Sorry that you had such an awful experience. They certainly are not showing the love of Christ that they ought to be.

 

[He put me back together]

I'm a pentecostal nudist

 

[Adammi]

Is There A Pentecostal Dress Code?

Yes.

Sunday - blue pants/skirt and white long-sleeve shirt

Monday - green pants/skirt and long sleeve shirt

Truesday - orange pants/skirt and long sleeve shirt

Wednesday - yellow pants/skirt and long sleeve shirt

Thursday - red pants/skirt and long sleeve shirt

Friday - purple pants/skirt and long sleeve shirt

Saruday - Your Choice!! As long as it is pants/skirt and long sleeve shirt

I am just joking.

 

[Adammi]

To offer a little different perspective on this whole conversation...

When missionaries first went into some of the more 'primitive' areas of Africa, the villagers they encountered wore little or no clothing at all. This was the custom of that culture and no one thought anything about it being immodest. Well, one of the first things that the missionaries did was to insist that the women start wearing skirts and blouses so that they would be 'modest'. It didn't take very long at all before they realized that was a BAD idea. The sight of the women covered caused all kind of lust problems in the men of the village--since they were now using their imaginations to try to figure out what was under those skirts. The missionaries literally had to go take back the clothing from the women and tell them to go back to being nude, or wearing only a loincloth.

My point is that every culture has different views of what is/is not modest. Even within a particular culture those standards change with time. Not long ago, it was standard practice for men to wear wigs, makeup, and high-heels (ever look at any paintings from the 1700's?) Obviously that standard has changed significally. In Great Britain it is still considered normal for a man to wear a skirt (kilt) to formal events. In some cultures today, if a woman's hair is not completely covered so that none of it is seen at all then she is considered promiscuous and in some cultures the only thing allowed to be seen of a woman is her eyes--to show any more could get her stoned.

Well then, how in the world does one interpret scripture regarding these kinds of issues when there are so many cultures and they constantly change?

The first thing we do is find out what was written to a particular group of people in scripture. Then we look for the 'eternal principle'-- the real meaning of what was being said that applies to ALL people of ALL time and not just that particular group. Then we look to see how to apply that principle in our day and culture.

In scripture we see a culture where the only women who wore short hair (actually their heads were shaved many times) were temple prostitutes. Paul writes to that church and tell them for the women to not do something that would make them be confused for a prostitute. (He also ends the passage saying that it is not a 'law'). Well, the eternal principle from that should be obvious-- don't look like a prostitute (whatever that may mean in your particular culture).

There is a passage in the OT that says a woman shouldn't wear a man's clothing and vice versa. Well, in India women wear under their sari and men frequently wear a long wrap around their waist that look like a skirt. We've already mentioned that men used to be the ones who wore high heels, not women. How do we apply this eternal principle? It will apply differently in all the world. I would say that women should go to the women's department of the store and buy whatever they sell there and men should go to the men's department and buy whatever is there.

Finally --passages about being adorned with godliness rather than with gold and braided hair. The emphasis here is not to do things that make you 'stand out' and draw attention to yourself, as someone already has said. Unfortunately, many Christians today take pride that they do 'stand out' by the 'holiness' way the dress. By taking many of these issues to such an extreme, I would say that many of them have actually broken the intent of the passage.

Now I will be the first to agree that Christians are to be different from those that don't know Christ yet. But that difference is to be first and foremost an inner difference-- a difference of heart, a difference of spirit. We are to walk in love, in peace, in joy. Jesus railed against the religious leaders of his day that were 'white-washed sepulchres filled with dead men's bones'. They took great pride on how 'godly' they looked on the outside but had missed the point completely. Just so I'm not misunderstood, most of those I know in the 'holiness' camps really love the Lord and are trying to live for Him. But so many times, I feel they have gotten sidetracked with some of the minor issues and made them such a big deal that they are actually harming their witness-- not helping it.

In response to that...
My grandpa is always talking about some Church of God missionaries who went to a country where they didn't wear some clothes and when the people would get saved they would go directly and make clothes for themsleves, without being told.

 

[Adammi]

Here is my $0.02.
I used to think that as long as one was dressed modestly that was okay, but then I began to study (and I need to study this more) to see why the Bible said don't adorn yourself with jewelry and men not have long hair and women vice versa. And I found that it wasn't as much about modesty but rather being different from the world and modesty doesn't make one very much different. I could be wrong but what is wrong with men getting hair cuts and women not, and women not adorning themselves with jewelry?

[BIBLE]2 Corinthians 6:17[/BIBLE]

I think that many times this is puched into legalism by some, but it is not.
I think about what Pentecostalism come out of, the Holiness movement. The Church of God (the oldest Pentecostal church) existed 10 years before it became Pentecostal as a Holiness church. And those people had power. My great gradpa and my great great uncle were used by God to heal tons of people and people were even raised from the dead through my great grandpas ministry. They were holiness to the core, all of my female ancestors had looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnggggggggg hair. I can't help but think that there holiness was connected to the power of God in their lives.

 

[TwistrAndy]

Upon This Rock,

I couldn't agree with your last post more if I said it myself. I believe just like you that holiness was connected to the power of God. People were so hungry back then that as my pastor said, The people would've quit wearing red if they thought it would bring them closer to God. Nowadays, we've traded the Spiritual and Power for some emotional mess, that just makes us feel good, without any changing of the heart.
Holiness is the reason I had to switch churches. The Church of God in my town used to be holiness to the core (not as strict as to say you have to have long sleeves) and the power of God moved through the church EVERY Sunday, people were changed, lives brought out of the gutter, and genuine experience, new converts were constantly being added, because the Power of God, and His Conviction was in that place. Then a Pastor came in and well changed everything, people were coming in and He would make the altar call pray a little prayer for em, and they were saved, and in a couple weeks they were in the world again. He took the altar out of the church. Then members started to go to other churches that would preach the word without compromise. The Church is now running about 30 people through the week and maybe 50 on a Sunday. They have an emotional experience, but not a genuine experience that changes lives. You don't need to be taught how to dance in the spirit, or to speak in tongues, or run an aisle. When it's God it just happens. Today the youth doesn't even know the power of God, they just know an emotional experience, of sing for an hour work yourself up and pass out. That's not the way it's supposed to be. When the Lord is in it, you don't need to sing for an hour, and work yourself up it just happens. Sad sight. Anyways, I found a Holiness Church (still in the Church of God) and lemme tell you, the Power of God is in that place. They preach the word without compromise. There's no need to compromise the word. The Bible does say that we are to be unadorned. We are not to wear jewelry. The first question someone asks when your fiancee gives you an engagement ring it's "How big is it?!". Then you have the people who will fuss and fuss and even leave the church over a ring. They love jewelry soooo bad, they'll argue to the bone, just to wear it. I'm not judging anyone, or saying anyone's going to hell. If you feel upset, read the word, pray about it, and do what God puts in your heart. I think it's time the Pentecostal Church got back to its roots, and witness the outpouring like they had years ago in ALL the churches not just a few here and there. I definently think that Holiness and the Power of God go hand-in-hand. No one cares about being separated, no one is willing to suffer persecution. In modern Christianity the slogan is "It's the heart that counts", but what we fail to see is that when the heart is right, it conforms to the Word, it separates itself from the world in all ways, there is a complete change, a complete 180. If I can't see a change in my ways, way of living, attitude, etc., a complete turnaround, then what has even taken place in my heart?

 

[Adammi]

Upon This Rock,

I couldn't agree with your last post more if I said it myself. I believe just like you that holiness was connected to the power of God. People were so hungry back then that as my pastor said, The people would've quit wearing red if they thought it would bring them closer to God. Nowadays, we've traded the Spiritual and Power for some emotional mess, that just makes us feel good, without any changing of the heart.
Holiness is the reason I had to switch churches. The Church of God in my town used to be holiness to the core (not as strict as to say you have to have long sleeves) and the power of God moved through the church EVERY Sunday, people were changed, lives brought out of the gutter, and genuine experience, new converts were constantly being added, because the Power of God, and His Conviction was in that place. Then a Pastor came in and well changed everything, people were coming in and He would make the altar call pray a little prayer for em, and they were saved, and in a couple weeks they were in the world again. He took the altar out of the church. Then members started to go to other churches that would preach the word without compromise. The Church is now running about 30 people through the week and maybe 50 on a Sunday. They have an emotional experience, but not a genuine experience that changes lives. You don't need to be taught how to dance in the spirit, or to speak in tongues, or run an aisle. When it's God it just happens. Today the youth doesn't even know the power of God, they just know an emotional experience, of sing for an hour work yourself up and pass out. That's not the way it's supposed to be. When the Lord is in it, you don't need to sing for an hour, and work yourself up it just happens. Sad sight. Anyways, I found a Holiness Church (still in the Church of God) and lemme tell you, the Power of God is in that place. They preach the word without compromise. There's no need to compromise the word. The Bible does say that we are to be unadorned. We are not to wear jewelry. The first question someone asks when your fiancee gives you an engagement ring it's "How big is it?!". Then you have the people who will fuss and fuss and even leave the church over a ring. They love jewelry soooo bad, they'll argue to the bone, just to wear it. I'm not judging anyone, or saying anyone's going to hell. If you feel upset, read the word, pray about it, and do what God puts in your heart. I think it's time the Pentecostal Church got back to its roots, and witness the outpouring like they had years ago in ALL the churches not just a few here and there. I definently think that Holiness and the Power of God go hand-in-hand. No one cares about being separated, no one is willing to suffer persecution. In modern Christianity the slogan is "It's the heart that counts", but what we fail to see is that when the heart is right, it conforms to the Word, it separates itself from the world in all ways, there is a complete change, a complete 180. If I can't see a change in my ways, way of living, attitude, etc., a complete turnaround, then what has even taken place in my heart?