Hello my name is T'Erica and I am new to this site and had a question to ask. I am a young minister at my church and was talking to an elderly lady there and she said that ministers should not wear pants.I wanted to know do you think ministers should wear pants at church or should they not wear them.Thanks
Hello and welcome to LGM!
Someone has responded, if your Pastor mandates women wearing dresses, then follow the guideline. I agree with that.
As far as the idea of women not wearing pants, it is a "tradition". Usually, when I speak, I wear a conservative dress skirt-suit. I don't won't to be guilty of distracting anyone's attention. I'm comfortable, and I try to make sure no one's focus would be on my attire.
When you minister, it is never about you, and
doing things that is comfortable for you. It is about meeting the needs of others. Remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan, went out of his way to minister to someone in need, but when he brought the injured man to the hotel, he placed the man on his (the Samaritan's) donkey. That means the Samaritan, who had a ride, now was walking. The Samaritan sacrificed his "comfort" in order to reach out to someone else.
For me, I want to reach people where they are (possibly in tradition) and help bring them to where they need to be. That's why in certain settings, I only wear dresses. Once again, it's not about me, it's about reaching others and changing lives of the lost and those who are tied to strongholds (such as traditions).
Sometimes as ministers, you will have to sacrifice your comfort to meet needs. That older saint, and maybe others in your congregation, has years of tradition built up inside of them. It may take some time to tear down those walls.
Now, I have, however, preached in pants at events where I was told that most people would be in jeans, tee-shirts, etc. So, my advice to you is to evaluate where you are, that is your physical surrondings and the spiritual climate of those you are ministering to.....and pray to God for direction. Every church can't handle us women wearing pants.