What should I, a white adult male, wear to Sunday church services?

Question

Will I feel out of place in blue jeans, athletic shoes and a Polo shirt?

Would I feel more in place with dockers, leather shoes, and a button shirt?

Do I need to wear a coat and tie?

I want to start visiting some churches to see if I can find one that feels right and all I remember from the 70's was that my friends and I would stop by their Catholic church in shorts and T shirts on the way to the beach or from, but at my church, Lutheran, it was coats and ties and wingtips or suits.

What's the dress code for your church?

Answer 1

It depends on the denomination and the state. Episcopalian in Boston will be different from Catholic in a small town on Hawaii.

The FAQ page of the church you are interested in should say. Ours, for instance, says:

What do adults wear?
You are welcome to come in whatever makes you comfortable. If you are a gentleman who feels most comfortable when he looks like the rest of the guys, then navy blue Dockers and a dress shirt (no tie) will put you right in the middle of the crowd. Most, not all, of our ladies wear a dress or dressy pants and a nice blouse. On any given Sunday at least six men and women will be in jeans and two men will be in a coat and tie.

The lady who ran the nation-wide mail list for our denomination told us web keepers that "What should I wear" was the most frequent question people asked.

If I were going I'd wear slacks, dress shirt, coat and tie. I'd sit in the parking lot for 10 minutes and either take off the tie or not, depending on what the other guys looked like.

Answer 2

I suggest you wear the dockers, that should be good enough for most churches, and it won't look out of place in the more casual ones. Some times we see suits at our church. But most guys wear slacks and some wear jeans. We usually don't see shorts on Sunday morning. I've never seen a dress code, and people seem to dress according to their tastes, even the teens (sometimes to my dismay). NO one has been looked down on for their clothing that i noticed (but I'm not too observant). My biggest pet peeve are the girls who show sooo much skin, short skirts or cleavage.

Answer 3

I have always been told that u should respect the house of the lord by dressing properly and that is by wearing pants nice shirt and dress shoes but i realy think that jesus dont minde what u wear just as long u go to church with love and a humbled heart. Your there for him and not for what anybody thinks of u. God bless

Answer 4

Going to a place of worship should always reflect upon the preparation and respect given of the attendee.

T-shirts and tennis shoes are all right for some gatherings, but certainly not for church. Wear a suit and tie with shined footgear. Show some respect for yourself and others. You don't need to relegate yourself to lower standards if you have the choice and means.

Answer 5

I think you should wear a suit and tie but if you think that would be too dressy wear a nice sports coat with a nice turtleneck sweater underneath and some nice trousers and sniffy shoes. Make sure your socks are one shade darker than the color of your trousers.

It's always better to be a little over-dressed than under-dressed.

Answer 6

I wear jeans, a polo and my eccos to church. I am confident that God will take me just as I am. There is no official dress codes in church.

Answer 7

Clothes? At my parents church it does not matter if you dress up or wear jeans and a t-shirt

Answer 8

roman catholic, our church is usually casual/comfortable but there is no strict dress code, wear shorts,t-shirt, etc....you won't get looked down on for what you are wearing the important thing is that you are there.

Answer 9

I'd say dockers, leather shoes and polo shirt.

Answer 10

My church lets you wear anything decent. But I have always believed that you wear your best to church out of respect for God.