Perhaps “professional clergy” is an immediate turn off for current society. Popular pastors come in skinny jeans and untucked shirts with beards. The “professional” designation used to imply suits and polished shoes and neatly trimmed hair, if not bare faces. Even for pastors, they were seen as being in the “professional class” which put them in the same ball park as doctors and lawyers. It was (is) considered a “profession” attained through higher education not to mention one’s expertise and the trust of those served.
Yet that designation or implication of a more distinguished class, grates against many clergy today. It seems out of place. Pastors often don’t want to be considered “above” their flock. Ask a pastor how they want to be thought of and many if not most will describe themselves as “forgiven sinners” who aren’t any different than anyone else. (Plus there are people that want to continually remind them!) They are just blessed to preside at the church’s altar and administer the sacraments and proclaim the Word of God on Sunday. Fair enough.
Perhaps the end of “dress for success” began with “casual Friday.” That was the day when everyone was allowed to “dress down.” Instead of formal suits, ties and dresses each was allowed to wear a standardized look such as a company polo shirt and dress pants or khakis. The trend continued to include more days and wearing short stubble followed. But perhaps something deeper and more important was also slipping along the way.
Some clergy push back against this trend by always wearing a clerical collar. Perhaps they want to be seen as different. Perhaps it is a reminder for themselves but no doubt also a visual designation out in society. Perhaps it also speaks to other theological perspectives.
Yet before you dismiss this blog and its author as out of touch, I would agree. It doesn’t matter so much what you wear as long as your appearance is event and audience appropriate. Common courtesy and respect for others would say you want to look your best when you see people. It isn’t to make yourself look good but rather to be “presentable” out of respect to others. We honor them when we arrive seeking to be our better selves. For instance, it would be incongruent to attend a formal occasion wearing short pants. When gathering at a member’s home, it shows respect to shower and put on something clean and a bit nicer than you would going to the beach. When we wear dress shoes (remember those?) we put a little bit of polish on them. We tuck our shirt in. It says “you are worth me putting forth some effort to look nice.”
But with all this talk about what we wear, we out not overlooking the deeper truth. It is not so much about our clothes. It doesn’t have anything to do with our theological presuppositions. It is timeless. It is consistent. It is always required for the Lord’s servant. Yet it is slipping away and getting lost along side the disappearance of suits, ties and polished shoes.
What is forgotten and excused and overlooked among the clergy is professional-ism and even more, what goes with it: a code of conduct and behavior that is not bound by vocation, by dress or salary, size of church or length of experience. It is a mindset that should have a solidarity with lay people and clergy alike (so there is no danger of “elevating” one’s self above the other). It is a servant like identity that brings common courtesy and graciousness. It is Christ like, yet such attitudes and the related behavior is slipping away. So the reality is that it goes even deeper than professionalism. It gets to character and Christ likeness and it is displayed in how we carry ourselves and how we interact and conduct our ministry. For example…
How quickly (if ever) do you respond to emails?
How quickly (if ever) do you respond to texts?
How quickly (if ever) do you return phone calls?
How quickly do you leave a conversation because “I’m so busy”?
How often do you miss appointments or arrive late or even skip meetings?
How often do you drop the ball and not do what you say you will do (or do the opposite!)?
Sadly, the habits of some pastors is to let these and other similar items “slip” to very low standards. In fact they are standards that signal not just busyness but rudeness, aloofness or even laziness. If everything we say and do is an advertisement, then this is not the message a servant of God would want to convey. It is not Christ like nor respectful toward those we serve. In fact it is offensive.
Every action and inaction says something about us. Like it or not it becomes an advertisement for who we are and reflects upon the one we represent. St Paul does indeed call us ambassadors in 2 Cor 5:20.
But let’s get even more personal. What does it say if we walk into a hospital room, a nursing home, a member’s home or even the chancel and we haven’t combed our hair? Gotten a hair cut? Trimmed our beard? Taken a shower? Or, dare I say it, spent some effort in being a good steward of our body through moderate eating and “moving” regularly (aka: exercise)?
You see, professional-ism may not even be about your choice of clothes, but about your appearance in those clothes. Furthermore, professional-ism and more importantly, being Christ like, is more than your choice of words and demeanor. You wouldn’t want to show up grumpy or quarrelsome, so neither would you show up as a wrinkled mess with stains or unkept hair and body odor. Yes, clothes say something but so does your appetite at the buffet line or the frequency you visit the open bar. Don’t kid yourself, it is noticed!
Perhaps we have normalized such boorish behavior to the point that we accept overeating and over drinking, being witty to the point of causing offense and pushing the boundaries to appear to be “one of the guys.” Perhaps we have even normalized gluttony and drunkenness and laziness. Maybe like casual Fridays, we have also “casualized” into acceptance a bent toward being rude, unreliable and sloppy. May it not be so.
Professional dress is one thing. Professionalism and seeking to be Christ like is another. If one wants to represent Christ, then it is far more than one might think. It extends to our speech, our behavior and our dress, even to our being and doing. It includes being a person of our word and not just responding to emails and texts but to anticipate them through our own actions first. It includes how we take care of ourselves and our body, our attitude and our words. All these things say something about not only ourselves but our fidelity to the one we represent as His servant and ambassador. It also speaks volumes about the respect we have for those we serve and those you hope to touch with the gospel.
I am not advocating a suit and tie. I am rather asking, how will you show up, in all that may include? How can we worship Jesus in our thinking, speaking and doing, our professional practices and stewardship of self? Jesus took on the form of a servant, how can we grow in our service for Him by managing and stewarding ourselves, our body, our interactions and our very life? By His grace, have the courage to look at yourself and your blind spots with the help of a loving outsider. It will be an act of worship and love.
Rev. Scott Gress is believes in Growing People for Ministry by focussing on leadership, discipleship and teamwork. Contact Scott if you are interested in him working with you or your church. A free 30 minutes sample session is available to explore how you might work best together. The Coaching Leader Podcast is also available on iTunes and his YouTube page. You can contact Scott through email scottgress@me.com or his blog page scottgress.com or at 561-542-4472
"Growing People for Ministry" Leadership + Discipleship + TeamworkCheck out the: Coaching Leader Podcast!