In the Sixties and Seventies, it was virtually unthinkable for many Christian clerics to step into the pulpit without their clerical collars and robes.
However, for many clerics and lay preachers in 2025, the fashion dress code seems to be one of anything goes - even Hawaiian shirts in some cases during the summer!
Perhaps it’s time for the Christian Churches to take a leaf out of Speaker Poots’ dress code manual and spruce up how some clerics appear in the pulpit or at the lectern.
Ironically, the words of Speaker Poots could also apply to everyone who attends worship in churches and halls. He said: “While there is no exact dress code, it is entirely appropriate that Members should dress in a way which demonstrates respect for the House and the job we are here to do on behalf of the people the Assembly represents. That should be smart and professional business attire.”
Given my north east Ulster Bible Belt upbringing, dress codes at worship is a thorny issue which I’ve touched on before controversially in The Pensive Quill.
Puritans would argue that when someone is appearing before a member of the Royal Family to receive an honour, they don’t dress casually. Such folk - and even guests - are given very precise details of appropriate dress code. This was certainly the case when my late dad received his MBE from the late Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.
Many Puritans say that if you can dress up to go before the King and Queen at such Royal receptions, when it comes to dress code in churches, you are appearing before the King of Kings - the Lord Himself - in a place of worship, therefore, you should dress accordingly.
I’ve always taken the view that God looks at a person’s heart, not what’s on their heads or at their ‘Sunday best’ suits.
When I stand before God on Judgement Day, will it really matter how many times I appeared at Sunday worship wearing an expensive three-piece suit, or will it depend on how I reacted spiritually on earth to the famous Salvationist text, St John Chapter 3 and Verse 16? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In the past, too, I’ve written about my own personal experiences as a minister’s son receiving lectures on dress codes.
Whilst the Covid lockdown of 2020 saw many people watch Sunday worship from the comfort of their living rooms and bedrooms where there was no need to dress formally, even the clergy tended to dress informally when presenting their online messages.
But in 2025, with the overwhelming majority of Covid restrictions now lifted, has that casual attitude to church dress code still remained?
Compared to the Seventies when I was a teenager, many of the mainstream Protestant denominations’ clergy wore the traditional clerical collar and robes.
The photo with this column was taken in the heartland of the north east Ulster Bible Belt in the early 1970s and shows four Presbyterian ministers complete with dog collars and robes - the second from right is my late dad, Rev Dr Robert Coulter MBE.
This photo hung for many years in our Presbyterian Manse and ironically was the inspiration behind my formation of the heavy metal band, The Clergy, in which I and other band members dressed in clerical robes and played heavy rock!
But the main focus is now on clerics themselves - how should they dress, especially for Sunday worship given the numerous challenges which many places of worship are now facing to encourage folk to attend services, prayer meetings and Bible studies?
Some older fundamentalist preachers, especially from denominations such as the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, founded by former Stormont Minister the late Rev Ian Paisley in 1951, still wear the clerical collars for services.
For other fundamentalist denominations, such as the Baptists, Exclusive and Plymouth Brethren, their preachers wear a traditional shirt, tie and jacket. It is very rare to see preachers from these denominations wear a clerical collar or robes.
The broad Pentecostal movement across Ireland also tends to have a relaxed dress code for preachers in 2025. Many choose open neck shirts, no tie, mainly to create a welcoming, down to earth atmosphere in their churches.
The various clerics in Catholicism still opt mainly for clerical collar and robes, especially for taking Mass. It prompts the question if too rigid a dress code for clerics is driving young people away from seeking a calling into the Catholic Holy Orders or Protestant denominations?
Should lay preachers in the various denominations be given the chance to wear clerical collars rather than shirts and ties?
Perhaps the compromise could be that for formal occasions in church life, such as baptisms, weddings and funerals, the clergy should be required to wear their clerical collars and robes, but for ordinary services and functions in church life, a casual dress code would be optional.
However, it would be very interesting to see what message Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots would deliver if he was asked to give a ruling on clerical dress codes!
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| Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulter John is a Director for Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. |
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