Have you all noticed the dress in today’s churches? I know you all saw the huge Twitter war, especially on Black Twitter, as to Ariana Grande’s dress at Aretha Franklin’s funeral. There’s so much I could say on that look. I’m questioning whether I should explore Chrisitian women modesty in an upcoming post.

What I’ll refer to as only contempo casual church wear is becoming widely popular, even here in the Bible Belt. Sunday mornings were once reserved for the very extravagant of church hats and threads fit for timeless portraits. That Sunday Best style of dress is becoming a thing of the past. As churches aim to win over millennials and Gen Zers and extend gestures of amicability to estranged community members, they’ve also have begun to reshape that timeless Sunday atmosphere. Illustrious suits and midi dresses have been traded in for Tees, jeans, and increasingly shorter hem lines. It was one thing to dress differently during the week days, but Church Sundays were another story. There were actual rules that were just understood.

Come as you are used to reference sinners (those who do not uphold Christian beliefs) coming into the church to begin the journey of embarking on the Christian lifestyle. Now, that same phrase is the go-to excuse for churches as to not uphold modesty or decency in a supposedly sacred space out of fear of stepping on toes.

My own church has tried to support casual dress over the past few years. While most of the time, the looks are harmless and appropriate for casual worship, they’re have been more and more instances of tight tops and club wear from both men and women. The evidence of the style divide is in the pews as two distinct groups of worshippers enter those hallowed doors each week. One group (typically older or middle-aged folk) comes dressed in traditional church clothes while younger people and community members wear almost anything (LITERALLY!).

While my own wardrobe has shifted over the past 5 years, I want to find a balance of dressy casual to Sunday dress attire that will easily double as my weekday work attire. I admit it can be quite stressful having to dress up in my Sunday Best every week. Luckily, I’ve recently found a lot cool pieces (dresses, shoes, blouses, skirts, etc.) at my local TJMaxx and Burlington. So, currently I’m trying to find my way to balance.

Dress/ Calvin Klien

Shoes/ BCBG Generation

What do you all think of the shifting church culture? Sunday Best style growing less popular? Let me know in the comments below.