Last week I heard about 2 different baby boomer pastors who dressed up in costume for their sermons. One dressed up in full football uniform and preached on Super Bowl Sunday. Another dressed up in combat fatigues and preached about spiritual warfare.
If that happened at my church, I think the congregation would collectively barf. What do you think?
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We've had ministers do that and I actualy liked it. I wouldn't want it every Sunday, but once in awhile is okay.
I had to stop for a moment to picture a "collective barf" from the usual "domino barf"...
The more flamboyant the preacher/minister/pastor is, the more likely they are to grandstand their efforts to convey the Gospel with the use of dramatics and visuals. Dressing up in costume seems a bit much, in my opinion. You can open up the "performance" vs. "worship" can of worms on this one, too.
Football uniforms, cammos, robes, business suits, leisure suits, polo shirt and khaki pants, etc., yep, I've witnessed collective barfs many times from ministers who meant well but couldn't convey the power of the Cross if they had a year to prepare and a Hollywood closet...
A good visual can be effective, but only if done well. A couple of years ago my pastor was preaching on Ephesians 6:11-18 and had one of our members who is an army reserve officer to dress in his field uniform and spent about 5 minutes interviewing him about the offensive and defensive purposes of his equipment.
One of the least effective I can remember was when another of our pastors was preaching on "ministry" and purposely dressed (upon discussing with the senior pastor and being encouraged to do so) as a homeless person. I was on vacation on that Sunday, but as we evaluated the experience in the next staff meeting, I learned that most of our people could not get beyond his appearance to hear what he was saying.
What we learned from those two experiences is that it is best (at least for our situation) to keep the pastor in "normal" clothing for the given service so that what (s)he wears does not draw focus away from what (s)he is saying.
That being said, we have a seasoned, mature pastor (former seminary professor) at another church in my town who is not only a gifted theologian, but also has experience as a classically trained, professional clown (try to think away from the silly antics of birthday party performers to the artistry of Emmett Kelly here). While I have never had the privilege of seeing him at his craft, I understand from others that he can use the art of clowning to unpack some deep theological truths. He could probably even do that here on Sunday morning in both of our services and do it effectively. I, on the other hand, could not.
One of the biggest challenges I experience in ministry today is figuring out how to engage the culture -- a culture that has changed drastically in the 20 years I have been doing this for food -- with the truth of Christ. Sometimes we do it well ... sometimes we fall flat on face.
Both anonymous (anonymi?) make good points. Boiling it down for me is: FIRST, we need to make sure what we have to say is worth saying, THEN we work out the most effective way to say it to the people who need to hear it.
I would barf too... Why don't Pastors just stick to teaching the word, and feeding the sheep.
Whether you agree or disagree with the theatrics that were put on, it obviously made an impact. The sermon that was delievered is certainly one that your congregation will chat about in the months to come. Even if you thought the outfits were over the top, what an amazing opportunity it gives you to further discuss God's word with those around you!
Another thing to consider is the era we live in.
As far as the clown thing goes, maybe that worked with most people 30 years ago. These days you hear a lot of negative things about clowns... that they're creepy... weird... there are horror movies about clowns who have gone amuck... etc. I don't know if the clown makeup would be as effective in 2007.
Maybe the football uniform would have worked fine in 1996. Maybe it will still work in a church with people who enjoy the cultural essence of 1996, but not in a church with 20-30 year olds.
We have a creative team that collectively prepares our thoughts and plans for our services. We have done "dress up" once or twice - our congregation loves it...it helps them remember what he preaches about. We have also used several props and things - but the key is to do this in moderation!! Check out Ed Young and Fellowship Church in TX....same stuff.
I've seen a video of Ed Young beginning a sermon by driving onstage in a Mercedes (he also opened the trunk to reveal ... baggage). I've also heard that he has driven a tank into the worship arena (spiritual warfare message, maybe?). I'm pretty certain that there are more situations in which that wouldn't work than there are in which it would.
What would Jesus do?
Or maybe...what did He do?
It seems to me He walked along the road, picking at illustrations as He went, being quite dramatic at times. Spitting and putting mud on someones eyes, drawing a line in the sand.
Okay, He did not dress up, but he used plenty of visual illustrations.
I think the most important thing is to get the message across. Whatever device you use should be done well enough to enhance and conver the message, not distract from it.
I was at a conference once where Dean Conkel dressed up as a sumo wrestler (he just tied towels around his waist and such on top of his normal clothes) to deliver his message. It was a youth thing, though, so that sort of thing is less frowned upon.
Of course, I never understood the Hitler mustache he's got...
I think it's awesome that he was willing to take the chance. Sometimes it takes boldness to reach the unreachable and if you can reach them, they'll reach others just like themselves for you. Amen?
My dad was an evangelist (no, not TV!) and was asked to preach at our home church. He got an old coat, spilled beer on it, and wore it over old clothes. A realistic beard and hat completed the outfit. We dropped him off early away from the church. He came walking/stumbling into the church grounds. Several people asked him to leave, and others threatened to call the police. Imagine their surprise when he pushed past them and walked up to the pulpit to start preaching. Extreme? Yes. But it made a point. It made these people stop to think about how they were treating others by looking at the outside and not as Jesus would do.
BTW, how different is using a "costume" than using a video or graphic in the sermon? It's still an illustration. Plus, who's going to forget it anytime soon? I wouldn't suggest doing that very often, but it can be very effective.
I still remember the guest speaker that came in dressed in a full suit of medival clanging metal armour, complete with the deadliest looking sword I've ever seen. When he preached on the armor of the Lord, I listened! The children were fascinated, even the old folks couldn't resist the novelty of it. We found it effective and refreshing to have something so different in a boring, traditional Presbyterian church. I still remember his message, too!
I think these days you need to keep an open mind and try different things. I liked the comment about the pastor who dressed up as a homeless person and how the congregation reacted. That's a pretty effective lesson to teach and is a sad commentary on how we have become as a society.
Twice in the past 18 months, my pastor came out in a complete prison suit, cuffs, chains at hands and ankles, and the first time there was a ball and chain attached. We also have shirts we wear out in public that say the same thing our billboard does that we rent... "Church Doesn't SUCK". This church has gone from 23 people to over 800 in less than 4 years. We baptised 120+ people in two services. I am involved in "biker ministry" and... I happen to be a female, happily married Reverend! For those who don't understand... God used a snake as a tool to reach people. Why can't we use motorcycles and costumes? If God uses it, it works and people get saved! Thank you Jesus that I get to be a part of Your wonderful work. To God be all Glory, Honor and Power!
When you stop to look at the ministry of Christ he did some pretty squirrelly stuff too. He didn't wear priestly robes of the day and while he quoted some ancient prophesies and such he frequently chose birds and widows as his sermon illustrations. Life stuff! If it does not compromise the gospel I believe anything goes.
On the backside of this issue is the reality that what comes out of the minister's mouth can make the difference. I was in church one day when a fill-in minister stepped to the pulpit and proclaimed we need to be prepared for heaven. For a moment I thought I could hear the theme song from "Mission Impossible" playing. He went on to announce the title of his sermon as (are you ready) "Preparation-H!" You could audibly hear the air being sucked out of the room. My point is you don't have to dress stupid for that message to be conveyed. I am for changing up things to capture attention and minister. I draw the line when it comes to the praise band in tutus.
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