The Assumption: “Surely I won’t have to address cleavage and butt cracks on a worship team!”
As a worship leader, you probably dread confronting dress code issues. So, you sit back and think to yourself, “Surely I won’t have to address cleavage and butt cracks on a worship team!”
Well, if it hasn’t happened to you already, I can almost guarantee it will.
That dreaded day approached during my second year as a full-time worship leader. It was Sunday morning and pre-service rehearsal was in full swing with a member of our worship team members running late.
So here I am, on stage, when the latecomer walks in the door with a skirt shorter than mid-thigh along with a revealing blouse (if you know what I mean). I am pretty sure that my jaw hit the floor out of pure shock, and my mind began racing, trying to find a solution to this unexpected problem.
Considering I had neglected the issue, I chose not to address it until the following Thursday rehearsal. So, if this has not happened to you yet, let me share four dress code guidelines to help keep your team in the safe-zone.
This one does not take much explaining, but it is absolutely necessary to verbalize to your team. So be plain: ‘We don’t want to see cleavage, and we don’t want to see your butt crack.’
Truth is, we live in the day of low-cut blouses and low-rise jeans. There is no excuse for cleavage, as you can still be ‘in-style’ without showing all of that. But when it comes to low-rise jeans, the best solution is to wear an undershirt and tuck it in. That way if the opportunity ever arises for your butt crack to shine, it is nicely covered.
Skirts, shorts and dresses should be knee-length or longer. The last thing you want to provide is a front row seat to the ‘Under-Skirt Show’. This may keep someone coming back, but I hope that you would not use this as a marketing technique for your church.
You know what they say, ‘first impressions count’ - and I couldn’t agree more.
Lets face it, those who dress like they are stuck in the 90’s are automatically written off as old-fashioned and disconnected. So before you even sing the first song, the young crowd has already unplugged because they feel like they can’t relate.
Change is good, but hard. Maybe someone on your team is having a hard time transitioning their clothing style into something a little more ‘relevant’. My advice - be kind, but be honest. Explain to them the importance of first impressions and encourage them to develop a vision for the younger generation.
Now, I am not saying that 40 year olds should dress like teenagers. Dress appropriate for your age while staying relevant, it will help the older generation connect with the younger generation.
I sure have been around some stiff leaders, and I am sure you have too. Leaders like that extinguish the fire of everyone around them while creating an atmosphere of apathy and resentment.
By all means, have some guidelines for your dress code, but leave room for your musicians and vocalists to express their creativity through the way they dress. I have heard this many times, “Musicians are their own special breed”, and that is oh so true. One sure way to kill their not-so-normal joy is to tack them down with a rule book.
Here's another great post on worship team dress code on the Seeds blog: Worship Team Dress Code
As.one of the older ones I the worship team and the not so skinny body type, I do find it hard to not stand our compared to the younger, fitter members of the worship team. I am a mom of 3 but of course cover up any distractions" Our leaders said, you never know what ppl are walking through or struggling with do you never want to be that person who causes someone to slip.
I have addressed this issue several times on my praise team. I have gone so far as to ban leggings with short tops. If ladies wear them they have to have a top that comes mid-thigh. My husband is the pastor and sits on the front row. I have told my ladies..."do you want your pastor seeing what you have on display?"
I am over "40" and try to stay relevant but please realize that the 20-30 somethings are not the only people who attend our churches. I have someone on my praise team from every generation so that when a visitor, no matter what their age, comes to our church they will feel welcome. We sing mostly contemporary worship mixed with a few traditional songs. I am with you on the dress code and feel this is an important issue to address for anyone who is on the platform for Christ. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am always looking for positive reinforcements for my team. God bless you.
our standard is pretty simple, as a team, the clothes we wear on the platform are to be:
1. Modest
2. Sharp
3. Current
Love the simplicity and clarity.
My church's music is contemporary and there is a variety of styles people wear from suits to jeans. We also have a praise and worship team that dress very casual. One thing that bothers me was this morning one of the Team members, who is in their late 20s, wore a Guns and Roses t-shirt. This is not the first time the person has worn a t-shirt with a secular band's name. I would like to give some helpful advice to the Worship Leader that wearing this t-shirt is not appropriate. If you have some guidance on how to handle this situation, it would be great. Should this issue be brought to the pastor first or just tell the Worship Leader. Thanks.
The best course of action is to have a one-on-one conversation with the person wearing the shirt and let them know how the shirt is perceived. They are probably clueless.