Easy Like Sunday Morning: Aesthetic Musings of a Fun Uncle
By Kyle McClellan
During the first term of the Clinton presidency, I dressed to preach on a Sunday morning at the Southern Baptist Church I served as a minister of youth. This was a rare occasion, and showed a particular level of trust in a young seminarian. My senior pastor rocked the stereotypical, conservative, SBC vibe. As such, Brother Gardner was a suit and tie man, and every man of the diaconate at the Carlisle Avenue Baptist Church sported similar sartorial splendor on Sunday morning. Knowing this was so, my shoes polished, my shirt starched and pressed as I strode forth sporting a full-Windsor knot in my Ralph Lauren tie. I looked, as we would have said in the mid-1990’s: “fly.”
Like I did before every football game, I vomited before preaching. I was both nervous, and horribly excited. My in-laws gave up a Sunday at their church to come hear their brand-new-son-in-law bring the Word. The peals of the organ, and the impassioned invitation concluding my maiden sermon remain vivid memories. Conservative, revivalistic, SBC churches had an aesthetic. You can malign, or make fun of it if you like, but they had a clearly defined aesthetic. It was not just what was said Sunday by Sunday, but how it was said, and the entire “vibe” of the service that made an impression on those present.
I still have that Ralph tie (I wore it recently, in fact), though the suit fit me about 15 years, and 2 jacket sizes ago. I now serve in an entirely different denomination, having made the transition about the same time I had to get rid of my beloved gray Tommy Hilfiger suit. I no longer throw up before each preaching opportunity, though I still feel the same sense of dread and excitement. I’m not a “young pastor” anymore. I am, in the opinion of my friend David Jackman, at the height of my ministerial powers. As such, please think of me as the fun uncle. My nieces and nephews certainly do. You need a Red Bull at a family gathering? Go find Uncle Kyle. You need somebody to take you out and then let you drive the Wave Runner when you’re 12? Uncle Kyle is your Huckleberry.
That is the spirit in which I hope to offer the following observations: I’m the fun uncle trying to help you not make a total hash of this wonderful and maddening vocation of ministry. If I sound like “get off my lawn guy” it’s unintentional, and probably due to a certain amount of fatigue that sets in when you’ve seen the same thing over and over for 4 decades of ministry (90’s-00’s-10’s-20’s). Starting with the Willow Creek aesthetic of the ‘80’s, I’ve seen Purpose Driven, Emerging/Emergent, A29, and the various and assorted shades of Reformed couture that do signify just how Presbyterian said congregation truly is. Four decades of this makes me think our more liturgical brothers might be onto something with their collars and vestments.
A younger pastor friend of mine asked me to interact with a recent sermon he’d given at his church, and offer some “constructive criticism.” I know this young man fairly well. When my friend said he wanted feedback, he really did want an honest interaction with his preaching event. This pastor does excellent word work. He’s a gifted expositor, and made legitimate application from the text he was preaching. Everything you learn in Bible college/seminary, he got an ‘A’ on. I mean, dude smoked it.
As I reflect upon the feedback I gave him, I would summarize the areas of growth for my friend under one heading: aesthetics. More specifically, on delivery and attire in the preaching event. I’ll do a James Brown on the first (“hit it and quit it”), but give more time and words to the second. So, settle in young Padawans. Uncle Kyle has some words he needs to get out.
Preaching Voice
Every man starting in pastoral ministry will have to work to find his preaching voice. This is common, and the only cure I know for this malady is to preach more. You need more “at bats.” If that’s not a viable option for you, there is a way to get better at this craft of preaching. You can listen to good communicators that you resonate with, and give yourself to a careful dissection of their approach. My one word of caution would be to stay away from other preachers for this task. You don’t want to sound like a cheap imitation of Keller, Dever, etc. Podcasts are the low-hanging fruit here. If you’re not familiar with the work of Malcolm Gladwell – well - shame on you. Even when I disagree with him (which is often) I find myself marveling at how well he tells a story. The way he can communicate, and the skill with which he shapes his voice, and the story he tells, is masterful. It is indeed a sin to be boring, padawans. Learn your art.
There is another concern that must be in play, as well. When you stand in the pulpit to declare the Word of God to the people of God – you are not there on your own authority. You did not call yourself to ministry. You were called by God to fill a particular office – a particular vocational calling. This theological reality should help temper your unrelenting desire to be “authentic.” Your speech should be fitting for the office you hold.
A careful study of the Bible will tell you this is not a monotonous exercise in rhetorical “meh.” There are joyous songs, haunting laments, and King David and the prophet Elijah give us examples of smack-talking that would leave Rick Flair and The Rock speechless. This is not an exhortation to use big words, and a “Buehler, Buehler, Buehler” lifeless delivery when preaching. You can be yourself – but understand that you yourself are filling a particular office when you stand in the pulpit and speak. The office is a greater consideration than your desire to authentically “speak your truth.” At least, it ought to be a greater consideration.
Ask yourself this question: Is my delivery fitting as an ambassador of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? One of my favorite professors in seminary, Danny Akin, put it this way: “If you have to ask yourself whether or not you should say something in the pulpit, you’ve just answered the question." (In case you didn’t catch what Danny was throwing down: if you think a word/phrase/expression might be questionable – then don’t use it). I’ve never regretted following his advice on that front, but have lamented the occasions in which I’ve disregarded his wisdom.
Preaching Attire
The single greatest distraction in my young friend’s sermon was his appearance. He’s full of 20-something potential and possibility. Just as he hasn’t found his preaching voice, he’s trying to find his “look.” Authenticity is the goal as he dresses each day. As such, he’s adopted what I guess would be called a “granola vibe.” It was certainly an authentic look. But did it serve he and the congregation well as he stood to proclaim God’s Word? As I told him in my feedback email, “Every person over the age of 40 in your congregation was wondering why you didn’t finish getting dressed that morning.” In other words, his attire distracted half the folks in his church before he even opened his mouth.
Allow me to digress here and make two observations related to getting dressed each day. First, it will feel like an exercise in duplicity when you start to dress like a grown-up. College students are notorious for throwing on whatever is clean/least dirty as they dress for the day. If you go rock-climbing, you may just utilize a clean(ish) t-shirt when you’re done and go about the rest of your day. Thinking about how your clothes communicate to the world around you is a good first step. It’s also a rather necessary part of “adulting.” Give some thought to this. Read people who have been there, done that. I’ve found great help in the work of Tanner Guzy, David Coggins, and Michael Williams. They’ll help you as you think through getting dressed. The Art of Manliness podcast #783 with Misters Coggins and Williams is pure gold for a brosephius trying to find his way in the sartorial wilderness.
Second, G. Bruce Boyer masterfully reminded us in his June 2017 First Things article, “Dress Up: What We Lost in the Casual Revolution” that our culture no longer knows how to dress for an occasion. As we’ve prioritized our personal persona over our public one, we continually side with the whims and behavior of our individual selves. This reality is made manifest in how we dress – or don’t dress – for a litany of public occasions. Weddings, funerals, even trips to the doctor’s office used to be occasions for wearing one’s Sunday best. Now however, we find ourselves “speaking our truth” via our sartorial choices no matter what the occasion, or time-honored notions of decorum may have to say on the subject. Sadly, this is on display in many an evangelical church on Sunday mornings. As I write this, it strikes me that I can’t even say, “Pulpit attire” since many churches have forgone the Sacred Desk in favor of a TED-Talk aesthetic. This aesthetic reality is present all around us, and I fear too many of us think only categories of personal preference carry water. There are theological considerations that must be in play as well.
What Mr. Boyer artfully teaches means that the water is even muddier than it was 30 years ago. We can no longer use our congregation as a barometer for our pulpit attire/aesthetic. The prevailing wisdom used to be to dress in a way that fits your context. If men in your congregation wear a coat and tie on a Sunday morning, then you ought to as well. Now however, our church members are part and parcel of a culture that has no sense of propriety when it comes to dressing for a particular occasion. I’ve seen grown men wearing joggers and Jordans to funeral visitations. It took everything in me not to lay hands on the offending individuals.
But this muddying is also paradoxically clarifying for those of us called to vocational ministry. Since our people (generally speaking) have no sense of occasion, we’re free to dress as fits the office we hold. We are “ambassadors of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:20) called by God to preach Good News. An ambassador does not merely represent himself/herself, or their “truth,” style, or vibe. They are, indeed, a representative. They stand and speak as a faithful presence of an entity greater than themselves. So, dress in a way that is appropriate for the office you hold. Prayerfully consider what your attire is communicating to God’s people each and every week, because it is communicating something. You must realize that.
Let me, at this point in my words, hazard a list for you. Please consider it Uncle Kyle’s 4 Maxims for Your Attire Being a Non-Issue on Sunday Morning. I know, only Sith deal in absolutes. But please note I’m not dictating a particular level of attire. I’m only trying to help you find the baseline here.
Wear a belt.
Wear leather shoes (not sneakers/athletic shoes).
Wear a collared shirt that fits you (‘Smediums’ are not advisable on Sunday morning, and no one cares how yoked/dieseled out you are).
No rips/holes/bougie ‘distressing’ in your wardrobe. Your pants/shirt should be clean and at least non-wrinkled, if not ironed. Also, your trouser leg should touch the top of your shoe.
And that’s it. Simple, right? Listen, you can rock the ripped chinos that look like capri pants, and your smedium vintage t-shirt during the week. Really. Knock yourself out. Be as Hipster or Granola or whatever as you want to be. But not on Sunday morning. If you’re short on funds (as most 20-somethings are), find a good second-hand, or vintage clothing store in your area. You only need one pair of good trousers, and maybe two collared shirts. Buy the best you can afford, take care of it, and exercise/eat less so the stuff will fit you for a long time. Sustainability is all the rage now, boy-o’s. You’ll be surprised at how your people will respond to you. When you dress like an adult, people tend to treat you like one. Trust me on this one: for too long, I dressed like a meathead youth pastor. So, I was treated, and talked to, and compensated like a guy who didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up. Once I wised up, it was amazing how quickly things changed.
And here, young Padawans, is where Uncle Kyle ends his musings. Communicating the gospel is hard. Please don’t hide your good and faithful work behind how you’re presenting yourself and your Word work. Aesthetics matter.
Keep your powder dry, and call me if you’re up for doing something fun that responsible adults would definitely frown upon. I’m your Huckleberry.
Kyle McClellan is Pastor of Grace Church in Fremont, NE and author of Mea Culpa: Learning from Mistakes in Ministry. A native of Fremont, Kyle returned in 2010 after studying and pastoring throughout Kentucky to help plant Grace Church. Kyle is married to Amy. They have two children, Gabrielle and Nathaniel.