Y O U R A P P E A R A N C E

L E V E R G E

dogwood church worship ministry

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E L I M I N A T I N GD I S T R A C T I O N S

Every member of the Worship Team who sets foot on the stage on a Sunday morning is a worship leader. It doesn’t matter if you are singing background vocals, lead vocals, playing keyboard, or playing the kazoo, each person on the platform is leading the congregation in worship.

One of our primary responsibilities as a Worship Team is to create an atmosphere, to the best of our ability, where people have the opportunity to encounter God. One of the ways we create that atmosphere is by eliminating distractions from our services.

There are so many potential distractions every Sunday morning. We could have a microphone with terrible feedback, or we could have the sound so loud that people’s ears are bleeding! We could come unprepared and sound more like a train wreck than a joyful noise to God.

There are lots of potential distractions. Some of them are unavoidable, but most of them are things we do have control over. Each week we want to make sure that all of the distractions we have control over are minimized.

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We want our attire to come across as modern business casual. Our team should look well put together and clean, while also being approachable and accepting to everyone who comes through the doors of Dogwood Church. Each week there will be first time guests as well as long time attenders in our worship services. We want them all to feel comfortable and welcomed by the appearance of the people on the platform. Our appearance should reflect what is typically worn in our community so when members of our community visit our church, they fit right in with everyone else. The last thing that we want to do is stand out amongst everyone else because of our appearance when we are on the platform.

Our dress should always be modest. The only thing we are trying to draw people’s attention to is Jesus. We should avoid wearing revealing clothing such as low cut shirts, blouses, or short skirts. We should avoid wearing excessively worn or excessively tight clothing. Things like bold graphics, overly bright colors, and very large font could be something that distracts people during the service. Also remember we are leading on a platform, and we often raise our hands while leading. Your clothing should always cover your belly and your back even with your hands hands lifted above your head. A good rule to follow when making decisions about what to wear is: “If you are unsure if it is acceptable, you probably should not wear it.”

One area where each of us does have control of potential distractions is the way we dress. We don’t want our clothing, or anything about our appearance, to draw someone’s attention away from God while we’re trying to lead people in worship. Being a follower of God is all about leveraging your time, talents, resources, and really your whole life, for the glory of God. We want to leverage our appearance on Sunday mornings for the glory of God. We want to avoid letting something we wear become the focus of people’s attention rather than the presence of God. Our mission at Dogwood Church is to “Love God and love people while making more and better followers of Christ.” We want everything we do as a ministry, and as team members to directly support that mission. We want to dress in a way that shows our love for God, our love for the people in our community and help make more and better followers of Christ.

We want to dress in a way that shows our love for God, our love for the people and help make more and better followers of Christ.

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Y O U R A P P E A R A N C E

L E V E R G E

LEVERAGING YOUR APPEARANCE

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WHAT TOWEAR

Nice dark jeans and slacks

Maxi dresses ok (but no slits above the knee)

Sweaters, cardigans, blazers

Nice modest, business casual tops

Button up or collared shirts

Flats, heels, boots, wedges, dress shoes, no stilettos)

Layering always helps a look feel more put together (scarves, cardigans, coats)

GIRLSFASHION

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Dresses or skirts above the knee

Low cut tops or dresses (modesty is of the utmost importance)

Nothing that is overly tight

Tennis shoes

Jewelry that you think might become a distraction (anything excessively large, or in too large a quantity)

Excessively worn jeans or jeans with holes

Exercise or sweatpants

Capris pants, shorts

Flip flops (nice dressier sandals are ok (ex. Leather with strap around back)

Hats

Sleeveless (tank tops, tube tops, halter-tops, or other shirts or dresses unless arms and shoulders are covered by a sweater, cardigan, or coat)

Leggings unless you’re wearing a top or dress over it that covers your bottom when your hands are completely raised

Overly wrinkled clothes

Overly bright colors

Clothes with large font or logos

WHAT TOWEAR

WHAT NOTWHEN LEADING WORSHIP

TO WEAR

Y O U R A P P E A R A N C E

L E V E R G E

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GUYSFASHION

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Nice dark jeans and slacks only collared shirts (polos, button ups in plaid, patterns, & solids)

Sweaters

Blazers

Vests and/or ties can be nice

Dress shoes or boots, or really nice sneakers

WHAT TOWEAR

WHAT NOT TOWEAR

T-shirts or any shirt with no collar besides a sweater

White pants (they don’t look good on camera)

Tennis shoes

Excessively worn jeans/jeans with holes

Exercise or sweatpants

Sandals or open toed shoes

Hats

Shorts

Overly bright colors