Tips on Appearance
In this section I want to give you some tips that are basic but important. They are basic and we were taught these as a child but I need to include them.
- At least one bath or shower every day.
- Brush your teeth after every meal.
- Use dental floss.
- Shampoo your hair at least every other day.
- Use a good deodorant every day.
- Use cologne that is compatible with your body chemistry.
- Keep your fingernails clipped and clean.
- Keep your shoes cleaned and shined at all times.
- Check your hair with a mirror to see if in the back it is ok.
- Shave every day or whenever necessary.
- Wear fresh socks.
- Carry a breath freshener with you. Especially while you minister to people through prayer you should always place a breath freshener in your mouth prior to ministering.
- Keep your hair cut and groomed at all times.
- If you pray for people placing your hand on their forehead before ministering, check your watch band by smelling of it. I’ve seen watch bands that are leather or cloth have an odor.
When ministering:
- Make sure your clothes are neat and ironed.
- Wear a jacket or suit and tie if it is your first time to be somewhere and you are not certain of the dress code for the occasion. (I’ll share more on this in another section on Evangelist Pastor relationships.
I’ve had some terrible experiences in the past by allowing some young person to come and minister that would have bad breath or body odor. As a pastor If I can I’ll address these issues with the person otherwise I usually don’t ask them back.
We want people to experience the power of God, not the power of bad breath or body odor.
Tips on Clothing
When you are ministering the gospel, one rule of thumb is to dress with dignity, elegance, and strength. Colors make a difference. One phrase I remember is “Dress For Success”. In the age that we are living in, things have changed from 30 years ago. I now pastor a church where no one wears a suit and tie. My dress clothes for Sunday morning is a nice pair of jeans, a nice shirt button up or casual pull over. Nice shoes.
If you are a young minister venturing out to churches ministering the gospel, I suggest that you check with the pastor as to what you should wear while ministering. With cowboy churches, biker churches, and various other new style churches you need to be aware of the dress. You might need to show up with a cowboy hat and boots or a leather vest and dew rag. If your ministering at a youth church you might need to wear baggy pants and t-shirt or a bright colored suit.
Whatever the dress make sure you are neat in appearance.
Your Wife’s Appearance
Unknowingly wives can destroy their husband’s credibility in the ministry. Simply through their appearance.
A woman that has been blessed with extra beauty might find others becoming envious, jealous, or even hostile toward her. Unknowingly they feel inferior. Being cordial and kind, being friendly with others can settle a lot of these dangerous situations.
I want to say this at this time, be careful in allowing seductive or sensuous dress in the pulpit of out of it. As a minister you are carrying a message. Your life is a statement, and if your clothing contradicts your message, you will receive unnecessary opposition.
The congregation looks to you for a standard, and you and your wife are examples to them. This can be very difficult at times. Many times it has been said that as ministers we live in glass houses and in some since of the word we do. How we are can impact so many different people. But always remember this, the rewards will always outweigh the cost.
I want to insert here a very important point that I want you to hear. Your individuality is important. Your uniqueness is important, but remember, what you enjoy or what makes you unique can also be your downfall if not handled correctly. I have in my personal wardrobe a leather motorcycle jacket and all that goes with it, and also cowboy boots and hat, western shirts and all. There are times when I will wear these in able to effectively minister to the group that I have been invited to.
Let me clarify my statement on individuality, every person is unique and will bear the responsibility and weight of their uniqueness. If you wear an ear ring as part of your uniqueness then be prepared to not be invited to some churches because of this. If invited to some church where they frown on men wearing ear rings you might consider not wearing it on that occasion. If you are friends with the pastor consult him if it might be ok to wear it. If your wife wears excessive jewelry, be prepared for some criticisms. If she wears excessive makeup, be prepared for criticism. This is just part of it. If you won’t let it bother you, you can enjoy a successful and enjoyable ministry anywhere. One thing I’ve learned is to adjust and adapt, for a little adjustment can go a long way in succeeding.
Remember you can get as hung up on others uniqueness, individuality, and idiosyncrasies as easy they can yours. I’ve been in churches that didn’t allow bright colored shirts and others that only allowed ministers to minister if they were wearing long sleeved shirts. Many still want the minister to wear a suit or jacket and tie.
Eating and Weight Problems
I realize that this is a very sensitive issue and I’m probably not the best one to approach this issue since I need to lose a lot of weight myself. But our health is more important than our pride. Whether we realize it or not our weight could be a negative factor. Be prepared to receive some brutal verbal abuse on occasion.
I enjoy eating especially late at night and consequently I have developed some bad habits over the years that I have to work on. Whether you pastor or evangelize there are many occasions where many want to feed you good meal, pies, ice cream, cakes, and fried chicken. (Excuse me while I go and get something to snack on while I write this.) The point is, if you want to be successful you need to develop good habits. If you have a bad eating habit these can be broken. Remember the power that you preach about is residing within you and God can set you free.
I realize this is not an easy area to overcome for many. We have to work hard at it. Some are blessed with a different metabolism and habits. Some are just simply thin, and can eat as much as they want and it never affects them. When I was young I could eat all I wanted and never gain weight but as I grew older, it all just goes to the middle now and those habits of my younger days are difficult to overcome. It’s important that you get a hold of these areas in your life. Especially as a minister people are looking at you as their example. Don’t make fun of your being overweight or make jokes about fat people. It’s not a funny thing. Talk health to those that you are ministering to. Talk up good habits to them. Just recently we set up a fitness area in our church encouraging people to come and work out. Don’t make a mistake and take your health for granted. Create exercise habits, establish good eating habits, these things will establish our standard for health.
Experts say that 10% of us at any one time are suffering from persistent tiredness. Persistent tiredness is more common among women than men. General Practitioners say they regularly see patients who come in complaining of severe tiredness.
As a consequence of our busy and stressful modern lifestyles, most of us will at some time experience tiredness. On most occasions, fatigue can be relieved after a good night’s sleep. However, this is not the case for everybody. Some people find that tiredness becomes a chronic problem which undermines their day-to-day functioning it significantly affects their quality of life.
Tiredness can be caused by several different factors. Here is a list of some common causes of tiredness:
A recent illness, a current illness, pregnancy, bereavement, moving, divorce, work problems, jet lag, depression, boredom, lack of sleep, some type of poisoning, a vitamin or mineral deficiency, anemia
Tiredness Can Have Physical Causes, you see chronic tiredness can become a vicious circle. If a person feels tired he may avoid most forms of physical activity. He could then become physically unfit and will be even more tired when trying to do something physical.
If your bodyweight is too high or too low for your height you may feel tired because of this. An overweight person’s body has to work harder to do everyday things, compared to a person whose bodyweight is normal. A person who is underweight might have less muscle strength and will tire more easily.