Had a conversation with a friend yesterday about the need some clergy folks have to look like clergy. they shared a story about a guy who thought about becoming a priest, decided not too but had already bought a collard shirt and then decided to wear it when he took a class on exorcisms. He wore the collar so he would blend in and no one knew that he wasn't an actual priest. Interesting that someone choose to wear a collar - if you've never worn a full collar I say it's like being reminded that you could be choked at any second and is not that comfy - and I decide to not wear a collar to be a pastor.
I own two collar shirts - just the tab ones. They're folded up nicely in a storage tote currently. I've worn them a total of 5 times. 1 was for Halloween, 1 was for my adopted grandmother's funeral I preached, 1 was an experiment in the hospital I worked at and 1 was so I could actually see a person in a VA hospital. I'm not very original when it comes to costumes so I use what I have so that explains the Halloween costume. The other 3 uses were because as a female, and a young female at that, I was not taken seriously as a pastor and needed a symbol to help express my roll in the situation.
Let me share about my experience with a VA hospital. I walked into the hospital in my every day clothes to go check on a person who had had foot surgery. I had been invited to come for a visit. I got to the information desk and was ignored. When I said who I was there to see and that I was their pastor the person behind the desk called someone and I was told that I had the wrong hospital and to leave. I left and noticed security was watching me. I called the patient's family member and asked if they'd been moved and was informed no and that they were hoping I'd get up there. Being that I was 5 minutes from home I decided to see if a collar would help. I ran home, changed and went back to the hospital. I walked back to the information desk, talked to the same person but got a very different reaction. I was warmly greeted, assisted immediately and directed to the correct elevator. One the way to the elevator a nurse saw me and walked me to the elevator and rode with me. The nurses at the nurses' station were very nice, happy to see me, and directed me to the patients room. A very different experience.
In seminary I heard several times that as a minister you are a part of the community but you are set aside to learn on their behalf. Well I agree with that statement at least half way, I have to say that I am really no different then any other person who believes. We are all on a journey and mine happened to take me to seminary. That doesn't mean others don't know about faith journeys any more or less then I do. That doesn't mean that they can't learn the same information that I learned. I'm a human being and I don't like the idea of needing to run around with a collared shirt on all of the time to say look I'm a pastor. Being a pastor is part of who I am but it's not the whole me. It does not define every part of my life and I don't need to wear a shirt all of the time for me to claim my authority as a pastor.
I think that if it is your tradition and expected as part of liturgical dress that collared shirts are fine. But I don't think they need to be worn in order to tell every person I'm special and/or different. I think they can be helpful tools to getting a job done as my story at the VA shows. I think pastors/ministers/priests are more then just their job title and I hope and pray that us clergy folk can embrace that in our lives and not need a collar to shape our identity.
I own two collar shirts - just the tab ones. They're folded up nicely in a storage tote currently. I've worn them a total of 5 times. 1 was for Halloween, 1 was for my adopted grandmother's funeral I preached, 1 was an experiment in the hospital I worked at and 1 was so I could actually see a person in a VA hospital. I'm not very original when it comes to costumes so I use what I have so that explains the Halloween costume. The other 3 uses were because as a female, and a young female at that, I was not taken seriously as a pastor and needed a symbol to help express my roll in the situation.
Let me share about my experience with a VA hospital. I walked into the hospital in my every day clothes to go check on a person who had had foot surgery. I had been invited to come for a visit. I got to the information desk and was ignored. When I said who I was there to see and that I was their pastor the person behind the desk called someone and I was told that I had the wrong hospital and to leave. I left and noticed security was watching me. I called the patient's family member and asked if they'd been moved and was informed no and that they were hoping I'd get up there. Being that I was 5 minutes from home I decided to see if a collar would help. I ran home, changed and went back to the hospital. I walked back to the information desk, talked to the same person but got a very different reaction. I was warmly greeted, assisted immediately and directed to the correct elevator. One the way to the elevator a nurse saw me and walked me to the elevator and rode with me. The nurses at the nurses' station were very nice, happy to see me, and directed me to the patients room. A very different experience.
In seminary I heard several times that as a minister you are a part of the community but you are set aside to learn on their behalf. Well I agree with that statement at least half way, I have to say that I am really no different then any other person who believes. We are all on a journey and mine happened to take me to seminary. That doesn't mean others don't know about faith journeys any more or less then I do. That doesn't mean that they can't learn the same information that I learned. I'm a human being and I don't like the idea of needing to run around with a collared shirt on all of the time to say look I'm a pastor. Being a pastor is part of who I am but it's not the whole me. It does not define every part of my life and I don't need to wear a shirt all of the time for me to claim my authority as a pastor.
I think that if it is your tradition and expected as part of liturgical dress that collared shirts are fine. But I don't think they need to be worn in order to tell every person I'm special and/or different. I think they can be helpful tools to getting a job done as my story at the VA shows. I think pastors/ministers/priests are more then just their job title and I hope and pray that us clergy folk can embrace that in our lives and not need a collar to shape our identity.
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