The World's Okayest Pastor

So what is the minister suppose to look like? That's a much debated topic. 15 years ago when I encountered my first female pastor and said that I wanted to become a minister myself I was advised that for at least for the first year that I should never let anyone in my congregation see me without a skirt/dress on. A congregation was upset because I generally wear flip flops, not knowing or understanding that my feet are a very odd size and finding shoes that are comfortable to wear is very difficult and frustrating. The pastor of my current congregation has had numerous members come up to him and tell him that he does not look much like a minister because he's wearing a t-shirt and jeans when preaching. So what does or is a minister suppose to look like? Are ministers expected to be always in dress casual clothing? Should I always have a skirt hidden in my desk drawer/car trunk in case someone comes through the door? Should I be spending quality time every week making sure that...

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 cost...