Pastor Ed Young Dishes Out Fashion Advice for Church Leaders
Ed Young, pastor of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, has launched his own clergy fashion website, pastorfashion.com, to encourage and aid fellow pastors in being fashion forward.
"Pastors aren't typically known for their fashion. Most people don't think of the runway leading up to the pulpit. But why not?! Why can't the men and women of God set the standard for the rest of the world in fashion as well as faith?" Young wrote in the first post on his fashion website.
"That's why we're launching PastorFashion.com. We want to set the trends," he added.
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Young told the Houston Chronicle that it is important for pastors to be fashion-forward because they represent and communicate the message of Jesus, and they need to look good doing it.
"When you look good, you feel good and when you feel good, you stand up and stand out in the world," he said.
The Pastor Fashion website features several instructional videos to aid men in making the correct fashion choices while preaching in front of thousands of people.
Some videos include "Do you wear the right collar?," "Skinny Jeans and Testosterone," and "Ten Fashion Tips for the Faithful."
The number one tip on "Ten Fashion Tips for the Faithful" is: "It's all about the FIT…Don't buy your suit too big. If you're too comfortable in a suit, it probably doesn't fit. Suits are not sweat suits."
Although much of the reaction to Young's new Pastor Fashion website were positive and supportive, some were unsure about the Texas pastor's new project.
"Can't imagine Jesus caring a whole lot about what he wore," wrote one reader of the Houston Chronicle report.
"Eh, I don't think its such a big deal. Some pastors enjoy playing golf in their free time, some brew beer, some sit for hours in solitude reading their favorite monk. This one obviously has a knack for fashion, and if he wants to bless others in his field with it, more power to him," suggested a reader named Joel.
Young, who has often remained on the cutting edge of modern Christianity with such controversial initiatives as his Sexperiment book and related sermon series, argues that good fashion is necessary to remain relevant to future generations of Christians.
"We need to be conscious of our culture; conscious of things people connect with, like fashion, faith and fashion do intersect," he told the Chronicle.
"So many pastors look out of date, which tells people that God is out of date too…looking godly is not looking goofy," he added.
The Fellowship Church leader has made a household name for himself as a multidimensional pastor. He hosts a weekly television ministry on ABC Family called "Ed Young Television," and delivers his sermons to an audience of 20,000 attendees weekly at his Grapevine church.
