The Well-Heeled Pastor

I recently had some shoes re-heeled and it got me to thinking . Being a pastor is one of those occupations where people look you up and down and want to know, "Is he competent?" Having a cheap pair of shoes on (or flip-flops) might get some booties in seats on Sunday but it won't increase the amount of serious community a church should have. Serious community where a parishioner thinks of going to the church first when he's having trouble. Shoes can help.

Good shoes tell a person that you are serious and that you care to look mature and professional. You're a man not a boy who buys cheap shoes on a whim.

Its hard to find good shoes anymore. Good shoes have leather soles that are welt-stitched (the leather sole is stitched not just glued to the upper). They can be re-heeled and re-soled numerous times so they can literally last a lifetime, saving you a lot of money. My shoes have already lasted me nearly 10 years.

I have 4 pairs of good shoes. One pair of Allen-Edmonds, one pair of Brooks Brothers, and two pairs of Florsheim Imperials. The investment I have made in these shoes has paid dividends numerous times. You can acquire a good pair of new shoes (normally $300-$500) on EBay for $150-$200. Here's some good makers that still manufacture welt-stitched shoes:

Alden, Florsheim (Imperial Kenmoor), Allen-Edmonds, and Brooks Brothers.

Clothes make the man and shoes make the clothes.

Comments

[Daniel]

This is all good advice. I think it takes a shift in attitude: if you understand and are at ease with the undeniable fact that a congregation expects you to be a model of social conservatism in some ways, it's so much better to just go with it instead of dressing like you wanna go surf with Jesus. That doesn't mean you have to grave or serious-- just the opposite. It frees you.

Before I was ordained, I got a memo from one of my teachers, a priest who was formerly a chaplain in the Army. He spent what students at the time felt was an inordinate amount of time discussing dress and conduct. One of the first times I ever wore clericals, he lined us up for inspection!

Now unlike you, I'm not ex-military, and this was completely foreign to me, but now I understand why he did it. We stood at attention, forearms extended from the elbow with palms facing down while he *inspected our hands* to see that our fingernails were trimmed (along with reminders that administering Communion required clean hands and a clean heart). Then-- he checked our shoes.

Here's the advice from the handout, all of which I have grown to see the wisdom of:

Shoes: Buy quality (leather soles, stitched). One reason why these are better in a church setting is that rubber soles aren't really good on carpeting. If you wear clericals, black socks and black shoes are best. Calf-length socks. Do not be the guy in the Hush Puppies or tassel/penny loafers. Keep the shoes shined and the heels and soles replaced. (All this is very similar to what you've covered).

[Why was this so important, I remember a student asking? Answer: "At Communion, where are your people tending to look? That's right, Junior. At your shoes. And your hands. Make sure they're neat.]

Coat: Invest in a dressy car coat or overcoat in a dark colour. Same goes for raincoat.

Scarf: Dark, no pattern.

Handkerchief: "A gentleman always carries one for his own use and another for a ladies' apparent distress."

Gloves: Leather, black. If it's cold enough for a coat, it's cold enough for gloves.

All of this serves me better the older I get.

[Garrett]

Daniel,

Good stuff. Ditto on the pocket square/hankerchief. I have had to give out my spare to ladies on many occasions.

[Daniel]

Another thing about the cost of good leather. If you do wear clericals, it offsets the cost of good shoes: you don't spend as much money on dress clothes.

[Eric]

Garrett,
How much does it cost to get them reheeled or resoled?

[Garrett]

A re-heel is about $15-20. A re-sole is $50+ but you can get a full makeover too so that it looks brand new:

http://newsole.com/price_list.htm