Lora Crowley remembers when it was important for ladies to wear hats to church.

They wore white gloves, too, and couldn’t leave the house without checking to make sure the seams of their stockings were straight. Men wore suits, even in the summer heat at a time churches weren’t air-conditioned.

That was 75 years ago, when Ms. Crowley, a member of Zion United Church of Christ in St. Joseph, was a child. A lot has changed since then, of course — including the clothes of those filling church pews on Sunday mornings.

“I don’t think any of the world dresses up as much anymore,” Ms. Crowley says. “It’s only natural that would carry over into the church.”

Natural or not, when it comes to controversy, the issue of what should be worn to church ranks right up there with what style of music should be used during worship, says the Rev. Tim Doyle, pastor of Riverside Church. While some of the older members in his church — who grew up with the expectation of dressing up — see today’s more casual attire as irreverent, younger generations tend not to share that view.

“We believe God isn’t so much concerned with what you’re wearing,” the Rev. Doyle says. “ ... God is always worthy of respect and honor, but that’s not tied to a certain dress code. I don’t see anywhere in the Scriptures where a suit and tie’s required.”

This isn’t to say the church doesn’t value modesty, he says. But beyond that, “people at Riverside Church wear anything from business suits to jeans, T-shirts and even shorts,” Riverside notes on a section of its Web site dedicated to putting anyone new to the church at ease concerning what they should wear. “Our goal is not to impress others or hold a fashion show; it is to connect with God.”

Riverside’s Web site isn’t the only place the “to dress up or not to dress up” question has an Internet presence. Dozens of blogs and message boards address the issue — some arguing that how a person dresses for church is indicative of where his heart is when it comes to honoring God, others that dressing up can be a barrier to making those without nice clothes feel welcome and still others that it’s a matter of personal conviction.

This division of opinions didn’t exist when Becky Shellito, office manager at Grace Evangelical Church, was growing up in the 1950s and '60s and went to church in patent leather shoes.

“It’s been a gradual change,” she says, adding that even since Grace Evangelical began 25 years ago, what people wear to church has become more casual. “The heart of ministry and the God we worship is the same, but you have to change in how you reach people.”

In this spirit, a few of her church’s members involved in a motorcycle ministry show up on Sundays in biker leathers, a far cry from the dress shirts and ties men were expected to wear when she was growing up. And although Ms. Shellito hasn’t gone quite that far, she has relaxed her wardrobe, as well — opting now for slacks instead of skirts.

Ms. Crowley, the Zion member raised around women who dressed in hats and gloves on Sundays, also chooses pantsuits over skirts sometimes. And although some others of her generation lament the loss of a “Sunday best” mentality, she sees it as something positive.

“I think it’s a lot better to relax the standards,” she says. “No matter how a person’s dressed, church should be a place they can come and receive love.”

Lifestyles reporter Erin Wisdom can be reached at ewisdom@npgco.com.