New Creation Church in Hillsboro, Oregon did not wish to stir up any controversy, but this is exactly what it did after it posted some guidelines on its Facebook page requiring people who wish to join their "worship team" to be physically fit and olfactorily pleasing.
The church required that those seeking to become worship members should carry "no excessive weight," according to Oregon Live. "Weight is something that many people have to deal with. Make sure that you are taking care of your temple, exercising and eating properly," the instructions read.
Because of the negative feedback generated by the post, it has already been removed. But a copy of the post was preserved by Stuff Christian Culture Likes. Some of the guidelines were acceptable, such as the church warning against smoking, use of narcotics or alcohol, and illicit sexual behaviour.
But other requirements appeared unusual and eyebrow-raising. For the music minister position, the instructions read: "Remember that the way we look is of utmost importance. We are the first thing the congregation sees. People do judge by appearance. We never get a second chance to make that first impression. Please be sure that your style and clothing bring honour and glory to God, isn't excessive and doesn't draw unnecessary attention to yourself," the post read.
Netizens pounced on the church for making such requirements. "Nothing but Old Spice and Weight Watchers can wash away your sins," commented Ben Robbins. Josh Gragg added: "I can't get this off my mind. I really really hate that this is a real church culture thing. It brings up some bad memories from my mega church staff experience."
For its part, New Creation Church Pastor Rebecca Sundholm says the guidelines have actually been posted a long time ago, so they were "dumbfounded" by the controversy.
"What's funny is this has nothing to do with anybody else but our church," she says. "If anybody looked at our worship team, they would see they aren't all skinny. In fact, the worship leader has weight issues."
As a church, Sundholm says they want to maintain certain standards just like businesses. "Don't come to church with wet hair; if you wear make-up, put it on," she says. "It's not negative."
