Choosing Your First Stoles As A Pastor
Choosing your first stoles is a bit of a rite of passage as a pastor. Perhaps you wore stoles provided by the congregation or borrowed from another preacher when you were still studying, but now you have your own congregation, and it's your responsibility to adorn yourself in a way that represents your own faith and their faith. With so many stoles to choose from, you may find yourself mesmerized in front of the screen. But this decision is not as hard as you may be making it. Here are some tips for choosing your first pastor stoles.
1. Go with a medium width unless there is a reason not to.
Many stoles come in three widths: narrow, medium, and wide. Unless you are have a very diminutive stature or are very tall, medium is likely the best choice. Buying too wide a stole can lead to it sliding or hanging off the edge of your shoulders, which looks sloppy. Buying too narrow a stole can cause its beauty to be lost as it may disappear into the folds of your robe.
2. Opt for plain colors, and let someone embroider it for you.
You can purchase pre-embroidered stoles, and many of them are beautiful. But being that these are your first stoles, you may want that embroidery to mean something special. Consider, then, buying plain, solid-colored stoles. Have a congregation member who knows how to embroider add some embellishments for you! The request to do this favor for you will mean a lot to that congregation member, and you will always remember them when you look at the embroidery.
3. Choose a more ornate stole for the season that means the most to you, personally.
You could go all out and buy the fanciest stoles for every occasion in the church year. But you probably have a limited budget, and that's not the wisest way to spend congregation funds. Instead, buy understated stoles for most seasons, and splurge on just one or two special ones for the church season or occasion that means the most to you. Maybe that's Lent, or maybe it's Advent. Pulling out that one special stole will mean a lot to you when the rest are of a plainer nature.
Choosing your first stoles as a pastor will be a memorable experience. These will be the stoles you wear as you and your congregation get to know one another.