Question for any Presbyterian ministers or those in the know.

[MacRobert's Reply]

I am a minister of the Scottish Episcopal Church but I grew up in the Presbyterian Church in Scotland where my father was an elder and his cousin a minister. Kilts at formal church functions in Scotland are quite common but, as others have said, you will need a jacket and black is best if you are being ordained as a minister of word and sacrament. However, it is worth checking with those who are organising the event what they expect you to wear. I would have expected ordinands to be in Geneva gowns (with academic hoods) and black cassocks with clerical collars and preaching bands. This would be the norm in Scotland although a few will opt out of using any distinctive clerical dress. The stole, which in my tradition is the symbol of ordination, is generally interpreted as a preaching scarf by Presbyterians in Scotland.

If you are ordained in a gown, which of course will cover the kilt and clerical shirt, you will still need a jacket for the reception which I assume will take place later.

Gowns tend to make ministers somewhat anonymous, hiding their individuality since they are there to represent Christ. Kilts, on the other hand, tend to emphasise our individuality. Either way, may you ordination be a blessing to you and to the congregation you serve.

[Mike_Oettle]

The question of what type of clerical dress is worn intrigued me, since in South Africa we have a range of traditions, falling chiefly into two camps.
In the Dutch Reformed tradition, ministers (known as dominees, abbreviation Ds) generally wear Geneva gowns when preaching, and instead of a clerical stock wear a shirt-type garment that more closely resembles an advocate’s court outfit (as seen in Britain, but without the wig).
Dutch Reformed elders invariably wear white ties when engaged in church business.
One Dutch Reformed denomination, the Gereformeerde Kerk (known as Doppers), refuses to wear the Geneva gown, and instead prefers a black jacket (or dop).
The English-speaking churches, on the other hand, generally wear the clerical collar in one form or another.
The cassock is required dress at Anglican synods, and Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregationalist ministers generally wear collars as well.
I have noticed a trend among some Anglican priests for quite colourful shirts that allow for the insertion of a mini-collar at the throat.
As a boy I belonged to a Congregational church where the minister refused to wear the collar at all. He always wore a tie, and when preaching would wear his academicals as a Cambridge MA.
In some church circles (both in South Africa and worldwide) there is a tendency for ministers to wear suits and ties, but this appears largely to be out of the mainstream denominations.
On the other hand it is interesting to see how ministers in some churches far removed from the Catholic or Anglican traditions have at times taken to wearing regalia reminiscent of those usages.
Many years ago, I am told, there was a Congregational church in London where the eucharist was celebrated in High Church fashion, with robed clergy and assistants, plus incense and altar bells.
Regards,
Mike