By Thomas Moll
Director of Content & Innovation
Pastors in the LCMS (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) church wear different pieces—and colors—throughout the year as a representation of the church. One of the items you’ll see pastors on our Worship Anew program wear is a stole.
A stole is worn over the alb like a scarf draped around the neck and down the front of the alb. A stole can be simple or ornate. Often, a pastor will tuck the stole underneath the cincture (which looks like a rope belt around the alb).
The history of exactly how the stole came to be is unclear. Some will point to what Jewish priests wore. Others have made the connection to what Jesus used to dry off his disciples’ feet after washing them. It could be as simple as a formal scarf that pastors wore to go with their vestments.
Despite not knowing their exact origin, stoles today typically reflect the current season of the church year and often match other seasonal decorations for the church, such as the cloth hangings used for altars, pulpits, lecturns, and banners.
At Worship Anew, you’ll see our pastors wearing a variety of different stoles to match the season of the church year. Many stoles have symbols that are specific to that church season. For Pentecost, a stole may have a flame and a dove to represent the Holy Spirit.
Many pastors will receive a stole as a gift on their ordination day, and these carry special significance to each pastor. Some pastors will bring back stoles from special places they’ve visited for vacations or mission work. You will see different styles of stoles from our pastors on Worship Anew as they bring their own stoles that they have gathered over the years.
The next time you see your pastor wearing a stole, ask them about the significance of the stole to them personally and to the church season. Likewise, feel free to reach out to us at editor@worshipanew.org or (888) 286-8002 about any of the decorations you see on Worship Anew as we recognize the changing seasons of the church year.