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FRUSTRATED MEMBER - Our Stake President demands us to wear a white shirt every Sunday as it is "the uniform of the Priesthood" can he do that?
JOEL - The Stake President is God's representative for the people in his stake and has been set apart to receive inspiration for the leadership of those members. If he feels he has been inspired to ask all priesthood brethren to wear white shirts, then his counsel should be followed. You may be overreacting by calling it a "demand". What's he going to do if you don't wear a white shirt? I doubt you will be excommunicated for it. I don't know the make-up of your stake, but perhaps he wants all priesthood brethren to be properly dressed in case they need them to help perform the sacrament or some other priesthood ordinance.
The Church Handbook says:
"Those who bless and pass the sacrament should dress modestly and be well groomed and clean. Clothing or jewelry should not call attention to itself or distract members during the sacrament. Ties and white shirts are recommended because they add to the dignity of the ordinance. However, they should not be required as a mandatory prerequisite for a priesthood holder to participate."
Elder Holland said:
"May I suggest that wherever possible a white shirt be worn by the deacons, teachers, and priests who handle the sacrament. For sacred ordinances in the Church we often use ceremonial clothing, and a white shirt could be seen as a gentle reminder of the white clothing you wore in the baptismal font and an anticipation of the white shirt you will soon wear into the temple and onto your missions. That simple suggestion is not intended to be pharisaic or formalistic. We do not want deacons or priests in uniforms or unduly concerned about anything but the purity of their lives. But how our young people dress can teach a holy principle to us all, and it certainly can convey sanctity. As President David O. McKay taught, a white shirt contributes to the sacredness of the holy sacrament" ("This Do in Remembrance of Me” Ensign Oct 1995)
It is up to the leadership of the ward and stake as to how strictly this is followed.
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