Well, my dear friend, I would say it is not okay for a man to preach while wearing a hat. The Scriptures clearly teach us that when preaching, the man’s head should be uncovered. In 1 Corinthians 11:3-4, we read, “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.” In these verses, we are actually talking about God’s divine order for the assembly (or the church). The reason for this divine order as we see in the Scriptures is given for us in verse 3… Christ is the head of the church, and men are to acknowledge His headship by having their heads uncovered. When the Scriptures speak of “praying and prophesying”, I believe that includes all forms of public ministry within the assembly and so would include preaching. Now by the same design, man is the head of the woman, and so, in the assemblies, the Scriptures teach that women reflect this divine order by covering their heads. I do realize that there are different views in some churches on verses 13-15. However, I believe that Scripture describes a woman’s hair as her glory (verse 15), and thus we see that the Bible teaches that this glory should be covered within the assembly meetings to reflect God’s order within the churches. This is a sign of submission to the Word of God.

Now I assume you are asking your question only with regard to men preaching in the assembly. I am aware that in some churches, women are also allowed to preach, but I believe that the Scriptures would not support this practice. We read, “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” (1 Timothy 2:11-14).

My dear friend, I assure you that I am not trying to be legalistic here, nor that the verses I have cited indicate that there is any less respect for women than for men. I believe that Scripture gives us a beautiful pattern to follow for our conduct within the assemblies, and so following this order reflects the headship of Christ in our churches and is a sign of submission to the divine order and will of God as we find in the Scriptures.  (SF)  (713.5)