What Does a Pastor Do?
Pastors typically work for churches in different sects of the Christian faith to help provide guidance and leadership to congregants. They communicate with leaders of the church administration to implement new policies and worship themes at their location. Their job is to contemplate Bible passages and connect them to current events to provide valuable insights into their sermons. They also oversee administrative tasks with other church employees. They may also be responsible for officiating weddings and leading funeral services for congregants.
Pastor Skills and Qualifications
A pastoral role requires many skills. Some of these skills are:
- Communication skills both verbally and in writing to inform, persuade and comfort congregation members; a pastor’s communication skills are also important to communicate with church staff and the media if necessary
- The ability to keep information private when working with congregation members to better counsel and comfort church members in times of crisis; a Pastor’s should respect a congregation member’s privacy during and after pastoral counseling
- Knowledge of church software to manage church administrative duties
- Project management skills to work with the church administration in a timely manner
- Strong moral character to give a good religious example to the congregation
Pastor Salary Expectations
The average salary for a Pastor is $39,605 per year. Salary estimates are based on salaries submitted to Indeed by Pastor employees and users as well as being collected from past and present job advertisements on Indeed. This compensation may vary according to seniority, size and financial stability of the hiring church, compensation and benefits for a Pastor with several years of work experience in the church ministry.
Pastor Education and Training Requirements
At a minimum, a Pastor should have a Bachelor of Arts, with a focus or accreditation in ministry. A master of divinity from an accredited theological school or a seminary is recommended, and some Pastor candidates may want to get a doctorate from a seminary or theological school. Some denominations have boards of ministry for testing a Pastor candidate in theology and ministry. A Pastor must learn pastoral ethics, the Old and New Testament, Biblical interpretation of the testaments, financial planning education for the office of Pastor, church finances and other administrative duties related to the work of a Pastor. With the primary job of a Pastor being to inform, lead and comfort a congregation, a Pastor must be emotionally educated and trained as much as the role requires being administratively trained and university-educated to lead a congregation.
Pastor Experience Requirements
Pastors begin their careers as associate pastors, working under the supervision of senior pastors. With experience and good moral conduct, Associate Pastors work into senior pastoral roles. Pastors must learn and show proficiency with the basics of social work in working with congregation members who are in crisis and who need counseling. A Pastor will learn how to counsel and help various congregation members whether they are mourning the loss of a loved one or celebrating the birth of a new child.
Job Description Samples for Similar Positions
The Pastor’s position is a broad job description for a spiritual leader of a congregation. The positions associated with Pastor often have many of the same education, skills, duties, responsibilities and experience requirements as the role of a Pastor. Some of the positions similar to the title, experience and duties of a Pastor position are: