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Pastor

A pastor is the spiritual leader of a church; they are responsible for preaching sermons to the congregation and providing supervisory leadership for all church events and staff. They also take care of all administrative duties of the church.

Education and Qualifications

In most cases, a pastor must be licensed and ordained. Pastors typically have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in divinity or some equivalent.

Responsibilities and a Day in the Life

There is no defined work schedule for this role. As most events happen over the weekend, many choose to work weekends but compensate for that by taking two days off during the weekdays.

Though daily responsibilities may vary based on many factors; some of the common ones include the following:

  • Preparing for sermons by researching and writing the materials to present Bible lessons.
  • Planning and coordinating congregations periodically.
  • Teaching/presenting prepared material to the congregation.
  • Defining the strategic goals and vision of the church by closely working with the board, senior members, and staff.
  • Implementing a plan to achieve the vision by leading weekly staff meetings.
  • Monitoring and presenting progress and taking necessary corrective actions.
  • Supervising staff members
  • Developing, implementing, and leading activities through staff and volunteers.
  • Hiring, training and managing staff additions and managing ongoing performance evaluations.
  • Administering all aspects of the church, including facility management.
  • Leading an effective program for hospital visitation and home visits.
  • Conducting counseling sessions.
  • Performing wedding ceremonies.
  • Conducting funerals.
  • Ensuring adherence to church policies and procedures.

Other Necessary Skills

  • Love for the fellowship of a local church.
  • Ability to empathize with the congregation.
  • Spiritual and personal integrity.
  • Good communication and presentation skills.
  • Strong leadership skills.
  • Motivational skills.

Salary

  • According to BLS, the median salary for a pastor is about $57K.

Job Growth

According to BLS, there were about…

  • 51K clergy jobs in 2021
  • BLS does not provide further details for this occupation.

Summary

If you are someone who finds the following characteristics of this job appealing, you can consider being a pastor as your future career:

  • Spiritually mature and God-centered
  • Loving and compassionate
  • Humble, honest, and accountable

Pastors are involved during the most meaningful times in people’s lives, such as weddings, illness, death, and family conflicts. So, this can be a very fulfilling and satisfying profession.