This article provides an overview of ministerial careers and the requirements to become a minister. This article will outline a minister's job duties, salary levels, and employment prospects, as well as discuss the career's necessary skills, training, educational requirements, and certification requirements.
Minister Job Duties
Protestant ministers, or pastors, are the head of their congregations. Their duties vary depending on their particular denomination, and even between congregations of the same denomination, but can include:
* Leading their congregation in worship, which typically includes bible readings, hymn singing, prayers, and sermons
* Administering the rights of their church, such as Holy Communion, baptism, and confirmation
* Officiating at weddings
* Officiating at funerals
* Performing baptisms
* Providing spiritual guidance
* Providing counseling for troubled parishioners
* Providing marriage counseling
Depending on the denomination, some ministers work directly for their congregation, others report to a church hierarchy of bishops within a diocese.
Minister Job Skills
Protestant ministers act as an intermediary between their congregation and the divine. As such, they must possess many unique skills, including:
* A strong sense of "calling" to the ministry of God
* A strong sense of morality
* Caring and empathy for their fellow man
* Excellent listening skills
* Excellent communication skills
* An ability to relate theological and biblical concepts to the lives of their parishioners
* Personal strength to help parishioners through difficult times, such as the loss of a loved one
Minister Income
Salaries for Protestant ministers can vary substantially, depending on their experience, denomination, and the size, wealth, and geographic location of their congregation. According to a study done by the Duke University Divinity School, as reported in a Pulpit & Pew Research Report in the Winter of 2003, salaries for Protestant ministers were around $40,000 including housing, with the top 10% earning $68,000, also including housing. The bottom 10% earned about $12,000 with housing. Ministers with modest salaries sometimes earn additional income from secular employment. A minister's income does typically include housing and daily living expenses.
Training and Education Required to Become a Minister
The training required to become a minister can vary greatly depending on the denomination. Some denominations have no formal education requirements. Most denominations strongly prefer a bachelors degree, followed by theological study at a seminary or divinity school.
Most large denominations run their own theology schools that reflect their doctrine, interests, and needs. There are also many interdenominational schools, or divinity schools, associated with universities that have both undergraduate and graduate training. In 2002, the Association of Theological Schools accredited 216 Protestant denominational theological schools in North America. Many denominations require that individuals obtain a Master of Divinity Degree from one of these schools.
Most individuals are ordained after graduation from a seminary of after serving a pastoral probationary period.
Click here to review a list of Theology Schools and the programs that they offer.
Minister Employment
According to the National Council of Churches (NCC), there are more than 100,000 congregations, serving over 45 million people in the North America. The NCC also reports that there are more than 300,000 ministers including those who did not serve a regular congregation. Individuals entering the clergy often begin their careers as pastors of small congregations, or as assistant pastors in larger congregations.
Many, but not all, denominations now allow women to become ordained ministers.
Minister Job Outlook
The job outlook for Protestant ministers is best for those who graduate theological schools. Competition can be vigorous for individuals seeking positions serving large, urban congregations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that prospects for employment are "relatively favorable" for ministers in evangelical churches.
There are other, related occupations for ordained Protestant ministers, including: teaching in religious educational institutions, serving as chaplains in the Armed Forces, serving as hospital chaplains, serving as university chaplains, and serving as a chaplain in a correctional institution.
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