Assignment Title: A Place to Make a Career Out of Ministering
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Kristine Sage
2022
Professor: Dr. Mary Smith
Liberty University
For the most part, ministers will work directly for churches. You can also find minister jobs
working for non-profit or government agencies such as:
Fire and police departments, as chaplains – Fire and police department chaplains minister
to both members of those agencies and to traumatized or bereaved members of the public who
have come under the care of those departments through an emergency incident. These
ministers are expected to offer comfort and counsel to people of all denominations and
through any sort of crisis, making it one of the most demanding jobs a minister can face.
Hospitals and nursing homes – Other organizations who deal wholesale in mental and
physical crises that call for spiritual counsel sometimes also employ ministers on staff. In
hospitals, ministers can work with either patients or their families going through troubling
healthcare issues. They may serve as much as social workers as priests, using a knowledge of
resources as well as wise words to help people through crises. In nursing homes, ministers can
develop a community and congregation of mutual support for people who are experiencing
similar difficulties.
Charities and community outreach organizations – Ministers are employed throughout
America and around the world for non-profit organizations performing God’s work in a wide
variety of causes:
Overseas missionary work – Ministers are frequently sent to underdeveloped and
struggling nations not only to spread the Word but to put in some work. Ministers may be part
of efforts to do good by offering medical services, upgrading water systems, building churches
or houses, or delivering tools and advice for farm modernization.
International outreach – In more developed nations, ministers may be sent to develop
church organization and preach to populations that have not yet converted to Christianity. This
is both preaching and organizational work, requiring cultural aptitude and strong team-building
skills.
Community resource centers – In both the United States and overseas, some ministers
are tapped to run faith-based non-profit organizations that exist primarily to deal with various
difficulties in the temporal world. Those can be hunger, addiction, homelessness, or any other
issue that has a negative impact. Through the combination of knowledge and faith, ministers
chip away at the hardships faced in these communities, and often win converts along the way.
Some denominations appoint ordained ministers to their posts through a regional
organization or committee rather than hiring them. In other cases, looking for minister jobs
isn’t necessarily much different from looking for any kind of job. You’ll have to search for
openings, fill out job applications, apply, and interview with a senior minister or committee.
Ministry Positions Pay Reasonable Wages for Hard Work and Commitment
No one enters the ministry to get rich. You become a minister because you are called to it,
and your faith and commitment to the gospel are bound with iron. You know you will work
harder than any stockbroker or doctor and make far less. But the work itself is your reward.
You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
~ 2 Corinthians 8:9
All the same, ministers are paid a living wage for their labors. You wouldn’t be able to fully
pursue God’s plan for your life if you had to take on another job just to put a roof over your
head and food on the table. Churches and other ministries do their best to make sure that
ministers have a comfortable life, free from want, and in line with their station as pillars of the
community.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics keeps track of wages for a wide range of different
professions in the United States. For ministers, there are two categories that may apply:
Directors of Religious Activities and Education
Clergy
They are more likely to fall into the directors of religious activities and education category
when performing missionary or outreach work for nonprofits or aid organizations. Ministers
working as church pastors, on the other hand, will generally be counted as clergy for salary
purposes.
Each category has a slightly different average salary. For 2020, the average salary for clergy
was $51,940 per year; for directors of religious activities and education, it was $45,110.
Locations and Organizations Have a Lot To Do With Salary Standards for Ministry Jobs
Because different parts of the country and different communities have different costs
associated with housing, food, and other necessities, that means that minister salaries can vary
from place to place. You’re likely to see higher salaries in dense, coastal urban areas, and lower
rates in more affordable rural places.
According to BLS, the median salary for clergy in several representative states around the
nation for 2020 was:
New York : $57,120
California : $72,760
Illinois : $57,560
Texas : $56,900
Florida : $54,730
Missouri : $52,880
Georgia : $51,100
Washington : $64,910
You will also find that positions for ministers from industry to industry are not necessarily
equivalent. There are different kinds of demands on your time, expertise, and experience in
different kinds of ministries. It’s only natural that the going rates for these services are also
somewhat different.
Religious organizations - $54,100
Medical and surgical hospitals - $57,580
Home health care services - $59,570
Elementary and secondary schools - $55,680
Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals - $61,290
In general, the more specialized or technical knowledge your ministry job requires, the
higher you can expect the salary to be.
Only your own faith can tell you what the right combination of compensation and
satisfaction will be to answer your calling.
No matter what path you pursue in ministry jobs, you can be sure that you are making
the world a richer place through your efforts.
