How To Become A Senior Pastor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior pastor and how to become one

Updated June 25, 2024

6 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Christopher Foster

A senior pastor offers spiritual guidance and leadership in a church or parish. They write, teach, and preach sermons, and work with church elders to ensure smooth operations. They oversee the pastoral team, including associate pastors, youth pastors, and children's ministry directors. Their focus is on growing the congregation spiritually and managing the overall ministry. Senior pastors also provide pastoral care through counseling, hospital visitation, and community outreach. They plan community service projects and mission trips, and officiate at weddings and funerals. Skills like leadership, public speaking, counseling, worship planning, communication, and administration are essential for this role.

What general advice would you give to a Senior Pastor?

Dr. Christopher Foster

Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Graduate School of Theology and, Oral Roberts University

Find a local church where you can serve and begin to apply the things you have learned-even if you are not employed there. Many churches hire from within to ensure staff fit the culture and ethos of the community. Remember your agility skills - creativity and innovation will be a requirement. Be comfortable working in an unknown and do not be afraid to innovate. Run with new ideas or test new approaches in this constantly changing environment.
Work is not your life! Focus on who you are called to be (being) and not what you are invited to do (doing).

How long does it takes to become a senior pastor?

It typically takes 6-7 years to become a senior pastor:

Years 1-4: Obtaining a Master's degree in a relevant field, such as Theology, Divinity, or Religious Studies.
Years 5-6: Accumulating the necessary work experience in roles such as Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor, or other related positions, where skills in preaching, teaching, counseling, and leadership can be developed.
Year 7: Completing on-the-job training, which typically lasts 3-6 months.

ScoreSenior PastorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,556

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 6.58%

Black or African American 11.66%

Hispanic or Latino 8.93%

Unknown 3.99%

White 68.41%

Gender

female 7.83%

male 92.17%

Age - 52

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52

Stress Level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.3

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior Pastor career paths

A senior pastor has various career paths to choose from. They can move into roles like adjunct professor, director, or principal. Some might even venture into project management or general management. Others may lead organizations as owners or presidents. Still, others might focus on education as center directors or education directors.

Key steps to become a senior pastor

Explore senior pastor education requirements

The educational requirements for a senior pastor are primarily a Master's degree, with a significant number of senior pastors holding this level of education. According to Debra Murphy Ph.D., Associate Professor at West Virginia Wesleyan College, "For those entering various forms of ministry, technology is rapidly changing the game." Scott Shauf Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies at Gardner-Webb University, advises, "Be open to God's calling. Remember what you have learned, and always think critically and faithfully." He further emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, suggesting that senior pastors consider pursuing a Master of Divinity degree.

Most common senior pastor degrees

Bachelor's

49.0 %

Master's

31.0 %

Associate

7.9 %

Start to develop specific senior pastor skills

A senior pastor provides spiritual guidance and leadership, often in the absence of other pastoral staff. They facilitate services like funerals and provide counseling to individuals and families. They also develop curriculum for church programs and manage community service projects and mission trips.

Skills	Percentages
Community Outreach	22.46%
Pastoral Care	11.35%
Overseer	8.02%
Bible Study	5.63%
GOD	5.01%

Complete relevant senior pastor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior pastors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior pastor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior pastor resumes.

Research senior pastor duties and responsibilities

A senior pastor's responsibilities include providing spiritual guidance and leadership, facilitating funerals and bereavement counseling, and developing programs for spiritual growth. They also manage church operations, lead community service projects, and engage in conflict resolution. As Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D., Department Chair and Professor at Southern Methodist University, notes, "Our graduates tell us employers often note the rarity of religious studies degrees, and then go on to remark with excitement about things like intercultural competence and communication skills that the degree supports."

Manage and provide oversight for the administration of all ministry areas within the organization.
Emphasize Christ-centered teaching, fervent prayer, multilevel family Christian education programs, evangelism and mission outreaches.
Encourage servant evangelism and outreach through numerous community service projects i.e.
Major responsibilities include purchasing or developing curriculum, group leadership, volunteer recruitment and training.

Get senior pastor experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior pastor. The most common roles before becoming a senior pastor include associate pastor, pastor team lead and chaplain.

Prepare your senior pastor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior pastor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior pastor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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