How To Become An Assistant Pastor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an assistant pastor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. David Nienhuis

An assistant pastor is a clergy member that works at a church. His/Her or her job is to assist the pastor in leading the congregation to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. While the job of an assistant pastor is spiritual, there are also many administrative requirements.

Assistant pastors oversee the ministry leaders, serve as role models for the congregation, handle the church's documentation, nurture the church's vision, and often a stand-in for the pastor when he/she or she is unavailable.

Some churches have more than one assistant pastor. In this case, each one is assigned to supervise a department or arm of the church.

Depending on the organization, some churches may require pastors to have a degree or associate's degree in theology. Assistant pastors who have spent several years in the Christian faith are also preferred.

What general advice would you give to an Assistant Pastor?

Dr. David Nienhuis

Professor of New Testament Studies and Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Seattle Pacific University

People typically study theology more for the sake of calling than career. They enter the work because they love God, and they love people. They’re more interested in participating in the healing of the world than in making a huge salary. They’ve not received a “vertical” training that will slot them directly into a specific sort of job, but a “horizontal” training that prepares them for a wide range of careers in which they might practice their calling. Thus, when they are beginning their career, they may need to be patient, as it may take time to find the job that enables them to live out their calling in its fullness. Indeed, they need to cultivate hope, recognizing that each job they take is like a puzzle piece that will eventually form a whole picture, or a steppingstone leading them down the vocational path.

ScoreAssistant PastorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,579

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 6.74%

Black or African American 12.04%

Hispanic or Latino 9.19%

Unknown 4.01%

White 67.58%

Gender

female 12.58%

male 87.42%

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

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Key steps to become an assistant pastor

Explore assistant pastor education requirements

Most common assistant pastor degrees

Bachelor's

54.8 %

Master's

24.1 %

Associate

8.5 %

Start to develop specific assistant pastor skills

Skills	Percentages
Community Outreach	21.10%
Oversight	8.49%
Pastoral Care	8.18%
Bible Study	7.76%
Worship Services	5.03%

Complete relevant assistant pastor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New assistant 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 an assistant pastor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real assistant pastor resumes.

Research assistant pastor duties and responsibilities

Lead the development of a discipleship program that motivate and equip team leaders to lead evangelistic groups both locally and internationally.
Implement PowerPoint for worship service.
Operate lighting and PowerPoint during Sunday weekly service.
Provide vision, direction, and oversight to the youth and outreach programs of the church.

Prepare your assistant pastor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your assistant 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 an assistant pastor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Assistant Pastor Resume templates

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Apply for assistant pastor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an assistant pastor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do assistant pastors rate their job?

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Assistant Pastor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2021

Pros

Educating unbelievers, Soul winning and people communicating directly to God through Jesus Christ

Cons

Castigation, arguement and condemnation