How To Become An Associate Minister: What It Is and Career Path

What is an associate minister and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Josh Parnell

Associate ministers can also be called assistant ministers. Associate ministers, from their title, primarily assist and help the lead pastor with the church. As an associate minister, your task could vary depending on the church. You may have regular duties assigned to you or serve in whatever capacity you need to fill in the church.

As an associate minister, you will serve as the other preacher for the church when the lead minister is absent. In addition, you may be saddled with the responsibility of visiting church members and contacting them outside of the church setting. This visitation comes in handy when they are in the hospital or for follow-up. You will also help as regards administrative duties for the church, such as supervision of building.

Representing the church in the community by serving on charitable committees is also one of your duties. Usually, associate ministers study biblical studies or theology, and they make an average of $19.01 per hour.

What general advice would you give to an Associate Minister?

Josh Parnell

Adjunct Professor, Crowley's Ridge College

Public speaking skills have always been important in the religious field, and there is no sign that will change in the next 3-5 years. Conflict management is a skill that I believe will become more important and prevalent in the next 3-5 years as religious organizations, much like the society around them, become increasingly polarized.

ScoreAssociate MinisterUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,855

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 6.70%

Black or African American 11.94%

Hispanic or Latino 9.12%

Unknown 4.01%

White 67.79%

Gender

female 23.97%

male 76.03%

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

Key steps to become an associate minister

Explore associate minister education requirements

Most common associate minister degrees

Bachelor's

53.5 %

Master's

27.8 %

Associate

8.2 %

Start to develop specific associate minister skills

Skills	Percentages
Community Outreach	17.90%
Pastoral Care	11.07%
Bible Study	10.12%
Youth Ministry	5.15%
Oversight	4.85%

Complete relevant associate minister training and internships

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

Research associate minister duties and responsibilities

Lead church to incorporate a vision for integrating evangelistic and discipleship efforts.
Proclaim and teach gospel of Jesus Christ.
Deliver, teach and preach gospel message to congregation on a monthly basis.
Provide stability and oversight during rector's resignation and parish's transition to new rector.

Prepare your associate minister resume

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

Choose From 10+ Customizable Associate Minister Resume templates

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Apply for associate minister jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an associate minister 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

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