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Minister skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Experts
Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.,
Leah Thomas Ph.D.
Minister Example Skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical minister skills. We ranked the top skills for ministers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 15.0% of minister resumes contained community outreach as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a minister needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 minister skills for your resume and career

1. Community Outreach

Here's how ministers use community outreach:
  • Organized community outreach activities as well as planned and executed advertising campaign.
  • Directed full-member participation activities and orchestrated multiple community outreach programs.

2. Pastoral Care

Here's how ministers use pastoral care:
  • Participated in ministerial tasks including worship leadership and some pastoral care.
  • Provided pastoral care to congregation, including hospital and bereavement visitation.

3. Bible Studies

Here's how ministers use bible studies:
  • Worked with three other peer ministers in running a campus ministry-Planned social and service activities-Organized weekly bible studies and small groups
  • Revitalized declining youth ministry, taught Bible Studies, organized summer youth trip, and preached on various occasions.

4. Student Ministry

Here's how ministers use student ministry:
  • Recruited volunteer members primarily for the student ministry and for special community events.
  • Recognized by Baptist General Convention of Texas for Student Ministry Attendance Growth

5. Public Speaking

Public Speaking or oration, as it is sometimes known, is the act of any one person speaking live in front of an audience. Although in the past the audience was only a physical one, nowadays oration might be done on an online video call, at a digital conference, at an online class, or elsewhere. The art of public speaking is very old, drawing its first established roots from Ancient Greece and likely from before, too. It is an important skill and asset in many industries.

Here's how ministers use public speaking:
  • Conducted public speaking events, membership visitation and personal development.
  • Minister: Job duties included public speaking in front of the congregation, prayer, and counseling.

6. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how ministers use oversight:
  • Supervised the administrative staff and day-to-day operations of a 1200-member, three campus organization to include business development and programmatic oversight.
  • Cared for and provided oversight for facilities management.

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7. Spiritual Care

Spiritual care is a facet of healthcare that deals with the spiritual and religious needs caused by an injury or illness.

Here's how ministers use spiritual care:
  • Provided Spiritual Care to Disabled and Terminally-Ill patients.
  • Provide spiritual care, grief and bereavement ministry to families who are without a Church or Spiritual Care Giver.
Select Skills To Add To Your Resume

8. GOD

Here's how ministers use god:
  • Initiated a sermon preparation program allowing eleven men to preach the word of God through training and rotating every fourth Sunday.
  • Work together with the pastor to effectively communicate God's love to the students and members of Springfield Baptist Church.

9. Prayer

Here's how ministers use prayer:
  • Developed and led several Women s Wellness Retreats focusing on spiritual growth, healing prayer, experiential art, etc.
  • Orated daily, morning and evening services with opening prayer and song, directed music for corporate worship.

10. Community Services

Community ѕеrvісе is аn unраіd activity in which аn individual оr grоuр еngаgеѕ tо bеnеfіt thе lосаl, nаtіоnаl оr glоbаl соmmunіtу. It іѕ also uѕеd as аn аltеrnаtіvе to imprisonment аnd іѕ intended tо connect offenders to the victim or society ѕо thаt they can undеrѕtаnd how their асtіоnѕ аffесt оthеrѕ.

Here's how ministers use community services:
  • Coordinated weekly/monthly alternative activities for the youth and facilitated monthly community services projects through collaboration with other community organizations.
  • Design and produce promotional materials for events and community services.

11. Funeral Services

Funeral Services are offered by funeral directors who manage a deceased person's affairs in a funeral home. They look after the funeral, allow cemetery visits, order coffins, set out wakes and memorial services, and fulfill any other family request concerning funeral planning.

Here's how ministers use funeral services:
  • Teach, preach, lead small groups, administration, hospital visitation, marriage, funeral services, & grief support.
  • Officiated Funeral Services which included meeting with families and individuals during the grieving process.

12. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is an often necessary skill in business, employed for processes such as contract negotiations, legal matters, and even personal, emotional situations and conflicts. It is the ability to find and create an appropriate and peaceful solution to some sort of dilemma or argument in which two or more parties are involved. The resolution itself must benefit and satisfy all parties and this is what makes it so difficult to reach a peaceful point sometimes.

Here's how ministers use conflict resolution:
  • Assisted incoming ministers in their transition to the ministry by rendering advice regarding expectations and conflict resolution.
  • Facilitated a cultural change process and mediated conflict resolution situations.

13. Gospel

Here's how ministers use gospel:
  • Ministered to Hispanic/Migrant community through the Gospel, Food Pantry and various social services including translation and transportation to medical facilities.
  • Assisted Senior Protestant Chaplin/Pastor with Gospel Worship Service.

14. Evangelism

Here's how ministers use evangelism:
  • Developed curriculum for Evangelism and Bible Study Methods.
  • Minister of the congregation, Member of the Elders, Member of missions team, evangelism team and the benevolence team.

15. Event Planning

Here's how ministers use event planning:
  • Directed national (including Hawaii) estate planning workshops, including event planning, coordinating and staffing.
  • Assessed student needs and offered event planning, pastoral counseling, and crisis assistance as necessary.
top-skills

What skills help Ministers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on Minister resumes?

Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

Department Chair, Professor, Southern Methodist University

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. For more on that see: Smu

What soft skills should all Ministers possess?

Leah Thomas Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Contextual Education, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

In my students, I encourage the development of soft skills such as deep listening, empathy, authenticity, flexibility, integrity, trustworthiness, and a collaborative leadership style. These skills exist alongside commitments to ongoing spiritual formation, self and theological reflection and reflexivity, ongoing education and supervision, and care of the self's physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual parts.

What hard/technical skills are most important for Ministers?

Leah Thomas Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Contextual Education, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

In terms of the hard/technical skills that aid pastors/ministers in carrying out their responsibilities, these would include skills of crisis intervention, conflict resolution & peacebuilding, knowledge and praxis related to racial justice and reconciliation, and knowledge of (and techniques for) addressing some of the following situations: trauma and grief, conflicts in the family (including pre-marital, marital and family interventions), addictions and situations of sexual abuse. In all of this, attention to the intercultural dimension of pastoral caregiving is also extremely important. Clinical Pastoral Education training can also provide some of these "hard" and "soft" skills.

What Minister skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

S

Scott Shauf Ph.D.

Professor of Religious Studies; Department Chair, Gardner-Webb University

Be open to God’s calling, especially to places you don’t feel comfortable going. There are many ways to serve in ministry, and God may call you to places and tasks you haven’t even thought of. Remember what you have learned, and always think critically and faithfully. Consider pursuing a Master of Divinity degree, for the church needs educated ministers. But whether you do or not, never stop learning.

List of minister skills to add to your resume

Minister Skills

The most important skills for a minister resume and required skills for a minister to have include:

  • Community Outreach
  • Pastoral Care
  • Bible Studies
  • Student Ministry
  • Public Speaking
  • Oversight
  • Spiritual Care
  • GOD
  • Prayer
  • Community Services
  • Funeral Services
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Gospel
  • Evangelism
  • Event Planning
  • Social Justice
  • Discipleship
  • PowerPoint
  • Outreach Events
  • Local Community
  • Baptist
  • Adult Education
  • Facebook
  • VBS
  • Leadership Training
  • Program Development
  • Community Events
  • Spiritual Guidance
  • Leadership
  • Leadership Development
  • Religious Education
  • Community Involvement
  • Baptisms
  • Outreach Program
  • Spiritual Support
  • Memorial Services
  • Local Church
  • Youth Events
  • Church Services
  • Spiritual Growth
  • Jesus Christ
  • Pulpit
  • Youth Ministry
  • Hospital Visitation
  • Spiritual Direction
  • Church Events

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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