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Job outlook for ministers in the United States
Minister job and salary trends over time
Minister jobs over time
Minister job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31,567 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 32,480 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 33,052 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 31,672 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 30,983 | 0.01% |
Average minister salary over time
Minister salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $42,866 | $20.61 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $41,595 | $20.00 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $40,432 | $19.44 | +4.0% |
| 2022 | $38,872 | $18.69 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $37,749 | $18.15 | +3.4% |
Minister jobs by state
Most common states for ministers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 19,849,399 | 4 | 0% |
| 2 | California | 39,536,653 | 3 | 0% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2 | 0% |
| 4 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 2 | 0% |
| 5 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 1 | 0% |
| 6 | Delaware | 961,939 | 0 | 0% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 0 | 0% |
| 8 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 0 | 0% |
| 9 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 0 | 0% |
| 10 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 0 | 0% |
| 11 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 0 | 0% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 0 | 0% |
| 13 | Vermont | 623,657 | 0 | 0% |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 0 | 0% |
| 15 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 0 | 0% |
| 16 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 0 | 0% |
| 17 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 0 | 0% |
| 18 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 0 | 0% |
| 19 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 0 | 0% |
| 20 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 0 | 0% |
Most common cities for ministers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athens | 1 | 4% | $35,388 |
| 2 | Columbus | 5 | 1% | $34,880 |
| 3 | Ann Arbor | 1 | 1% | $41,440 |
| 4 | Grand Rapids | 1 | 1% | $39,242 |
| 5 | Salem | 1 | 1% | $43,366 |
| 6 | Buffalo | 1 | 0% | $46,030 |
| 7 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $42,381 |
| 8 | Houston | 1 | 0% | $39,455 |
| 9 | Indianapolis | 1 | 0% | $41,224 |
Minister job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of minister experts
Duke University
Vanguard University of Southern California
Seattle Pacific University
Crowley's Ridge College
Judson University
Pacific Christian College of Ministry and Biblical Studies
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Southern Methodist University
Kentucky Christian University
Clemson University
West Virginia Wesleyan College
California Baptist University
Memphis Theological Seminary
Bethel University & Seminary
La Sierra University
Gardner-Webb University
Union University
Oral Roberts University
Prof. J. Smith
Professor of Historical TheologyDuke University
Theological And Ministerial Studies
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
Prof. J. Smith: Minimizing debt during undergraduate studies and seminary is crucial due to the low salaries in ministry fields, with graduates often facing significant debt from loans.
What Minister skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Prof. J. Smith: Leaders of religious communities should focus on the relationship between religion and science, discourse promoting civility and respect, and questions regarding human nature, personal freedom, and happiness.
What will help Ministers increase their earning potential?
Prof. J. Smith: For undergraduates considering seminary or divinity school, majoring in subjects other than or in addition to religion, such as history, classics, philosophy, or literature, is recommended to develop critical reading skills necessary for the study of religious texts.
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
Rodolfo Estrada III: Students of theology have the opportunity to pursue careers beyond traditional parish or church ministry. They can find roles as chaplains, work within non-profit organizations, engage in community service, or enter any profession that involves interacting with individuals from various backgrounds and belief systems. I strongly advise acquiring a micro-credential, honing skills in writing and public speaking, or actively collaborating with community leaders to enhance their qualifications and impact.
What Minister skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Rodolfo Estrada III: Remain receptive and open-minded, always ready to glean wisdom from those around you. It's essential to remember that a theology degree offers a starting point for engaging in a broader discourse spanning centuries of deliberation, dispute, and exchange. While we may not possess all the answers to people's inquiries, we've been equipped with the tools to find life's profoundest questions. Never lose one's love for people, and always have hope for a better future.
What will help Ministers increase their earning potential?
Rodolfo Estrada III: Over the next 3-5 years, skills in communication and cross-disciplinary collaboration will become increasingly crucial. Many graduates who have a theology degree often work in church or parish ministries. Graduates will not only help people learn about the Christian Bible and tradition, but they will also be asked with questions about contemporary issues. Therefore, the ability to engage with theological concepts in innovative ways and in light of society's challenges will be essential.
Dr. David Nienhuis
Professor of New Testament Studies and Associate Dean for Academic ProgramsSeattle Pacific University
Theological And Ministerial Studies
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
Dr. David Nienhuis: 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.
What Minister skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. David Nienhuis: Despite the persistent secularist claims, our world remains as religious as ever. Theology students are needed to help translate religious beliefs, practices, and values across communities of difference. Today’s world needs people who are both smart and other-oriented, both curious and compassionate— people who are committed to a vision of human flourishing and want to play their part to bring healing to the world and are willing to cross lines of comfort and hostility in order to make that happen.
What will help Ministers increase their earning potential?
Dr. David Nienhuis: Theology students shouldn’t limit themselves or sell themselves short, thinking they do not have marketable training, for their schooling has provided them with many of the important skills employers are looking for. The study of theology develops “hard” skills like critical thinking, deep research, careful analysis, and thoughtful synthesis, along with all the written and oral communication skills needed to communicate complex ideas in clear and compelling ways. But it also develops in students a range of “soft” skills— like curiosity, empathy, patience, listening, respect, and caregiving— that enable them to tolerate different perspectives and work well with people from backgrounds other than their own.
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
Josh Parnell: 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.
What Minister skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Josh Parnell: Networking is everything. Job opportunities in the religious field are primarily the result of good references from trusted individuals, not from objective qualifications. Network with as many respected individuals in the field as possible, beginning with your professors and college administrators. If possible, begin your career through an internship with a respected figure in the field, their endorsement will prove invaluable when you set out on your own.
What will help Ministers increase their earning potential?
Josh Parnell: There are two common career paths for graduates in religious studies: Ministry (clergy) and academia. Although there are notable exceptions, neither of those career paths typically pay very well; they are 'calling' professions that you do because you are passionate about the job, not because you are looking for financial advancement. So, I strongly advise graduates to develop a second career that they can use to reliably supplement their income.
Dr. Grant Carey
Associate Professor of Religious EducationWhat Minister skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Grant Carey: We get multiple calls and emails each week looking for qualified people in this field. Right now there is a shortage of workers and this is a profession that can evolve based upon your skills and experience.
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
Rev. Elliott Anderson: Even though you have the degree and some internship/practicum/field experience now, give yourself grace and time to develop the aptitude and perceptivity necessary for effective and impactful pastoral blessing and ministry movements. We are ambassadors, vessels, and ministers of the Gospel of Christ so being present and engaged with the people we serve is paramount for being the hands, ears, eyes, and feet of Jesus. Rarely is it specific strategies to execute or certain objectives that must be fulfilled - though both of those visionary aspects of leadership are needed - what is most vital is heart to heart and soul to soul interaction, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and receptive to any and all people in any and all circumstances and situations. Being a learner is every bit as important as being the teacher or minister.
What Minister skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Rev. Elliott Anderson: The best way to maximize your salary in pastoral ministries is to not focus on it. Find a job in ministry you love and allow the financial returns to follow a strong work ethic, a recognition and acceptance of your current role, and a consideration of further ones that have more earning potential, but only as they fit the man or woman you are and want to be. One of the biggest mistakes in ministry is leaving a job we love and are effective in to simply earn more money in a different role that we don't like, that doesn't fit our spiritual gifts or experience, and where we quickly lose our joy in the faith and our joy in our pastoral roles.
What will help Ministers increase their earning potential?
Rev. Elliott Anderson: Listening. We must return to men and women of faith who are exceptional listeners with steady eye contact, nonverbal acceptance, open posture, warm and welcoming smiles and sincere holistic empathy. And after we set the baseline of foundational engagement, we must be active listeners which includes validation and affirmation of the person regardless of our views of their strengths, weaknesses, successes, failures, gifts, and sin. Too many Pastors, like to hear our own understanding of wisdom which often blocks the one we are ministering to from gaining the wisdom for themselves. Listening is a skill we can develop and even master, but very few people, even within the listening professions, like Pastors and Ministers, learn to do it well or intentionally focus on becoming an outstanding listener.
Dr. Robbie Phillips
Professor of Biblical Studies, Chair, Undergraduate Ministry ProgramPacific Christian College of Ministry and Biblical Studies
What skills stand out on Minister resumes?
Dr. Robbie Phillips: -Communication and leadership:
-Communication - both interpersonal and public speaking
-Leadership - administrative and organizational, but also leading people
Christian character and worldview is a quality that one might say "goes without saying."
What hard/technical skills are most important for Ministers?
Dr. Robbie Phillips: Administrative leadership. Administration might connect you to technology and also project management.
What skills will help Ministers earn the most?
Dr. Robbie Phillips: Communication skills and leadership. (especially within the context of proven organizational leadership success).
What soft skills should all Ministers possess?
Dr. Robbie Phillips: This would be dominated by relational skills, interpersonal communication skills, general people skills, and conflict resolution.
Leah Thomas Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Contextual EducationAnabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Church and Ministry
What skills stand out on Minister resumes?
Leah Thomas Ph.D.: The question of what "stands out" differs by the values of the particular denomination and those of the local church within that denomination. For example, a Mennonite Church would likely be looking for someone with skills in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, but this could also differ depending on the needs of the local church community. A congregation in the United Methodist Church might privilege different skills, such as visionary leadership.
What soft skills should all Ministers possess?
Leah Thomas Ph.D.: 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.: 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 skills will help Ministers earn the most?
Leah Thomas Ph.D.: I often say that people who enter pastoral ministry "don't do it for the money"! Indeed, many have left or bypassed lucrative careers to follow a call from God into ministry. Salaries differ by denomination and by geographic location. Those who go into chaplaincy in a large hospital and/or have private pastoral counseling practices may make more money than congregational ministers. But many who enter ministry also adopt a "bi-vocational" ministry, holding more than one job so that they can afford to do ministry.
What skills stand out on Minister resumes?
Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.: 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
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Ministers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.: We're not a field (read here as industry), so this question doesn't exactly pertain. Our graduates end up all over the country and in international work, from Los Angeles to the Rio Grande Valley, to New York, to Chicago, to Ulan Bator.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Minister job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.: The biggest thing I've seen is the shift from office-based work to home and flexible arrangements. This makes good written communication skills more important than ever.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Minister job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Rob O'Lynn: In terms of the ministry job market, it has always been a tricky market to navigate. There are still more candidates than there are positions. Also, over the last couple of decades, the number of full-time jobs in ministry have decreased. Now, many congregations can only afford a part-time minister or rely on a heavy cadre of volunteers. Yet, there are also congregations across the country that are growing -- some at phenomenal rates.
These congregations employ a vast array of full-time and part-time ministers and support staff persons. I think most ministry positions in a post-pandemic society will continue to trend toward positions at mostly smaller congregations, and then primarily part-time. This will require many ministers to seek bi-vocational employment, something that many associates, youth and worship ministers (and academics, like myself) have been relying on for several years.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Ministers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Rob O'Lynn: I do believe the demand for ministers will continue to exist over the next five years. Ministers resign or retire every week. Positions remain open for months, even years, despite saturated candidate pools. As the landscape of religion in America continues to evolve post-pandemic, I think we will see a surge in ministry work, as has often happened throughout the Church's history. As older, declining congregations close, newer congregations will assume those properties and establish new plants that will need ministers to serve them. Communities that survive the pandemic and continue carrying on will still need ministers to help them. Larger and growing congregations are always looking for new staff to add to various ministry departments or affiliated campuses. Also, remember parachurch organizations, like campus ministry programs, chaplaincy departments, Christian camps, and higher religious education.
Daniel Wueste Ph.D.
Professor of PhilosophyClemson University
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
Daniel Wueste Ph.D.: Thinking specifically, in terms of an impact on graduates who studied philosophy, I would say yes, because they have acquired skill in critical thinking and have a healthy respect for argument and evidence, both of which are, as it were, casualties of the politicization of the response to the pandemic in the United States. They will, I expect, find this disquieting because it reveals hostility to the destination they have reached, and poses a real danger for the future; more important, setting things right constitutes a significant challenge that, like the novel coronavirus, calls for careful planning, steadfast and diligent implementation, and no small amount of patience.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Ministers to find work opportunities?
Daniel Wueste Ph.D.: It's difficult to be sanguine about opportunities in the field, as they require an advanced degree, and, at present, graduate school has lost much of its allure as anxiety about the pandemic's effects on higher education grows. However, because philosophy graduates have developed widely applicable/marketable skills in critical thinking, oral and written communication, analysis, and argumentation, they should do comparatively well even in a job market profoundly impacted by the pandemic.
How do you envision technology impacting Ministers in the next 5 years?
Daniel Wueste Ph.D.: Technology will impact the field (philosophy) as a topic for philosophical investigation (in ethics and social and political philosophy, for example), and as a force in changing the way higher education is delivered. With advances in artificial intelligence, it is likely to enhance the appeal of philosophy as an area of study, as AI aligns well with the philosophy of mind/cognitive science and epistemology.
Debra Dean Murphy Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorWest Virginia Wesleyan College
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
Debra Dean Murphy Ph.D.: Students who major in religious studies do a variety of things with the degree. We've sent students to graduate programs at Princeton, Duke, Vanderbilt, and several other schools. It's also not uncommon for students to have religious studies as a second major alongside history or art, for example. All of which is to say there isn't just one career path for a religious studies major.
For graduates who are pursuing ministry, I do think the pandemic is changing that landscape. Online church in some form is probably here to stay; there are studies already that seem to indicate that. How that affects the hiring of pastors and what their day-to-day work looks like is unknown at this point.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Ministers to find work opportunities?
Debra Dean Murphy Ph.D.: For our students interested in social justice work-NGOs or non-profits-historically, there are have been more opportunities in urban areas than in rural communities.
How do you envision technology impacting Ministers in the next 5 years?
Debra Dean Murphy Ph.D.: Depending on the particular vocation religious studies major pursue after graduation, technology will have varying degrees of impact. For those entering various forms of ministry, technology is rapidly changing the game.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
Greg Cochran Ph.D.: Yes, undoubtedly. Quantifying the lasting impact may not be possible right now; predicting the future is a notoriously difficult task. However, some trend lines were already in place, and thus, were accelerated by the COVID-19 disruption. For example, technology had already increased loneliness and isolation among various demographic groups. The response to this pandemic (lockdowns, distancing) only heightened such human isolation.
Graduates entering ministry will need to work extra hard to personalize their ministries. Along those same lines, many people will remain fearful of large, in-house gatherings, thus forcing a reconsideration of all aspects of facility-based ministry from nursery work, to adult Sunday school classes, to choir participation. About half of the pastors in the U.S. are expecting lower in-person attendance when services resume. Many challenges will persist relating to personal relationships, distancing, and isolation.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Ministers to find work opportunities?
Greg Cochran Ph.D.: The church-based ministry will abound-and may even increase-throughout the United States. While the less flexible ministries, and those with financial challenges, may not endure through this economic climate, many other churches will adapt and overcome. Graduates with clear convictions, lovingly related to other people, will continue to have work to do. Opportunities will abound because neither human nature nor the nature of human longings has changed. The churches will still possess a resonating message of love, justice, and truth for all kinds of people.
In southern California, for example, a church just this month-while restrictions remain in place--still baptized 1,000 new congregants. Church ministry has endured for 2,000 years. Nimble churches will still be looking for leaders in the next ten years. Probably the patterns will remain the same across the country: churches that adapt will thrive, others will face closing. And new churches will be planted.
How do you envision technology impacting Ministers in the next 5 years?
Greg Cochran Ph.D.: This question is fascinating. Again, look for the trend lines already in place. Technology is producing more live streams and virtual meetings. Much of this will remain for the foreseeable future. Likewise, church apps will replace bulletins and hymnals. The digital liturgy will probably be a thing.
Giving tithes and offerings online and through apps has skyrocketed through this pandemic and will not likely go away completely. One other area that might be altered through technology is small-group socializing. Social media apps will be tailored to keep churches and small groups connected, without having to scroll through Tweets, posts, and news updates. Look for increased smartphone technology related to ministry. Smart ministry leaders should be investing in smartphone apps and utilization.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
Dr. Peter Gathje Ph.D.: Most of our graduates go into ministry either in a congregational setting or with a non-profit. So, yes, there will be an enduring impact. In congregational settings, people in ministry will be very likely to continue the "virtual" forms of worship, online Christian education, and other gatherings even as in-person worship resumes. The flexibility of virtual worship and the opportunity to participate from one's own home will be attractive to people even beyond the pandemic. Online adult theological education may supplement or even replace traditional Sunday school and Wednesday night offerings. Non-profits will also build upon the lessons learned during this time for virtual meetings, fundraising, and community programs.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Ministers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Peter Gathje Ph.D.: One result of the pandemic is that people who have been churchgoers will have become accustomed to not going to church on Sunday. I can see the continuing decline of traditional church attendance after the pandemic. So, graduates are going to have to be creative in their ministry and in finding ministry settings. I don't think regional differences are going to matter all that much.
How do you envision technology impacting Ministers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Peter Gathje Ph.D.: The influence of online Christian education and online/virtual worship and other gatherings will continue to be important. Those who are more adept at the use of those technologies will be better positioned for sustainable ministry.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
Peter Kapsner Ph.D.: Difficult to say. It depends upon how long the significant disruption exists where potential societal changes remain. Pre-pandemic, our country was becoming increasingly secularized as the economy was booming, and the next generations are less and less interested in church communities. Missiology is a lost discipline in places like France and the UK, and the USA is not far behind those countries in secularization trends. But the pandemic is forcing different kinds of questions in terms of spiritual things along with meaning and purpose. Disruption has a way of doing that. So I'd say the near term future of missiology depends upon the enduring impact of the pandemic.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Ministers to find work opportunities?
Peter Kapsner Ph.D.: Social organizations and non-profits still appear to be thriving in the USA, but their focus is also increasingly less spiritual. Churches have fewer and fewer opportunities. Missiologists undoubtedly will have opportunities to bring "good news" for social and physical needs, as they should, but the needs of the spirit in terms of the historical focus on sin, future, love, life, death, spiritual freedom, and eternity are less relevant to many today.
How do you envision technology impacting Ministers in the next 5 years?
Peter Kapsner Ph.D.: Missiologists are far less likely to travel to connect with others. Financial support can be very difficult to come by, so I suspect missiologists will be far more comfortable with Zoom connections, etc., that can be done on a shoe-string budget.
John Webster Ph.D.
Professor of Theology and History of ChristianityLa Sierra University
Theology And Religious Vocations
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
John Webster Ph.D.: We are living through genuinely extraordinary times! But a degree in religion or theology is excellent preparation for times of crisis, stress, and uncertainty. You may well find yourself to be the person for the hour. People are hurting, confused, and fearful of the future. Graduates with a deep understanding of human beings (including their spiritual, emotional and physical needs) and the dynamics of society will be in high demand not only in church circles but also in the public square. Do not lose heart. Whatever your specific career path, our world needs those who care about more than just making money about social justice, values, and caring. We need you!
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Ministers in the next 3-5 years?
John Webster Ph.D.: We all want to get our lives back to 'normal.' But we will undoubtedly have to grapple with a 'new normal.' A new situation where we have to make technology (be it social media, digital forms of communication, etc.) a tool for more profound and better interpersonal connection rather than merely a stop-gap. We cannot unlearn 'Zoom.' We need to become proficient in using these new tools, while never letting them distort or control our understanding of what it means to be a genuinely good human being. We need to use technology to ensure that even when physical distancing is essential, it does not lead to social distancing. We are all in this together, and technology can help.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
John Webster Ph.D.: We will never entirely be the same again. I have a paternal grandmother whose whole family was wiped out in the 1918 flu pandemic, leaving only two young children as orphans. A hundred years ago, that pandemic shaped a generation. This one will do so as well. But the effects need not only be adverse. The crisis can leave us more resilient, more focused on what matters, more adaptable, and more caring. Yes, we have seen selfishness, callousness, and recklessness all over. But what will make an enduring impact be acts of selflessness, kindness, generosity, and hope? May these things endure.
Scott Shauf Ph.D.
Professor of Religious Studies; Department ChairGardner-Webb University
Marketing
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
Scott Shauf Ph.D.: I don’t see major changes, though keeping up with technology changes will be more important than ever, especially with the continuing advance of artificial intelligence. But the key skills for ministers will always be communication, both oral and written, and interpersonal skills. Emotional intelligence is a term you hear used a lot these days, and rightly so. With all the strain people feel these days, and the mental health struggles that come with it, being able to work with a wide range of personalities and associated problems will become harder and thus more important to work on.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Ministers in the next 3-5 years?
Scott Shauf Ph.D.: I doubt it's going to change much, but what will happen is that technology currently used in developed countries will become more available in developing countries. Christian ministers must be prepared to use it well.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
Scott Shauf Ph.D.: I'm sure there will, but I won't claim to be able to predict it. To me, the experience has underscored the importance of creating healthy Christian communities. People genuinely care for each other, so that even when we can't meet together, the church will remain secure. We need a church capable of withstanding even more substantial challenges than this, and a church capable of ministering, even when we can't gather together. A Biblical Studies degree will, hopefully, give students tools they need to create and benefit from such communities.
What Minister skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Scott Shauf Ph.D.: 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.
What will help Ministers increase their earning potential?
Scott Shauf Ph.D.: I don’t recommend that young ministers focus too much on salary, especially early in their careers. Focus on getting experience and the necessary education for your goals further down the road.
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
Ray Neste: Our graduates enter a wide variety of different careers with such a degree, but my essential advice would be the same for each setting. Whether entering local church ministry (pastor, youth pastor, etc.), parachurch ministry, missions, or some other field, I encourage them to stay humble and keep learning. Learn from people in your church or workplace who have been there awhile, so you can learn the particularities of the church and community.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Ministers in the next 3-5 years?
Ray Neste: In the field of biblical studies, it is hard to say. Indeed, academic resources in digital format will continue to be significant. But, our area ranges from academic work to pastoral ministry, so which technology is most important will vary, depending on the setting. The critical thing for graduates will be to be aware of what is going on around them, being cognizant, but not chasing fads.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
Ray Neste: It is hard to say because people respond so differently, and the pandemic has hit different areas with varying severity. Some younger people have brushed it off as something which does not impact them. I hope it will have a lasting impact in a few ways. 1) Removing the illusion of complacent safety. Life in a fallen world is dangerous, and we will live more wisely when we realize that more fully. We will make better decisions, care for others more fully, and relish the blessings we have more than longing for ones we do not. 2) Related to the first, civilization is fragile, so we must support and cultivate it. It is easy to think that the world will naturally go on, as we have always known it and, thus, we have little responsibility to care for it. I hope, though, that the pandemic effects will help graduates see how fragile civilization is, not so that they might worry, but so that they might see their responsibility to nurture our shared life together. 3) Lastly, I hope that this more stark encounter with death will help us take more seriously our need to hear from God's word, to make the most of life, and to prepare for eternity.
Dr. Christopher Foster
Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Graduate School of Theology andOral Roberts University
Biblical and Theological
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Ministers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Christopher Foster: Streaming technology will be essential: cameras, switchers, and editing software. This type of technology helps reach an audience beyond the local community and can increase giving.
Despite the technological tools, with all the bells and whistles, technology must remain relational and dialogical.
What general advice would you give to a Minister?
Dr. Christopher Foster: 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).
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ministers?
Dr. Christopher Foster: On the one hand, the pandemic causes graduates who innovate to be even better assets to employers. On the other hand, those graduates who refuse to get out of the box and innovate might need to look elsewhere.
The virtual, streaming, and online component of ministry will likely remain for the foreseeable future. However, we are still in a stop-gap mode. Have we truly innovated? In light of 'Zoom fatigue,' the current virtual approach is unsustainable. We have not yet reached a "new normal." The enduring impact may not look like what we presently suppose.