How To Become A Minister Of Music: What It Is and Career Path

What is a minister of music and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A minister of music is the head of the entire music ministry department within a church. They oversee all performing arts ministries and all choirs. They are in charge of selecting arrangements to be performed by choirs, conducting regular rehearsals, and coordinating worship services. They also play a critical role in planning musical arrangements for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.

A minister of music works closely with clergy, staff, and volunteers in order to deliver an exceptional music program. They typically report to the music committee or to a Head Pastor. To be successful in their role, a minister of music should have a passion for music, ability to read and teach music, leadership skills, communication skills, and people management skills.

A minister of music works, on average, 10 - 12 hours a week. Their working hours largely depend on the availability of choir members and other groups.

ScoreMinister Of MusicUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $50,311

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.5

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 5.27%

Black or African American 5.62%

Hispanic or Latino 9.49%

Unknown 4.75%

White 74.69%

Gender

female 20.90%

male 79.10%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress Level

5.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a minister of music

Explore minister of music education requirements

Most common minister of music degrees

Bachelor's

54.7 %

Master's

18.0 %

Associate

12.9 %

Start to develop specific minister of music skills

Skills	Percentages
Easter	12.49%
Church Services	12.00%
Baptist	9.22%
Select Music	8.89%
Fine Arts	8.59%

Complete relevant minister of music training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New ministers of music 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 minister of music based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real minister of music resumes.

Research minister of music duties and responsibilities

Work with others to manage DJs and volunteers, as well as plan on campus events.
Create and proofread grouped PowerPoint files.
Maintain all instruments (organ, pianos, percussion, CHILDRENS instruments, etc .).
Design and create complex PowerPoint presentations.

Prepare your minister of music resume

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

Choose From 10+ Customizable Minister Of Music Resume templates

Build a professional Minister Of Music resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Minister Of Music resume.

Apply for minister of music jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a minister of music 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 ministers of music rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Minister Of Music reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

Flexibility, creative-based work, working with volunteers, teaching opportunities, music...