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Pastor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted Experts
Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.,
Leah Thomas Ph.D.
Pastor Example Skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical pastor skills. We ranked the top skills for pastors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 21.9% of pastor resumes contained community outreach as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a pastor needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 pastor skills for your resume and career

1. Community Outreach

Here's how pastors use community outreach:
  • Planned and organized community outreaches including recruiting and training volunteer teams to carry out events.
  • Worked with community outreach services and was appointed co-director of Community Improvement Foundation.

2. Overseer

Here's how pastors use overseer:
  • Perform administration aspects required as overseer.
  • Served as Overseer for the state of North Dakota for the Church of God of Prophecy.

3. Bible Study

Bible study is the careful examination of the Bible by people as a way of spiritual or personal religious practice. Bible study is a holy act to some denominations.

Here's how pastors use bible study:
  • Implemented bible study by conference call to include elderly, disabled and economically challenged congregates.
  • Delivered weekly sermons, Wednesday evening Bible study and additional Bible study opportunities quarterly.

4. 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 pastors use public speaking:
  • Developed public speaking skills by personalizing a contemporary format to integrate with timeless truths.
  • Developed personal skills in public speaking, strategic planning and organizational leadership.

5. GOD

Here's how pastors use god:
  • Assembled a Vision Team, to pray & ask God for His vision for the church & developed the vision statement.
  • Preach and teach in worship services and other settings for nurturing and challenging people to grow in their relationship with God.

6. Youth Ministry

Here's how pastors use youth ministry:
  • Maintained awareness of resources for developing the youth ministry and participated in continuing education events and training opportunities.
  • Organized and developed youth ministry for elementary age children.

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7. 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 pastors use funeral services:
  • Provide marriage and family counseling and frequently assist area funeral homes with bereavement counseling and funeral services.
  • Provided spiritual support and compassionate care to bereaved parishioners and conducted funeral services for dozens of families
Select Skills To Add To Your Resume

8. 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 pastors use spiritual care:
  • Provided spiritual care and sacramental needs of the congregation; Participated in community wide Easter celebrations.
  • Provided spiritual care to congregation and community.

9. Prayer

Here's how pastors use prayer:
  • Published and shared daily devotional and prayer request newsletter for Salem Reformed Church parishioners.
  • Coordinated bi-yearly worship/ministry nights focused on worship and ministry prayer.

10. Discipleship

Here's how pastors use discipleship:
  • Led church to adopt vision statement focusing on evangelistic outreach and discipleship - Spearheaded monthly Missions Offering dedicated to supporting missions
  • Lead the church in developing a process driven discipleship strategy in growing maturing disciples and disciple-makers enhanced.

11. Baptist

A baptist is a member of the protestant Christians sharing the beliefs and insist that believers must get baptized through immersion into water and not pouring or a sprinkling of water.

Here's how pastors use baptist:
  • Developed denominational partnership with the North American Baptist Conference.
  • Provided pastoral leadership while attending Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

12. Evangelism

Here's how pastors use evangelism:
  • Planned, organized and coordinated events and trips resulting in community evangelism and outreach.
  • Created and coordinated monthly servant evangelism projects connecting church with community.

13. Outreach Events

Here's how pastors use outreach events:
  • Organized community services and outreach events.
  • Minister to students and their families, planning outreach events, supporting the church staff in carrying out duties and vision.

14. 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 pastors use conflict resolution:
  • Facilitated a weekly individual, group and family counseling with a focus on behavior modification and conflict resolution.
  • Displayed competency in managing issues and providing effective conflict resolution.

15. Leadership Development

Leadership Development is a term for the process of improving the leadership, management, organizational, and similarly relevant skills of somebody working in a managerial or other leadership skill.

Here's how pastors use leadership development:
  • Provided supervision and leadership development for church staff and congregational leaders.
  • Planned and facilitated church staff meetings and leadership development retreats.
top-skills

What skills help Pastors find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on Pastor resumes?

D

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 Pastors possess?

L

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 Pastors?

L

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 Pastor 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 pastor skills to add to your resume

Pastor Skills

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

  • Community Outreach
  • Overseer
  • Bible Study
  • Public Speaking
  • GOD
  • Youth Ministry
  • Funeral Services
  • Spiritual Care
  • Prayer
  • Discipleship
  • Baptist
  • Evangelism
  • Outreach Events
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Leadership Development
  • Local Community
  • Event Planning
  • Easter
  • Community Events
  • Spiritual Guidance
  • PowerPoint
  • Administrative Leadership
  • Spiritual Leadership
  • Leadership Training
  • Local Church
  • Gospel
  • Spiritual Growth
  • Facebook
  • VBS
  • Jesus Christ
  • Church Services
  • Hospital Visitation
  • Student Ministry
  • Christian Education
  • Church Building
  • Community Church
  • Church Events
  • Methodist Church
  • Worship Leadership
  • Church Website

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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