How To Become A Youth Pastor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a youth pastor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Christopher Foster

A youth pastor works in a church whereby he/she or she is responsible for the spiritual guidance of the younger members of the church. He/She or she leads children, teenagers, and young adults with the ultimate objective of fostering their spiritual growth and sharing the values and mission of the church. They do this by educating them about Christianity, encouraging them to worship, and encouraging them to take part in volunteer work. They also organize retreats, bible study lessons, community outreaches, etc.

A youth pastor works under the supervision of a senior pastor. In order to succeed in the role, youth pastors should be strong in their faith and should have a passion for sharing the gospel. They should also have the ability to connect with young people, confidence, leadership skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and the ability to inspire others.

Youth pastors have a rather flexible work schedule. They work an average of 40 hours a week. Their working hours also depend on the schedule of activities.

What general advice would you give to a Youth Pastor?

Dr. Christopher Foster

Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Graduate School of Theology and, Oral Roberts University

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).

ScoreYouth PastorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,712

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 6.63%

Black or African American 11.78%

Hispanic or Latino 9.01%

Unknown 4.00%

White 68.14%

Gender

female 12.31%

male 87.69%

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 a youth pastor

Explore youth pastor education requirements

Most common youth pastor degrees

Bachelor's

63.9 %

Master's

13.0 %

Associate

11.5 %

Start to develop specific youth pastor skills

Skills	Percentages
Outreach Events	20.18%
Disciple	11.60%
Youth Program	10.56%
Bible Study	6.45%
Oversight	4.39%

Complete relevant youth pastor training and internships

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

Research youth pastor duties and responsibilities

Develop, provide oversight and lead all ministries for middle school and high school students and their parents.
Plan monthly activities, summer camp, teen VBS, and other schedule events.
Offer help with additional CRBC events and services (funerals, VBS, etc.
Create PowerPoint presentations for community and area businesses at community meetings.

Prepare your youth pastor resume

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

Choose From 10+ Customizable Youth Pastor Resume templates

Build a professional Youth Pastor 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 Youth Pastor resume.

Apply for youth pastor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a youth pastor 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 youth pastors rate their job?