Highest Paying Jobs for Preachers – If you’re looking for a career that will take you to the top, preaching is it. The salary and prestige associated with being a pastor are sky-high. But if you want to make the same money as an average pastor, there are a few things you need to do. First, get good at preaching. This isn’t something that just happens; it takes time and effort. Second, focus on sermonizing. This is the process of preaching to people and making them hear your message. Finally, find a congregation that is interested in your theology and who will give you the resources you need to preach effectively.
If you’re a pastor, you probably make a lot of money. But what if you could make even more? If you become a preacher without breaking the bank, there are many ways to do so. Here are five ways to make over $100,000 as a preacher.
Pastor salaries are usually lower than other professionals because of the large number of hours pastors spend preaching. However, there are ways to get a salary that is almost as high as an pastor’s. Here are some tips on how to get a job that pays more than your average pastor.
Top 7 Highest Paying Jobs for Preachers
Here are seven high-paying jobs you might consider if you are or want to become a preacher, all of which pay over $60,000 per year. For the most up-to-date salaries, please click on the links below:
1. Program director
National average salary: $60,333 per year
Primary duties: A program director designs and implements internal or external programs for their organization. Some program directors manage a range of programs for their company, while others focus on community outreach initiative. Preachers typically serve as program directors for religious nonprofit organizations and might help run programs related to charitable causes like helping to reduce food shortages in their community. Their responsibilities may include monitoring their program’s budgets, helping staff members understand their individual roles and how they can collaborate with team members, creating regular progress reports for key stakeholders and setting goals for each program’s outcomes.
2. Chaplain
National average salary: $63,571 per year
Primary duties: A chaplain is an ordained member of the clergy who works at a nonreligious organization. Chaplains provide religious support to individuals unable to attend regular church services. They may find employment opportunities in places such as schools, government agencies, military bases and hospitals. Most chaplains nowadays provide non-denominational spiritual services for people from a range of religions and backgrounds. A chaplain’s duties include administering the sacraments, conducting retreats or workshops and performing religious services or ceremonies like weddings.
3. Elementary school teacher
National average salary: $64,535 per year
Primary duties: An elementary school teacher is an educator who teaches children between approximately five to eleven years old. Most elementary school teachers educate their students in a range of foundational academic subjects, such as language arts, mathematics, sciences and social studies. An elementary school teacher has a range of responsibilities, including developing curriculum that adheres to local and federal standards, customizing their teaching plan to match each student’s unique needs and grading essays or assignments. Preachers who serve as elementary school teachers often teach at a Christian school.
4. Social and community service manager
National average salary: $69,600 per year
Primary duties: A social and community service manager oversees projects and programs that help their local community. Some social and community service managers focus their initiatives on helping a certain population, such as children, the elderly or veterans. Others might specialize in supporting certain causes, like environmental sustainability or mental health. Their responsibilities can vary depending on the type of organization they work for and their community specialization, but may include writing grant proposals, collecting and evaluating data related to their projects to help them figure out potential Improvements and answering questions about their initiatives from community members.
5. Archivist
National average salary: $73,144 per year
Primary duties: An archivist studies, evaluates and organizes historical documents and artifacts. Their goal may be to correctly preserve an artifact, connect its significance to other historical events or documents or make the artifact more accessible to the public. Many archivists specialize in a specific type of artifact, such as written document or audio files, or in a certain historical era. Most archivist find employment opportunities at museums, but some may find jobs elsewhere, like schools or research institutions.
6. Missionary
National average salary: $80,999 per year
Primary duties: A missionary educates others about their religion and supports them through the conversion process. Missionaries might teach in a formal education setting, such as a classroom, or more informally, like through building meaningful relationships with people in the community. Missionaries also often provide outreach services, such as building schools or churches, in either their own community or abroad. Some missionaries may only work on a temporary basis, while others might find long-term and full-time opportunities.
7. Postsecondary philosophy and religion teacher
National average salary: $90,160 per year
Primary duties: A post-secondary philosophy and religion teacher educate students on subjects like religion, philosophy and theology. Post-secondary refers to educators who teach at a college or university. Philosophy and religion professors may teach students an overview of their subjects or specialize in a certain area. Responsibilities can vary depending on their institution and specialization, but may include conducting lectures, facilitating discussions among students, performing research and developing course curricula.
Top 12 More Jobs for Preachers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for religious workers, such as preachers, is $40,070 per year. Here are 12 more jobs that pay higher than the average salary for religious workers. For the most up-to-date Indeed salaries, please click on the links below:
1. Worship leader
National average salary: $41,515 per year
Primary duties: A worship leader oversees and runs the musical services at their church. This includes selecting the song for each week’s service, determining the style that they’ll play the songs in, conducting the choir and singing or playing musical instruments with the ensemble. They may have other responsibilities such as positively representing their church, collaborating with church leaders, welcoming church members or guests to services and adhering to any relevant musical copyright laws.
2. Musician
National average salary:$42,958 per year
Primary duties: A musician is a professional who plays one or more musical instrument. Some musicians also sing. A musician might play live music at a venue, record music or both. Preachers who pursue jobs as musicians often play musical instruments or sing at their church. Many churches hire musicians who are organists, pianists or choral singers. The responsibilities of a musician who works at a church may include collaborating with colleagues and worship leaders, memorizing the music for various songs, performing during church services and attending regular practice sessions.
3. Associate pastor
National average salary: $43,772 per year
Primary duties: An associate pastor is an ordained clergyman who provides supportive services to senior pastors that help them manage their church. Associate pastors often manage specific ministries within their congregation, meaning specific groups of people, such as children or the elderly. They also serve as substitutes for senior pastors when they’re away and conduct church services. Other responsibilities of associate pastors include leading projects for church ministries such as Sunday school, overseeing church volunteer efforts, providing counseling services to church members and collaborating with the senior pastor and board of directors.
4. Preschool director
National average salary: $43,935 per year
Primary duties: a preschool director oversees all staff and operation at a facility for early childhood education and development. Their overall goal is to facilitate a safe environment where all children can reach their educational and social development objectives. Responsibilities include supervising regular staff meetings, managing their school’s budget, making sure that all staff adhere to local or national safety regulations and interviewing and hiring new staff members. Preschool directors who are also preachers typically find employment at a Christian preschool.
5. Youth director
National average salary: $44,130 per year
Primary duties: A youth director implements and supervises programs at their organization for kids, teenagers or young adults. These programs can vary depending on their organization and target age group, but may include retreats, religious services, volunteer opportunities, workshops or enrichment programs. Preachers typically serve as youth directors at a church or college campus, but some may consider employment opportunities at community outreach or social service organizations. A youth director’s job duties may include coordinating activities, managing program budgets, running scholarship programs or fundraisers and collaborating with professional project managers or educators.
6. Substance abuse counselor
National average salary: $46,630 per year
Primary duties: A substance abuse counselor provides supportive services to clients handling addiction or other dependency behavioral challenges. Substance abuse counselors can work in a range of places, including prisons, juvenile detention centers, rehabilitation facilities or hospitals. A substance abuse counselor helps their clients develop personalized treatment plans and goals and discusses their progress with them through regular meetings. Substance abuse counselors may see their clients individually, in groups or both.
7. Publicist
National average salary: $49,276 per year
Primary duties: A publicist manages an organization’s communication style with the public. They may plan and oversee events or correspondence, such as press releases, fundraisers or holiday celebrations for both church members and guests. Preachers who work as publicists often do so for their congregation or a religious nonprofit. Publicists who work at churches typically handle materials related to community outreach or education, such as flyers, advertisements or social media posts about joining the congregation or volunteering at the church.
8. Senior pastor
National average salary: $50,250 per year
Primary duties: A senior pastor is an ordained member of the clergy who functions as the leader of a church. They oversee all religious initiatives at their congregation, which may include church services, events, leadership or missionary groups and counseling services. Senior pastors also typically supervise their church’s administrative responsibilities, such as balancing the church’s budget, hiring new staff and signing up new members of the church. Other responsibilities may include officiating at events like weddings or funerals, coordinating outreach effort, developing Sunday school curriculum and training new church officers.
9. Minister associate
National average salary: $53,759 per year
Primary duties: A minister associate help facilitate communication and services between church members and their pastors. Also called assistant ministers, a minister associate helps pastors lead their churches. Ministers may perform duties such as preaching when pastors are away, visiting church members when they’re in the hospital, serving on church committees and conducting community outreach programs. Minister associates may also help pastors with some administrative duties, like arranging building maintenance or assisting with program budgets.
10. Administration manager
National average salary: $54,054 per year
Primary duties: An administration manager oversees various clerical responsibilities and procedures at their company. These clerical processes may include office correspondence, staff or event calendars and customer queries or support. Administration managers at smaller organizations may supervise all of these aspects of administration, while an administration manager for a larger company might oversee one aspect. Preachers who serve as administration managers often do so at their congregation or a nonprofit organization.
11. Social worker
National average salary: $56,165 per year
Primary duties: A social worker provides supportive services to individuals or families managing challenging situations. Some social workers specialize in helping people with a particular type of challenge, such as trauma, addiction, divorce or abuse. Their goal is to assist families in either solving or mitigating the effects of their challenging situations and connect them with community resources, like financial assistance or rehabilitation programs. Social workers achieve this through job responsibilities such as evaluating a client’s unique needs, collaborating with other professionals like case managers or community coordinators and adhering to both internal and government policies.
12. Family therapist
National average salary: $59,972 per year
Primary duties: A family therapist helps their patients manage interactions with their partners, family members and other people with whom they have close relationships. Family therapists may work with their clients individually, in couples or as families. Responsibilities can vary based on their clients’ needs, but may include talking with clients about their problems and desired outcomes for therapy, developing individualized treatment plans, helping clients find healthier ways to manage emotions toward others and maintaining detailed records.
Conclusion
Many pastors have a great career in ministry. But what if you want to make as much money as an pastor? There are a few things you can do to get the same salary as an pastor. First, start with your genealogy. You can research your family’s history and find out where your ancestors came from. This will give you a valuable insight into your potential income. Second, look into the field of preaching. Many pastors spend most of their time preaching, but they also have other responsibilities such as teaching and leading worship services. If you’re interested in becoming a pastor, it may be worth looking into preaching opportunities.
