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Assistant vs associate pastor

The differences between assistants and associate pastors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an assistant, becoming an associate pastor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an associate pastor has an average salary of $46,081, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.

The top three skills for an assistant include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for an associate pastor are community outreach, pastoral care, and oversight.

Assistant vs associate pastor overview

AssistantAssociate Pastor
Yearly salary$37,363$46,081
Hourly rate$17.96$22.15
Growth rate-8%-
Number of jobs557,900432
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age5051
Years of experience24

What does an assistant do?

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

What does an associate pastor do?

An associate pastor is a church employee who assists the senior pastor with the church's daily operations. His/Her tasks include managing events for church ministries, supervising church volunteers, and assisting with all church services and ceremonies. The skills that an associate pastor should possess to fulfill his/her responsibilities include knowledge of community outreach and youth development and good public speaking skills. The education requirements to qualify for the position include obtaining a college degree in theology or pastoral counsel.

Assistant vs associate pastor salary

Assistants and associate pastors have different pay scales, as shown below.

AssistantAssociate Pastor
Average salary$37,363$46,081
Salary rangeBetween $16,000 And $82,000Between $29,000 And $71,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MAFremont, CA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsWest Virginia
Best paying companyLatham & WatkinsCalvary Church
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between assistant and associate pastor education

There are a few differences between an assistant and an associate pastor in terms of educational background:

AssistantAssociate Pastor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorBusinessTheology
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityNorth Park University

Assistant vs associate pastor demographics

Here are the differences between assistants' and associate pastors' demographics:

AssistantAssociate Pastor
Average age5051
Gender ratioMale, 40.7% Female, 59.3%Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage6%16%

Differences between assistant and associate pastor duties and responsibilities

Assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
  • Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
  • Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
  • Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
  • Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
  • Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.
  • Show more

Associate pastor example responsibilities.

  • Manage and provide oversight for the administration of all ministry areas within the organization.
  • Deliver messages base on the bible.
  • Assist children's outreach including VBS and AWANA.
  • Produce services through media development, PowerPoint, sound system, and print materials.
  • Direct all children and youth ministries, including outreach, VBS, missions, and choirs.
  • Implement a comprehensive prayer strategy.
  • Show more

Assistant vs associate pastor skills

Common assistant skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Sales Floor, 5%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 3%
Common associate pastor skills
  • Community Outreach, 20%
  • Pastoral Care, 12%
  • Oversight, 9%
  • Youth Ministry, 5%
  • Youth Program, 4%
  • Public Speaking, 4%

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