Associate minister vs priest

The differences between associate ministers and priests can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an associate minister and a priest. Additionally, a priest has an average salary of $44,712, which is higher than the $42,855 average annual salary of an associate minister.

The top three skills for an associate minister include community outreach, pastoral care and bible study. The most important skills for a priest are pastoral care, spiritual care, and educational programs.

Associate minister vs priest overview

	Associate Minister	Priest
Yearly salary	$42,855	$44,712
Hourly rate	$20.60	$21.50
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	143	80
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Associate minister vs priest salary

Associate ministers and priests have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Associate Minister	Priest
Average salary	$42,855	$44,712
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $65,000	Between $24,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	-	Campbell, CA
Highest paying state	-	Maine
Best paying company	-	Prime Healthcare
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between associate minister and priest education

There are a few differences between an associate minister and a priest in terms of educational background:

	Associate Minister	Priest
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Associate minister vs priest demographics

Here are the differences between associate ministers' and priests' demographics:

	Associate Minister	Priest
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 76.0% Female, 24.0%	Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between associate minister and priest duties and responsibilities

Associate minister example responsibilities.

Lead church to incorporate a vision for integrating evangelistic and discipleship efforts.
Proclaim and teach gospel of Jesus Christ.
Deliver, teach and preach gospel message to congregation on a monthly basis.
Provide stability and oversight during rector's resignation and parish's transition to new rector.
Provide direction and assist in the development of children's ministries and programming with oversight of volunteer children's ministry staff.
Prepare weekly bulletin, newsletter, PowerPoint and other products as needed (flyers, posters, brochures, etc . )

Priest example responsibilities.

Lead Jr and Sr high youth ministries.
Commence a teleconference prayer program to serve church members and the community.
Engage and encourage urban working class congregation through preaching, prayer and share community service.
Participate in all phases of parish life in assignments in inner city, suburban, and rural parishes.
Serve, support and encourage the pastoral leadership by providing oversight of the spiritual health and care of the church body.
Develop and participate in leadership workshops for new leaders and assist new leaders in assuming leadership responsibilities.

Associate minister vs priest skills

Common associate minister skills

Community Outreach, 18%
Pastoral Care, 11%
Bible Study, 10%
Youth Ministry, 5%
Oversight, 5%
Evangelism, 4%

Common priest skills

Pastoral Care, 28%
Spiritual Care, 13%
Educational Programs, 7%
Financial Statements, 6%
CPE, 6%
Spiritual Support, 5%