Catholic priest vs associate pastor

The differences between catholic priests and associate pastors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a catholic priest and an associate pastor. Additionally, an associate pastor has an average salary of $46,081, which is higher than the $37,428 average annual salary of a catholic priest.

The top three skills for a catholic priest include pastoral care, pastoral ministry and public speaking. The most important skills for an associate pastor are community outreach, pastoral care, and oversight.

Catholic priest vs associate pastor overview

	Catholic Priest	Associate Pastor
Yearly salary	$37,428	$46,081
Hourly rate	$17.99	$22.15
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	100	432
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Catholic priest vs associate pastor salary

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

	Catholic Priest	Associate Pastor
Average salary	$37,428	$46,081
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $57,000	Between $29,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Dublin, CA	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	West Virginia
Best paying company	Baptist Health South Florida	Calvary Church
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between catholic priest and associate pastor education

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

	Catholic Priest	Associate Pastor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Boston College	North Park University

Catholic priest vs associate pastor demographics

Here are the differences between catholic priests' and associate pastors' demographics:

	Catholic Priest	Associate Pastor
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 97.1% Female, 2.9%	Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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 Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between catholic priest and associate pastor duties and responsibilities

Catholic priest example responsibilities.

Lead the largest VBS program and confirmation class ever, with aggressive marketing, recruiting, and coaching.
Perform other various functions as needed including communication with church leadership to ensure efficient operations for church outreach activities.
Perform other various functions as needed including communication with church leadership to ensure efficient operations for church outreach activities.

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.

Catholic priest vs associate pastor skills

Common catholic priest skills

Pastoral Care, 60%
Pastoral Ministry, 15%
Public Speaking, 10%
Spiritual Support, 8%
Bishops, 3%
Parishes, 2%

Common associate pastor skills

Community Outreach, 20%
Pastoral Care, 12%
Oversight, 9%
Youth Ministry, 5%
Youth Program, 4%
Public Speaking, 4%