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Catholic priest vs pastor

The differences between catholic priests and 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 a pastor. Additionally, a pastor has an average salary of $44,787, 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 a pastor are community outreach, overseer, and bible study.

Catholic priest vs pastor overview

Catholic PriestPastor
Yearly salary$37,428$44,787
Hourly rate$17.99$21.53
Growth rate--
Number of jobs100494
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age5151
Years of experience44

Catholic priest vs pastor salary

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

Catholic PriestPastor
Average salary$37,428$44,787
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $57,000Between $30,000 And $64,000
Highest paying CityDublin, CAWorcester, MA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandHawaii
Best paying companyBaptist Health South FloridaBethel Church
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between catholic priest and pastor education

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

Catholic PriestPastor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorTheologyTheology
Most common collegeBoston CollegeEmory University

Catholic priest vs pastor demographics

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

Catholic PriestPastor
Average age5151
Gender ratioMale, 97.1% Female, 2.9%Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between catholic priest and 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.

Pastor example responsibilities.

  • Manage and provide oversight for the administration of all ministry areas within the organization.
  • Provide formal and informal leadership training and forums for frequent communication, encouragement and evaluation.
  • Coordinate visitation program, VBS, and youth programs.
  • Develop children's ministry including writing of curriculum for Sunday school and VBS.
  • Begin to birth new Sunday school groups, and new bible study small groups.
  • Provide hand-outs, and employ PowerPoint slides to illustrate concepts and provide visual referencing of all teaching content.
  • Show more

Catholic priest vs pastor skills

Common catholic priest skills
  • Pastoral Care, 60%
  • Pastoral Ministry, 15%
  • Public Speaking, 10%
  • Spiritual Support, 8%
  • Bishops, 3%
  • Parishes, 2%
Common pastor skills
  • Community Outreach, 22%
  • Overseer, 7%
  • Bible Study, 7%
  • Public Speaking, 6%
  • GOD, 6%
  • Youth Ministry, 5%

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