Chaplain vs minister

The differences between chaplains and ministers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chaplain and a minister. Additionally, a chaplain has an average salary of $46,392, which is higher than the $42,866 average annual salary of a minister.

The top three skills for a chaplain include patients, social work and clinical pastoral. The most important skills for a minister are community outreach, pastoral care, and bible studies.

Chaplain vs minister overview

	Chaplain	Minister
Yearly salary	$46,392	$42,866
Hourly rate	$22.30	$20.61
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	2,600	185
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Chaplain vs minister salary

Chaplains and ministers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chaplain	Minister
Average salary	$46,392	$42,866
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $83,000	Between $31,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	Delaware
Best paying company	UofL Hospital	New Life Community Church
Best paying industry	Health Care	Non Profits

Differences between chaplain and minister education

There are a few differences between a chaplain and a minister in terms of educational background:

	Chaplain	Minister
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Chaplain vs minister demographics

Here are the differences between chaplains' and ministers' demographics:

	Chaplain	Minister
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7%	Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between chaplain and minister duties and responsibilities

Chaplain example responsibilities.

Provide full pastoral ministry, visitation and counseling to inmates and incarcerate patients.
Participate as members of a psychiatric or rehabilitation team in staff conferences concerning patients and inmates.
Perform functions in field and combat environments, combat lifesaver tasks and apply communication skills in crisis/potential suicide intervention.
Visit patients/families identify as appropriate for pastoral services and provide direct spiritual counseling, prayer, and ministry as appropriate.
Certify in ASIST (suicideprevention )
Participate in bi-weekly IDG meetings as part of IDG team.

Minister example responsibilities.

Lead the community in a Eucharistic prayer service, providing theological reflection every Monday and throughout the summer.
Lead church to incorporate a vision for integrating evangelistic and discipleship efforts.
Introduce young people to Christ; disciple them in spiritual growth; train them in serving Christ with their life.
Conduct other teaching assignments and conduct gospel meetings.
Serve as overseer of all ministries and mission assignments.
Promote understanding of the gospel by working with church members.

Chaplain vs minister skills

Common chaplain skills

Patients, 21%
Social Work, 11%
Clinical Pastoral, 10%
Spiritual Care, 8%
Pastoral Care, 7%
Patient Care, 5%

Common minister skills

Community Outreach, 15%
Pastoral Care, 12%
Bible Studies, 8%
Student Ministry, 8%
Public Speaking, 6%
Oversight, 4%