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College chaplain vs pastor

The differences between college chaplains 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 college chaplain and a pastor. Additionally, a pastor has an average salary of $44,787, which is higher than the $36,110 average annual salary of a college chaplain.

College chaplain vs pastor overview

College ChaplainPastor
Yearly salary$36,110$44,787
Hourly rate$17.36$21.53
Growth rate--
Number of jobs3,337494
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age5151
Years of experience44

College chaplain vs pastor salary

College chaplains and pastors have different pay scales, as shown below.

College ChaplainPastor
Average salary$36,110$44,787
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $52,000Between $30,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City-Worcester, MA
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Bethel Church
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between college chaplain and pastor education

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

College ChaplainPastor
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorTheologyTheology
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaEmory University

College chaplain vs pastor demographics

Here are the differences between college chaplains' and pastors' demographics:

College ChaplainPastor
Average age5151
Gender ratioMale, 70.0% Female, 30.0%Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 74.8% 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 Percentage16%16%

Differences between college chaplain and pastor duties and responsibilities

College chaplain example responsibilities.

  • Develop, provide oversight and lead all ministries for middle school and high school students and their parents.
  • Counsele inmates struggling with a variety of problems including: psychological issues, addiction recovery, abuse recovery, and rehabilitation.
  • Develop all graphics and designs for sermon PowerPoint presentations and ministry events.

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

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