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College ministry pastor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.,

Leah Thomas Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical college ministry pastor skills. We ranked the top skills for college ministry pastors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 25.5% of college ministry pastor resumes contained outreach events as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a college ministry pastor needs to be successful in the workplace.

13 college ministry pastor skills for your resume and career

1. Outreach Events

Here's how college ministry pastors use outreach events:

Worked with other church leadership in developing congregational activities and events, congregational education events, local outreach events.
Created numerous ministry outreach events.

2. Pastoral Care

Here's how college ministry pastors use pastoral care:

Assisted in the pastoral care of individuals in the realm of ministry responsibilities and /or as requested to do so.
Provide programming, oversight, and pastoral care for approximately 100 students between 5th-12th Grade.

3. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how college ministry pastors use oversight:

Recruited and provided leadership and oversight to Life Group leaders.
Provided oversight for Middle school ministry.

4. Public Speaking

Public Speaking or oration, as it is sometimes known, is the act of any one person speaking live in front of an audience. Although in the past the audience was only a physical one, nowadays oration might be done on an online video call, at a digital conference, at an online class, or elsewhere. The art of public speaking is very old, drawing its first established roots from Ancient Greece and likely from before, too. It is an important skill and asset in many industries.

Here's how college ministry pastors use public speaking:

Provided administration; staff development; policy development; public speaking; presentations; curriculum development; congregational care.
Provide pastoral leadership involving public speaking, administration of sacramental and liturgical life, spiritual counseling, and education.

5. Event Planning

Here's how college ministry pastors use event planning:

Coordinated event planning; executed budget management; provided teaching instruction and personal counseling; responsible for all ministry communications.
Developed College/Career ministry, conducting weekly ministry meetings and handling special event planning.

6. Leadership Development

Leadership Development is a term for the process of improving the leadership, management, organizational, and similarly relevant skills of somebody working in a managerial or other leadership skill.

Here's how college ministry pastors use leadership development:

Created and implemented a strategic leadership development model resulting in the training and deployment of multiple vocational and lay elders/pastors.
Provided direct supervision of all aspects of church business including budgeting, goal setting, interdepartmental cooperation and leadership development.

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7. GOD

Here's how college ministry pastors use god:

Established Military Ministry Team Developing a culture of Discipleship- teaching Experiencing God several times
Plan and execute activities for teens in underprivileged neighborhoods as way for God's word to be spread to all people.

8. Youth Camps

Here's how college ministry pastors use youth camps:

Worked with and developed youth and church staff, directed summer youth camps for teens.
Coordinate fund raisers, youth camps, youth retreats, and special ministry events.

9. Facebook

Here's how college ministry pastors use facebook:

Utilized low cost/ no cost promotion including networking, word-of-mouth and social media (Facebook / Twitter) to engage students.
Utilize Social Media (Facebook and Twitter) to promote weekly services, camps and events.

10. Local Community

Here's how college ministry pastors use local community:

Oversee service projects for the local community.
Organized necessary advisory committees and general collaborative ministries with personnel, other religious denominations, and local community organizations.

11. Community Services

Community ѕеrvісе is аn unраіd activity in which аn individual оr grоuр еngаgеѕ tо bеnеfіt thе lосаl, nаtіоnаl оr glоbаl соmmunіtу. It іѕ also uѕеd as аn аltеrnаtіvе to imprisonment аnd іѕ intended tо connect offenders to the victim or society ѕо thаt they can undеrѕtаnd how their асtіоnѕ аffесt оthеrѕ.

Here's how college ministry pastors use community services:

Coordinated weekly/monthly alternative activities for the youth and facilitated monthly community services projects through collaboration with other community organizations.
Design and produce promotional materials for events and community services.

12. Local Church

Here's how college ministry pastors use local church:

Connected with local churches and ministries in the New Castle area to coordinate quarterly events with the other youth groups.
Launched College Ministry for local church.

13. ETC

Here's how college ministry pastors use etc:

Assisted students in succeeding in school, music, and life (relationships, family, etc.).
Perform various administrative roles such as: updating database, preparing youth building for service, building props, etc.

What skills help College Ministry Pastors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on college ministry pastor resumes?

Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.

Department Chair, Professor, Southern Methodist University

Our graduates tell us employers often note the rarity of religious studies degrees, and then go on to remark with excitement about things like intercultural competence and communication skills that the degree supports. For more on that see: Smu

What soft skills should all college ministry pastors possess?

Leah Thomas Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Contextual Education, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

In my students, I encourage the development of soft skills such as deep listening, empathy, authenticity, flexibility, integrity, trustworthiness, and a collaborative leadership style. These skills exist alongside commitments to ongoing spiritual formation, self and theological reflection and reflexivity, ongoing education and supervision, and care of the self's physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual parts.

What hard/technical skills are most important for college ministry pastors?

Leah Thomas Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Contextual Education, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

In terms of the hard/technical skills that aid pastors/ministers in carrying out their responsibilities, these would include skills of crisis intervention, conflict resolution & peacebuilding, knowledge and praxis related to racial justice and reconciliation, and knowledge of (and techniques for) addressing some of the following situations: trauma and grief, conflicts in the family (including pre-marital, marital and family interventions), addictions and situations of sexual abuse. In all of this, attention to the intercultural dimension of pastoral caregiving is also extremely important. Clinical Pastoral Education training can also provide some of these "hard" and "soft" skills.

What college ministry pastor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Rev. Elliott Anderson

Assistant Professor of Psychology, Judson University

The best way to maximize your salary in pastoral ministries is to not focus on it. Find a job in ministry you love and allow the financial returns to follow a strong work ethic, a recognition and acceptance of your current role, and a consideration of further ones that have more earning potential, but only as they fit the man or woman you are and want to be. One of the biggest mistakes in ministry is leaving a job we love and are effective in to simply earn more money in a different role that we don't like, that doesn't fit our spiritual gifts or experience, and where we quickly lose our joy in the faith and our joy in our pastoral roles.

Do you want to know more?

List of college ministry pastor skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a college ministry pastor resume and required skills for a college ministry pastor to have include:

Outreach Events
Pastoral Care
Oversight
Public Speaking
Event Planning

Leadership Development
GOD
Youth Camps
Facebook
Local Community

Community Services
Local Church
ETC

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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