Minister assistant vs chaplain

The differences between minister assistants and chaplains can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a minister assistant and a chaplain. Additionally, a chaplain has an average salary of $46,392, which is higher than the $39,430 average annual salary of a minister assistant.

The top three skills for a minister assistant include event planning, youth ministry and pastoral care. The most important skills for a chaplain are patients, social work, and clinical pastoral.

Minister assistant vs chaplain overview

	Minister Assistant	Chaplain
Yearly salary	$39,430	$46,392
Hourly rate	$18.96	$22.30
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	180	2,600
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Minister assistant vs chaplain salary

Minister assistants and chaplains have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Minister Assistant	Chaplain
Average salary	$39,430	$46,392
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $66,000	Between $25,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	UofL Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between minister assistant and chaplain education

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

	Minister Assistant	Chaplain
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Theology
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Minister assistant vs chaplain demographics

Here are the differences between minister assistants' and chaplains' demographics:

	Minister Assistant	Chaplain
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1%	Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between minister assistant and chaplain duties and responsibilities

Minister assistant example responsibilities.

Lead church to incorporate a vision for integrating evangelistic and discipleship efforts.
Prepare PowerPoint and oral progress reports.
Mentore peer ministers in peer leadership training program.
Conduct market research on foreign automotive industries and markets and compile findings into written reports through PowerPoint presentations.
Provide excellent hospitality services, greeting incoming congregations, and facilitating a welcoming environment each week during service and bible study.
Provide excellent hospitality services, greeting incoming congregations, and facilitating a welcoming environment each week during service and bible study.

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 assistant vs chaplain skills

Common minister assistant skills

Event Planning, 23%
Youth Ministry, 21%
Pastoral Care, 19%
Community Services, 19%
PowerPoint, 18%

Common chaplain skills

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