Minister vs priest

The differences between ministers and priests 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 and a priest. Additionally, a priest has an average salary of $44,712, which is higher than the $42,866 average annual salary of a minister.

The top three skills for a minister include community outreach, pastoral care and bible studies. The most important skills for a priest are pastoral care, spiritual care, and educational programs.

Minister vs priest overview

	Minister	Priest
Yearly salary	$42,866	$44,712
Hourly rate	$20.61	$21.50
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	185	80
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Minister vs priest salary

Ministers and priests have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Minister	Priest
Average salary	$42,866	$44,712
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $58,000	Between $24,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Campbell, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Maine
Best paying company	New Life Community Church	Prime Healthcare
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Non Profits

Differences between minister and priest education

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

	Minister	Priest
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Minister vs priest demographics

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

	Minister	Priest
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7%	Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9%
Race ratio	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%	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 Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between minister and priest duties and responsibilities

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.

Priest example responsibilities.

Lead Jr and Sr high youth ministries.
Commence a teleconference prayer program to serve church members and the community.
Engage and encourage urban working class congregation through preaching, prayer and share community service.
Participate in all phases of parish life in assignments in inner city, suburban, and rural parishes.
Serve, support and encourage the pastoral leadership by providing oversight of the spiritual health and care of the church body.
Develop and participate in leadership workshops for new leaders and assist new leaders in assuming leadership responsibilities.

Minister vs priest skills

Common minister skills

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

Common priest skills

Pastoral Care, 28%
Spiritual Care, 13%
Educational Programs, 7%
Financial Statements, 6%
CPE, 6%
Spiritual Support, 5%