Missionary vs minister

The differences between missionaries and ministers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a missionary has an average salary of $51,599, which is higher than the $42,866 average annual salary of a minister.

The top three skills for a missionary include spanish language, community outreach and ministry. The most important skills for a minister are community outreach, pastoral care, and bible studies.

Missionary vs minister overview

	Missionary	Minister
Yearly salary	$51,599	$42,866
Hourly rate	$24.81	$20.61
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	4	185
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	49	51
Years of experience	-	4

Missionary vs minister salary

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

	Missionary	Minister
Average salary	$51,599	$42,866
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $108,000	Between $31,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Delaware
Best paying company	-	New Life Community Church
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between missionary and minister education

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

	Missionary	Minister
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Theology
Most common college	-	Emory University

Missionary vs minister demographics

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

	Missionary	Minister
Average age	49	51
Gender ratio	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%	Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 9.5% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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	28%	16%

Differences between missionary and minister duties and responsibilities

Missionary example responsibilities.

Train in cross-cultural evangelism and discipleship.
Assist Sunday school teacher -Teach class
Prepare PowerPoint slides for worship every week.
Coach small groups in language basics within a larger ESL classroom.
Work to help people in Taiwan learn about the LDS church and improve their lives.
Serve as a team leader in both Peru and Ecuador , 7 weeks in total.

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.

Missionary vs minister skills

Common missionary skills

Spanish Language, 21%
Community Outreach, 11%
Ministry, 8%
Bible Studies, 7%
Public Speaking, 5%
LDS, 4%

Common minister skills

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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