Pastor vs deacon

The differences between pastors and deacons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a pastor and a deacon. Additionally, a deacon has an average salary of $49,574, which is higher than the $44,787 average annual salary of a pastor.

The top three skills for a pastor include community outreach, overseer and bible study. The most important skills for a deacon are pastoral care, community outreach, and bible study.

Pastor vs deacon overview

	Pastor	Deacon
Yearly salary	$44,787	$49,574
Hourly rate	$21.53	$23.83
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	494	117
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Pastor vs deacon salary

Pastors and deacons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pastor	Deacon
Average salary	$44,787	$49,574
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $64,000	Between $26,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Worcester, MA	-
Highest paying state	Hawaii	-
Best paying company	Bethel Church	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between pastor and deacon education

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

	Pastor	Deacon
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Pastor vs deacon demographics

Here are the differences between pastors' and deacons' demographics:

	Pastor	Deacon
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%	Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between pastor and deacon duties and responsibilities

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.

Deacon example responsibilities.

Lead Jr and Sr high youth ministries.
Coordinate serving and prayer schedules.
Develop and participate in leadership workshops for new leaders and assist new leaders in assuming leadership responsibilities.
Develop deacons in fulfilling their respective leadership obligations.

Pastor vs deacon skills

Common pastor skills

Community Outreach, 22%
Overseer, 7%
Bible Study, 7%
Public Speaking, 6%
GOD, 6%
Youth Ministry, 5%

Common deacon skills

Pastoral Care, 46%
Community Outreach, 26%
Bible Study, 8%
Prayer, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Leadership Meetings, 5%