Pastor vs priest

The differences between pastors 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 pastor and a priest. Additionally, a pastor has an average salary of $44,787, which is higher than the $44,712 average annual salary of a priest.

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

Pastor vs priest overview

	Pastor	Priest
Yearly salary	$44,787	$44,712
Hourly rate	$21.53	$21.50
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	494	80
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Pastor vs priest salary

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

	Pastor	Priest
Average salary	$44,787	$44,712
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $64,000	Between $24,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	Worcester, MA	Campbell, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Maine
Best paying company	Bethel Church	Prime Healthcare
Best paying industry	Education	Non Profits

Differences between pastor and priest education

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

	Pastor	Priest
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Pastor vs priest demographics

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

	Pastor	Priest
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%	Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9%
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, 11.7% 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 pastor and priest 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.

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.

Pastor vs priest skills

Common pastor skills

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

Common priest skills

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