Pastoral assistant vs associate pastor

The differences between pastoral assistants and associate pastors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a pastoral assistant, becoming an associate pastor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an associate pastor has an average salary of $46,081, which is higher than the $36,596 average annual salary of a pastoral assistant.

The top three skills for a pastoral assistant include community outreach, pastoral care and scheduling appointments. The most important skills for an associate pastor are community outreach, pastoral care, and oversight.

Pastoral assistant vs associate pastor overview

	Pastoral Assistant	Associate Pastor
Yearly salary	$36,596	$46,081
Hourly rate	$17.59	$22.15
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	32,301	432
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	50	51
Years of experience	2	4

Pastoral assistant vs associate pastor salary

Pastoral assistants and associate pastors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pastoral Assistant	Associate Pastor
Average salary	$36,596	$46,081
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $49,000	Between $29,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	West Virginia
Best paying company	West Tennessee Healthcare	Calvary Church
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between pastoral assistant and associate pastor education

There are a few differences between a pastoral assistant and an associate pastor in terms of educational background:

	Pastoral Assistant	Associate Pastor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Villanova University	North Park University

Pastoral assistant vs associate pastor demographics

Here are the differences between pastoral assistants' and associate pastors' demographics:

	Pastoral Assistant	Associate Pastor
Average age	50	51
Gender ratio	Male, 48.7% Female, 51.3%	Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	16%

Differences between pastoral assistant and associate pastor duties and responsibilities

Pastoral assistant example responsibilities.

Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
Help with church activities such as bazaars and vacation bible school.
Coordinate events, vacation bible school, special occasions and events from parishioners.
Create advertising and marketing materials and PowerPoint presentations.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), using training and medical supplies/equipment.
Disseminate news alerts and other pertinent information throughout organizational leadership and congregation.

Associate pastor example responsibilities.

Manage and provide oversight for the administration of all ministry areas within the organization.
Deliver messages base on the bible.
Assist children's outreach including VBS and AWANA.
Produce services through media development, PowerPoint, sound system, and print materials.
Direct all children and youth ministries, including outreach, VBS, missions, and choirs.
Implement a comprehensive prayer strategy.

Pastoral assistant vs associate pastor skills

Common pastoral assistant skills

Community Outreach, 21%
Pastoral Care, 11%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Event Planning, 6%
Youth Ministry, 5%
Graphic Design, 5%

Common associate pastor skills

Community Outreach, 20%
Pastoral Care, 12%
Oversight, 9%
Youth Ministry, 5%
Youth Program, 4%
Public Speaking, 4%