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Job outlook for religious education directors in the United States
Are religious education director jobs in demand?
Religious education director job and salary trends over time
Religious education director jobs over time
Religious education director job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 785 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 742 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 815 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 811 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 801 | 0.00% |
Average religious education director salary over time
Religious education director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $44,620 | $21.45 | +2.8% |
| 2025 | $43,383 | $20.86 | +7.5% |
| 2024 | $40,366 | $19.41 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | $38,556 | $18.54 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | $38,190 | $18.36 | --0.4% |
Religious education director jobs by state
Most common states for religious education directors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 203 | 23% |
| 2 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 578 | 18% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 123 | 18% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 514 | 17% |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 490 | 12% |
| 6 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 533 | 11% |
| 7 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 521 | 11% |
| 8 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 315 | 11% |
| 9 | Vermont | 623,657 | 44 | 7% |
| 10 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 220 | 6% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 79 | 6% |
| 12 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 627 | 5% |
| 13 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 367 | 5% |
| 14 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 286 | 5% |
| 15 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 263 | 5% |
| 16 | Delaware | 961,939 | 49 | 5% |
| 17 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 383 | 4% |
| 18 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 304 | 4% |
| 19 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 214 | 4% |
| 20 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 38 | 4% |
Most common cities for religious education directors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 1 | 0% | $51,996 |
| 2 | Philadelphia | 1 | 0% | $40,834 |
Religious Education Director job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of religious education director experts
Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology
Concordia University
North Carolina State University
Aquinas College
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
West Virginia University
Bluefield State College
Chestnut Hill College
Deacon Dr. Steve Kramer D.Min.
Director of Homiletics (Preaching), Director of Recruitment, and Associate Professor of Pastoral StudiesSacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology
Theological And Ministerial Studies
What general advice would you give to a Religious Education Director?
Deacon Dr. Steve Kramer D.Min.: Once a student has completed their M.Div. (Masters of Divinity) or MA (Masters in Theology) they would return to the diocese who sponsored them for their studies to begin their vocation as priests for the Roman Catholic Church. However, we also have lay students earning their degree in theology who may be going on to teach in the Catholic school system or to begin employment with a diocese/archdiocese in various capacities (Administration, Director of Religious Education, or Pastoral Associate).
What Religious Education Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Deacon Dr. Steve Kramer D.Min.: Business and accounting skills, human resources, and organizational skills are extremely important for both lay employees and priests/pastors. Additionally, for priests/pastors – public speaking/communication skills are a mainstay of the vocation. Preaching, teaching, leading retreats, staff meetings, and other community events all require excellent communication skills.
What will help Religious Education Directors increase their earning potential?
Deacon Dr. Steve Kramer D.Min.: Priest salaries and compensation are generally set by each individual diocese, so there is little to no negotiation in that regard. However, for lay employees (Religious Education Directors, administrators, business managers, etc.) there are a wide variety of ways to increase one’s salary potential. Ultimately, if you are able to assist a pastor in multiple ways, your salary can be negotiated more than if you only have one specific skill set. The best thing to do is to jump in, learn as much as you can, and make yourself available to your boss (just like any job). The more enthusiastic and helpful you are, the more you learn, and the more responsibilities you take on, there is an excellent chance of increasing your salary potential.
What general advice would you give to a Religious Education Director?
Hosffman Ospino PhD: Religious educators like being in a field that allows them to connect with the most intimate questions people ask every day, and do so from a faith-based perspective. As in the case of most educators, religious educators are not always fully appreciated and well-compensated.
What Religious Education Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Hosffman Ospino PhD: Most people in the United States and elsewhere give religion a prominent space in their lives. There are tens of thousands of communities and faith-based institutions and organizations that need well-prepared religious educators.
What will help Religious Education Directors increase their earning potential?
Hosffman Ospino PhD: Religious educators usually work in faith-based contexts forming people in values out of particular religious traditions or teaching students about the religions that give meaning to most people in the world.
What general advice would you give to a Religious Education Director?
Dr. Jim Marriott: At Concordia University Texas, we cherish the opportunity to prepare Religious Education students for meaningful service within the church and the wider world. As students prepare for the beginning of their careers, I encourage them to embrace continuous learning! Education, especially Religious Education, is a lifelong endeavor. Even after 22 years into my career, I find myself learning something new every day. I encourage students to cultivate a robust support system around them—people they can trust whom they can confide, consult and collaborate with. I hope to remain a reliable colleague to them as well as they enter into their professional career.
What Religious Education Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Jim Marriott: Biblical literacy continues to be crucial to religious education. A deep knowledge of the narrative of scripture will help students teach and lead in various aspects of their careers. Pedagogical and andragogical expertise will continue to be important, especially as we continue to learn to teach and lead this post-pandemic generation.
What will help Religious Education Directors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Jim Marriott: As much as possible, diversify your skills. Cultivate the ability to teach, lead and network effectively. For those with the capacity, bi-vocational work offers the opportunity to maximize time management and salary potential.
What general advice would you give to a Religious Education Director?
Jason Bivins: I think we're going to see more religion majors getting involved in public-facing digital humanities work, whether or not this is associated with universities. There are so many exciting developments underway in software, media, journalism, education, and they could all use higher levels of religious literacy.
What Religious Education Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jason Bivins: In all candor, this isn't something that religion majors tend to think about other than in a general sense. Purpose and satisfaction tend to drive us more, although I will say that within five years of graduation the salaries of humanities majors quickly approach those of STEM majors.
What will help Religious Education Directors increase their earning potential?
Jason Bivins: Be open-minded about what kinds of jobs you might be good at. Contrary to conventional wisdom, many companies are eager to hire humanities graduates because of generally high intellectual competency. You might be more competitive for more jobs than you think.
Fr. Robert Keller O.P.
Adjunct Professor, Theology Campus Ministry chaplainAquinas College
Theological And Ministerial Studies
What general advice would you give to a Religious Education Director?
Fr. Robert Keller O.P.: A career in Theology. Definitely a niche job. It probably does not have the earning potential of many
other careers. Many who engage in work in Theology are in “ministry,” that is, akin to personal
‘vocation’ more than to ‘job’ or ‘career.’
First, what kinds of jobs are open to a degree in Theology? One with a bachelor’s degree can teach and
do campus ministry in high school, or find work in a parish. Getting a Masters in Theology expands the
teaching opportunities to include college, and in parishes, to be religious education coordinator or
director. One can also do campus ministry in college. A doctoral expands all of this immensely.
What Religious Education Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Fr. Robert Keller O.P.: In the next 5 years, I can imagine that a person with a Masters in Theology could be a Parish Lay
Coordinator; the priest shortage is not lessening. This person would oversee the daily and weekly
operations of a parish, offer formation, and find presiders for Sacraments. Second, there is ever a need
for qualified College campus ministers. The opportunities for high school teaching and campus ministry
continues.
What will help Religious Education Directors increase their earning potential?
Fr. Robert Keller O.P.: In the next 5 years, I can imagine that a person with a Masters in Theology could be a Parish Lay
Coordinator; the priest shortage is not lessening. This person would oversee the daily and weekly
operations of a parish, offer formation, and find presiders for Sacraments. Second, there is ever a need
for qualified College campus ministers. The opportunities for high school teaching and campus ministry
continues.
Dr. David Nikkel Ph.D.
Professor of Religion and Chair / Web Information CoordinatorUniversity of North Carolina at Pembroke
Philosophy & Religion Department
What skills stand out on Religious Education Director resumes?
Dr. David Nikkel Ph.D.: Taking a lot of courses in biblical studies and some courses in theology are important to include on a resume.
What soft skills should all Religious Education Directors possess?
Dr. David Nikkel Ph.D.: In terms of soft skills, being a good listener and being able to ask good questions is key. Seeing these qualities modeled by their instructors here in religious studies can help students gain these skills, as well as their making class presentations. This latter also helps their speaking skills in front of a group.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Religious Education Directors?
Dr. David Nikkel Ph.D.: These days, of course, being adept at finding resources online is an important hard skill.
Stephanie Lorenze
Service Associate Professor, Coordinator for Teacher EducationWest Virginia University
Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies
What will help Religious Education Directors increase their earning potential?
Stephanie Lorenze: Legislators and communities who value their work through actions.
What experience really stands out on Religious Education Director resumes?
Amanda Banks Ph.D.: Adaptability and expertise in teaching diverse students in inclusive classrooms are growing focal points of many school districts nationally. With recent changes in federal education legislation (Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015), there has been a growing need for educators to universally design effective learning opportunities for a wide range of learners (Universal Design for Learning) to ensure students' academic progress regardless of their socioeconomic background or learning ability. Identifying potential teachers who can help students and schools successfully meet state and federal accountability standards is paramount to hiring committees.
Candidates should showcase any firsthand experiences they have in working with students within and outside of the classroom, especially diverse student populations (e.g., special education, bilingual education). Strong collaboration skills, content expertise, and instructional flexibility are three professional qualities that definitely set a candidate apart from the rest. Recent graduates who anticipate entering the job market in the near future should actively search for such volunteer opportunities if they didn't have these types of experiences in their preparation program.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Religious Education Directors?
Marie Leahy: Yes, I think the coronavirus pandemic will have an enduring impact on college graduates in ways that will continue to unfold. One of the biggest impacts right now is the loss of the "typical college experience" that many of them feel. For example, many colleges and universities had to postpone last year's graduation and the long-awaited activities that accompany the end of senior year. Many courses have been moved to either an online or a hybrid format, resulting in students opting to live at home rather than on campus or in off campus housing with friends. In regard to Education majors, a large portion, if not all, of their practicum experiences as well as their student teaching experiences have been virtual. Even though it was challenging to create a rich experience in a virtual setting, the students responded extremely well. They were able to understand first-hand the importance of patience, flexibility, and creativity, and that will be an asset for them as educators for sure.
What technical skills for a Religious Education Director stand out to employers?
Marie Leahy: The suddenness of the onset of the pandemic made all employers realize that it is absolutely critical for their workers to be able to mobilize quickly and adapt to an entirely new situation with relative ease. Recent graduates in the field of education will need to be able to use Microsoft Office and be able to use interactive whiteboards and maintain a classroom website. In addition, they will need to be able to utilize learning management systems, live streaming, and document cameras/visual presenters. Each school/district has its own learning management system, but if someone is experienced in using a learning management system, then getting accustomed to a different one is pretty seamless. The same is true for live streaming services and document cameras/visual presenters.