Senior pastor vs minister

The differences between senior pastors and ministers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior pastor and a minister. Additionally, a senior pastor has an average salary of $45,556, which is higher than the $42,866 average annual salary of a minister.

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

Senior pastor vs minister overview

	Senior Pastor	Minister
Yearly salary	$45,556	$42,866
Hourly rate	$21.90	$20.61
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	466	185
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Senior pastor vs minister salary

Senior pastors and ministers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Pastor	Minister
Average salary	$45,556	$42,866
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $71,000	Between $31,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	San Diego, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	Delaware
Best paying company	Bethel Church	New Life Community Church
Best paying industry	Education	Non Profits

Differences between senior pastor and minister education

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

	Senior Pastor	Minister
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Senior pastor vs minister demographics

Here are the differences between senior pastors' and ministers' demographics:

	Senior Pastor	Minister
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%	Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 6.6% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	16%	16%

Differences between senior pastor and minister duties and responsibilities

Senior pastor example responsibilities.

Manage and provide oversight for the administration of all ministry areas within the organization.
Emphasize Christ-centered teaching, fervent prayer, multilevel family Christian education programs, evangelism and mission outreaches.
Encourage servant evangelism and outreach through numerous community service projects i.e.
Major responsibilities include purchasing or developing curriculum, group leadership, volunteer recruitment and training.
Major responsibilities include purchasing or developing curriculum, group leadership, volunteer recruitment and training.

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.

Senior pastor vs minister skills

Common senior pastor skills

Community Outreach, 22%
Pastoral Care, 11%
Overseer, 8%
Bible Study, 6%
GOD, 5%
Funeral Services, 4%

Common minister skills

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