A pastor’s resumé might include multiple churches and ministry roles, but most won’t have much non-ministry experience listed.
Most current U.S. Protestant senior pastors worked outside of ministry as adults for only a short time, according to a Lifeway Research study. Only 3 in 10, however, began vocational ministry as the senior pastor.
“A person’s journey to the pastorate can happen at almost any age, but the majority of pastors are in a ministry job by their early 30s,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Ministry skills are typically developed in more junior positions at a church, but some senior pastors learn on the job.”
Work before ministry
In the period between graduating high school and becoming a senior pastor, a third of pastors (34%) say they spent five years or less working in a non-ministry job, including 13% who have less than a year of secular work experience. Another quarter (24%) say they worked outside ministry for six to 10 years.
Fewer have longer non-ministry careers before becoming a senior pastor, including 10% who worked for 11-15 years outside the church, 10% 16-20 years, 7% 21-25 years, 7% 26-30 years and 8% who spent more than 30 years in non-ministry jobs.
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“Years of work experience in non-ministry roles can help pastors relate to the experiences of those in their congregations and to develop relationships with people outside their churches,” said McConnell.
As older pastors are the ones who have lived long enough to have decades of post-high school experience, pastors 65 and older (20%) are the most likely to say they worked outside of ministry more than 30 years. Additionally, most younger pastors have worked outside of ministry for a brief time.
Pastors aged 18-44 are the most likely to say their secular work experience before coming to the church as a pastor lasted six to 10 years (35%) or one to five years (29%).
Pastors without much formal education probably also spent time working outside the church. Those with no college degree are the most likely to say before they became a senior pastor, they worked in non-ministry employment for 26-30 years (15%) and more than 30 years (17%).
White pastors (23%) are more likely than African American pastors (6%) to have a brief 1-5-year non-ministry work experience.
One in 5 Lutheran (20%) and Restorationist movement pastors (20%) say they worked outside the church for less than a year, compared to 11% of Baptists and 7% of non-denominational pastors.
Ministry experience
Most senior pastors didn’t step immediately into a lead pastor role as their first ministry position. Seven in 10 started somewhere else in the church. On average senior pastors held 1.7 other ministry roles before their current position as a senior pastor.
More than 2 in 5 say they previously served as a youth or student minister (44%) or an assistant or associate pastor (42%). Fewer say they worked as a children or kids’ minister (16%) or another church ministry position (18%). Three in 10 (30%) say they had no previous ministry positions before becoming a senior pastor.
“Leading, teaching, equipping, and caring for people are skills all ministers utilize,” said McConnell. “So, regardless of the age or specific ministry within the church there are opportunities to develop skills senior pastors need.”
Pastors 65 and older are the least likely to say they’ve served as an assistant or associate pastor (33%) or as a youth or student minister (28%). Younger pastors, those 18-44, are the least likely to say they had no previous ministry positions before becoming a senior pastor (20%).
Hispanic senior pastors are the most likely to say they previously worked as an assistant or associate pastor (54%) and among the most likely to say they were a children or kids’ minister (29%). African American pastors are the least likely to say they served as a youth or student minister (30%) and the most likely to say they had no previous ministry experience (44%).
Pentecostal (56%) and non-denominational pastors (52%) are among the most likely to say they worked as an assistant or associate pastor. Pentecostal (54%), non-denominational (54%) and Baptist pastors (49%) are among the most likely to have spent time as a youth or student minister. Pentecostal senior pastors are also among the most likely to have been a children or kids minister (27%). Lutherans (41%) are among the most likely to say they had no ministry experience before becoming a senior pastor.
Pastors of the largest churches, those with 250 or more in worship attendance, (61%) are more likely than pastors of small churches, those with less than 50 in attendance, (38%) and normative churches, those with 50-99 for worship services, (41%) to say they previously served as a youth or student minister.
Pastor search
Around 4 in 5 senior pastors (83%) say their church spent less than a year without a pastor before they started. For 2 in 5 (42%), the church waited less than a month. A quarter (23%) say the time without a pastor was one to six months. Another 18% say it lasted for at least seven months but less than a year. Fewer senior pastors say the church spent 13-18 months (7%), 19-24 months (6%) or more than two years (5%) without a pastor before they arrived.
“Many churches utilize a pastor search process that can sometimes be lengthy,” said McConnell. “Pastors reporting there was little to no time between pastors when they arrived may include situations in which the church had an interim pastor, the pastor leaving stayed until the new pastor was found or leaders in their denomination quickly appointed a pastor.”
Larger churches don’t spend long between pastors. Those at churches with 250 or more are the most likely to say their congregation spent less than a month without a pastor before they started (67%).
Different types of churches have different processes for filling vacancies. Some denominations appoint pastors to churches, while other congregations are autonomous and select their own. Methodist pastors (81%) are the most likely to say their congregation spent less than a month without a pastor. Non-denominational (59%) and Pentecostal (53%) pastors are more likely than Presbyterian/Reformed (30%), Baptist (28%) and Lutheran pastors (24%) to say their church was without a pastor for less than a month before they began serving.
This article originally appeared at Lifeway Research.
Aaron Earls is the senior writer at Lifeway Research.
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18 Responses
IOW. the concept of a bi-vocational pastor (like the Apostle Paul) is completely alien to most American pastors and without a bunch of giving units (aka churchgoers) they are completely useless in the labor field. A nice gig if they can keep the racket going.
As a pastor who has worked plenty in the secular world, I can tell you that most churches have less interest in hiring you.
I suspect you are correct. It is unfortunate. A pastor who has worked in the secular world can bring many life-lessons. They have insight and awareness that many bible-college to ministry pastors may not have. Yet, in most protestant denominations as well as non-denominational, the paradigm has been set and most churches have the status quo standards that they adhere to in hiring. It is interesting, that a 55-year-old with much wisdom without the desired resume (bible college/5-year youth pastor seeking associate pastor/senior pastor) can be quickly dismissed for the 30-year-old who checks all the boxes. There is a place for both. One solution is to independently start a church. Many have and God used them.
Our lead pastor realized several years ago that he had spent most of his adult life in a church bubble, having started out as a ministry intern at the church he attended in high school. Many on the church staff had gone straight to Bible college after high school, and then into some entry-level ministry job (kids/youth pastor).
So he started a program where all the pastoral staff volunteered in secular spaces outside the church at least a half-day a week, to stay in contact with unchurched people. The youth pastor volunteered as an assistant football coach for a couple of local high schools (alternating schools each season). Another pastor on staff gave a half day each week as an assistant on a local secular radio station’s talk show. The senior pastor himself have a half-day each week during the school year as a volunteer reading to second graders in a public school to help them improve literacy, and in the summer each Saturday at a local water park, in every position from assistant general manager to lifeguard to concession stand cashier (one of the owning partners was a church member).
While not paid jobs outside the church to support one’s family, these did serve to keep the pastoral staff from being isolated in a church culture bubble, and get first-hand interaction with regular people facing the problems of daily life.
This is cool. Thanks for sharing
I have experience outside the church world (undergrad from secular university, military service, bi-voc in group homes during seminary and early years of pastoring). I am thankful for it. In fact, my current congregation told me that they liked me over other candidates because my resume wasn’t the straight bible college > youth pastor > assoc. pastor > senior pastor trajectory.
However, I don’t think we ought to infer too much from someone’s resume that is mostly or all vocational ministry. There are potential downsides eg) being always in church bubble, not knowing what it is like in secular workforce, etc. But it could also be evidence of a lifelong calling that was acted upon at an early age. Charles Spurgeon’s resume wouldn’t have evidenced much work outside the church.
Bi-vocational ministry is a viable option in some contexts but it is not a perfect scenario. (the Apostle Paul was only bi-vocational during certain times) Bi-vocational pastoring can lead to exhausting a pastor. It can also result in less attentiveness in the pastoral care. Bi-vocational pastoring may be something that is needed more in the future, and I myself may be bi-vocational again someday out of necessity. But that does not mean it is always ideal or even desirable.
The data presented here are interesting but don’t dictate how things ought to be.
Many years ago, I heard of a church that had a team of 3 pastors who were all intentionally bi-vocational, working a job outside the church that put them in contact with multiple people daily (one was a barista at a local coffee shop). They would work like 15 hours per week or so in the outside job. They rotated teaching/preaching duties, and I believe they arranged their non-church work schedules so that at least one of them would be available at any time for emergency calls to hospitals, etc.
What’s the problem? How many doctors have significant non-medical experience? How many teachers have non-education experience? Similarly, dentists, car mechanics etc.
It all comes down to whether ministers/pastors are appointed OR anointed.
Ivor, I would bet the statistics on those other professions would be much different. One reason is they have to pay some bills along the way to pay for their training. Furthermore, I don’t think it is quite the same comparison. I mean, do you expect your pastor to treat your spiritual life like a car mechanic?
Although we all agree they should be anointed, the point here is that we are settling for career leaders. We have become more like the world in managing this including our theological institutions where we send off young people to learn without doing in a church context. Then they get hired by a people who have not seen the way this new pastor lives and the pastor is expected to love a group of people he does not know which is highly related to their salary. And we wonder why we are seeing all these problems of abuse? You can’t confirm anointing when you don’t know them.
@Joe Myers – what you describe is not the norm among the vast majority of pastors. Yes, perhaps in the megachurches and those that get “featured” here at Roys Report. Vast majority of pastors serve humbly and it isn’t a career it is a calling. It is 24/7 365. Going out at 2 am because husband is convinced his wife is having an affair because of “evidence” that he has found. Getting in the car with him to go get coffee only to realize he is drunk and driving! On “vacation” and needing to make phone calls and even hold up vacation to do a funeral. Hospital visitation because a son has been in a car accident and this was on an afternoon when one attempts to get a bit of time off. And then there is the care of the church family (as apostle Paul writes) with family breakdowns constantly on the mind, addictions and trying to figure out how to help, the burdens of people who are upset because something didn’t go their way, the burden of two different groups in tension and deep concern that it might split the church and hinder the reputation of Christ in the community. And oh, we also have expenses from trying to get the best education we can to serve Christ and His church most effectively and at a “salary” below the going wage of the community. Obviously this done to serve the Chief Shepherd to whom we must give an account – very sobering! (1 Pet 5:1-3).
Don, in no way am I denying there are hard working servant pastors (including yourself) nor that they should not be salaried. I’ve lived in small and big cities. I’ve been with small and large churches. A trend I’ve been seeing on TRR are how many of these abuse pastors are in small churches. What I’m talking about is a century old trend to professionalize ministry. And if you don’t think this is the majority, when is the last time you have seen a pastor called, trained, and serve within their own church?
“Non-ministry jobs.” Interesting phrase. The work week of most of my fellow Pastors included plumbing, electrical, cleaning, clerical, accounting, tech, audio, visual, etc.
Heck, yesterday I spent four hours printing and cutting cards and flyers for tomorrow’s ministry fair.
Len, I think they probably could have phrased it more as “secular” work. The important thing here is more about the work culture being different not individual tasks by themselves. I’m glad you have some pastors that have good skills and are not afraid of physical labor to advance the ministry but I don’t think that is the norm.
I don’t think there is an exact formula. I went straight from Army-college- odd jobs while in college- pastoral ministry- called up as a reservist- back to ministry- burned out. I took 15 years off from the pastorate. Got more theological degrees and worked in the secular world. My current pastor also works with me, in the secular world. My kids are grown up almost. Maybe in 5 years. I may go back into the pastorate. I know that I wasn’t equipped like I thought I was back when I started. Had to suffer a lot and learn so many lessons. I struggle with a lot of pastors who can not relate to a secular job. In God’s providence, my pastor is bi-vocational. It’s a small church and I love it. I worked in a mega church, medium and now, a small church. Never been happier. Not about running a program, but having a family.
I don’t really know what the purpose of this post is supposed to be. Biblically, there is no requirement for a “non-ministry” job before entering the pastorate. The requirements and criteria that are presented by Christ for elders/overseers/pastors are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 & Titus 1:5-10. They include personal and spiritual criteria, the ability to teach (a foundational responsibility) and managing his own household well. There is the warning in Titus 1:10 that there are “many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers” so that many “featured” “pastors” on this report are disqualified or have disqualified themselves.
As others have pointed out Spurgeon and many of the faithful pastors of yesteryear didn’t have “non-ministry work experience.” Some did because as they served Christ and His church, they needed additional income to feed their families. It seems that one might as well write “many doctors have limited non-medical experience.”
Pastoral ministry is not a “career” it is a calling. There are a lot of easier ways to earn a living which are more lucrative … if that is the purpose. Pastors serve as undershepherds to the Chief Shepherd and must give an account of how they care for the Chief Shepherd’s sheep and will have to give an account one day to Christ. Faithful pastors seek to hear “well done, good and faithful servant.” See also 1 Peter 5:1-4 for the challenge given to pastors.
Don, I don’t think anyone would disagree with what you are saying as the basis for what matters and should align with one’s calling. But how does one confirm that calling or how does a church know if one’s character satisfies this high standard? Many churches vetting process cannot get a good reading on this to determine if the calling is lasting. If one is to demonstrate evidence of these characteristics, is it unreasonable to ask how those were demonstrated among our culture? I think not and so that is why this is an important question. If a pastor cannot engage and live faithfully in our culture, how would we expect the pastor to call his congregants to do so in the culture? Although Paul was a church established, I think his example of tent making and engagement with the culture as he ministered to the church is a good justification for discussing this as this article does. I don’t see the purpose of this article as trying to undermine the biblical standard.
There are ways to vet an individual for ministry. I’m not going to cite those here and certainly character can be evaluated without non-ministry experience. Ultimately no process is fool-proof because apostle Paul warns in Acts 20 that there will be wolves in sheep’s clothing who come in to ravage the flock.
You have written that you don’t think that most people would disagree with the criteria I mentioned from 1 Timothy 3 & Titus 1. However there are obviously individuals who don’t agree because they are seeking to add another criteria that is not found in that listing (hence the reason for the listing). It is extra-Biblical. If God thought it was an important part of pastoral preparation He certainly could have added that.
Jesus made the statement that a shepherd knows his sheep. So a pastor will have interaction and conversation and seek to understand and know the people over which God has placed him. He can do this without non-ministry experience.
Certainly if an individual feels that it will be helpful to have non-ministry experience, fine. My point is that I don’t believe it should be an added requirement or that someone is disqualified from ministry just because he does not non-ministry experience and he can have a very effective ministry without that experience.
Don Jones’ 8/11/24 list of the various situations pastors deal with reminds me of my dad, a pastor for 50 years. During the first eleven years of his ministry he served three small churches and worked two secular jobs (lumberyard and insurance agent). I think that, only because of his secular work experiences, he was a credible resource to people facing the situations described by Don. Even when he only served one church at a time he always maintained outside secular employment. Some of his employments were due to financial necessity – but that’s what some of his members faced – he could identify with their predicaments. I strongly believe that significant secular employment is an important part of pastoral training – even if one is “called” to the ministry.