Clergy
Human ServicesO*NET 21-2011.00United States
Conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members.
- Median annual earnings
- $60,002
- Projected change
- +6.3%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 244.08K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
49.2% of the workforce
Growing to 259.46K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What clergy do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Pray and promote spirituality.
- Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks.
- Read from sacred texts, such as the Bible, Torah, or Koran.
- Organize and lead regular religious services.
- Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith.
- Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching.
- Counsel individuals or groups concerning their spiritual, emotional, or personal needs.
- Administer religious rites or ordinances.
- Prepare people for participation in religious ceremonies.
- Visit people in homes, hospitals, or prisons to provide them with comfort and support.
- Train leaders of church, community, or youth groups.
- Plan or lead religious education programs.
- Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions.
- Respond to requests for assistance during emergencies or crises.
- Conduct special ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, or confirmations.
- Devise ways in which congregational membership can be expanded.
- Collaborate with committees or individuals to address financial or administrative issues pertaining to congregations.
- Organize or engage in interfaith, community, civic, educational, or recreational activities sponsored by or related to religious programs.
- Perform administrative duties, such as overseeing building management, ordering supplies, contracting for services or repairs, or supervising the work of staff members or volunteers.
- Refer people to community support services, psychologists, or doctors.
- Participate in fundraising activities to support congregational activities or facilities.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $36,481
- 25th percentile
- $46,935
- 50th percentile
- $60,002
- 75th percentile
- $76,711
- 90th percentile
- $101,998
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $60,002 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6.3%faster than average
2025244,083 jobs
2035 projected259,464 jobs
15,381 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 49.2%
- Bachelor's degree
- 18.3%
- Some college
- 15.2%
- High school diploma or less
- 12.2%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 5.1%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Chaplains3,639 postings
- 02Hospice Chaplains1,976 postings
- 03Pastors1,103 postings
- 04Worship Pastors410 postings
- 05Chaplains Resident329 postings
- 06Lead Pastors321 postings
- 07Youth Pastors308 postings
- 08Church Pastors299 postings
- 09Worship Leaders291 postings
- 10Pastoral Associates251 postings
- 11Spiritual Care Coordinators245 postings
- 12Chaplain Assistants209 postings
- 13Directors of Spiritual Care208 postings
- 14Spiritual Counselors208 postings
- 15Campus Pastors205 postings
- 16Staff Chaplains187 postings
- 17Campus Ministers183 postings
- 18Staff Associates178 postings
- 19Chaplain Interns175 postings
- 20Youth Ministers160 postings
Top employers
- 01ChurchStaffing2,265 postings
- 02Young Life664 postings
- 03Marketplace Chaplains243 postings
- 04Norton Healthcare214 postings
- 05Hope International University181 postings
- 06Gentiva180 postings
- 07University of Pittsburgh Medical Center178 postings
- 08Christian Career Center152 postings
- 09Gentiva Hospice132 postings
- 10Trinity Health123 postings
- 11Vitas Healthcare118 postings
- 12Providence98 postings
- 13Mercyhealth91 postings
- 14AdventHealth83 postings
- 15Ascension76 postings
- 16Penn Medicine75 postings
- 17Baylor Scott & White Health70 postings
- 18CHRISTUS Health67 postings
- 19United States Department of Veterans Affairs64 postings
- 20Mercy63 postings
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