Directors, Religious Activities and Education
Human ServicesO*NET 21-2021.00United States
Coordinate or design programs and conduct outreach to promote the religious education or activities of a denominational group. May provide counseling, guidance, and leadership relative to marital, health, financial, and religious problems.
- Median annual earnings
- $52,092
- Projected change
- +7.1%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 140.26K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
54.1% of the workforce
Growing to 150.24K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What directors, religious activities and education do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Develop or direct study courses or religious education programs within congregations.
- Identify and recruit potential volunteer workers.
- Select appropriate curricula or class structures for educational programs.
- Counsel individuals regarding interpersonal, health, financial, or religious problems.
- Collaborate with other ministry members to establish goals and objectives for religious education programs or to develop ways to encourage program participation.
- Schedule special events, such as camps, conferences, meetings, seminars, or retreats.
- Train and supervise religious education instructional staff.
- Implement program plans by ordering needed materials, scheduling speakers, reserving space, or handling other administrative details.
- Analyze member participation or changes in congregational emphasis to determine needs for religious education.
- Analyze revenue and program cost data to determine budget priorities.
- Attend workshops, seminars, or conferences to obtain program ideas, information, or resources.
- Visit congregational members' homes or arrange for pastoral visits to provide information or resources regarding religious education programs.
- Publicize programs through sources, such as newsletters, bulletins, or mailings.
- Confer with clergy members, congregational officials, or congregational organizations to encourage support of or participation in religious education activities.
- Plan fundraising activities for the church.
- Locate and distribute resources, such as periodicals or curricula, to enhance the effectiveness of educational programs.
- Participate in denominational activities aimed at goals, such as promoting interfaith understanding or providing aid to new or small congregations.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $34,654
- 25th percentile
- $43,993
- 50th percentile
- $52,092
- 75th percentile
- $73,730
- 90th percentile
- $98,327
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $52,092 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.1%faster than average
2025140,255 jobs
2035 projected150,243 jobs
9,988 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 54.1%
- Certificate
- 21.1%
- Associate degree
- 14.4%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 9.2%
- High school diploma or less
- 0.9%
- Some college
- 0.3%
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.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- 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.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- 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.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Religious Education Coordinators187 postings
- 02Youth Ministry Assistants165 postings
- 03Children's Ministry Directors125 postings
- 04Directors of Youth Ministries109 postings
- 05Directors of Religious Education94 postings
- 06Directors of Faith Formation93 postings
- 07Assistant Directors of Children's Ministry80 postings
- 08Missionaries61 postings
- 09Rectors59 postings
- 10Youth Ministry Coordinators45 postings
- 11Faith Formation Coordinators43 postings
- 12Directors of Family Ministries41 postings
- 13Ministry Coordinators41 postings
- 14Directors of Student Ministries40 postings
- 15Directors of Youth and Young Adult Ministry36 postings
- 16Directors of Children and Family Ministries33 postings
- 17Directors of Children and Youth Ministries33 postings
- 18Religious Educators30 postings
- 19Men's Ministry Directors29 postings
- 20Directors of Discipleship26 postings
Top employers
- 01ChurchStaffing216 postings
- 02Young Life99 postings
- 03Archdiocese Of St. Louis75 postings
- 04Norton Healthcare74 postings
- 05Ladgov Corporation40 postings
- 06Music Ministry37 postings
- 07The United Methodist Church31 postings
- 08Archdiocese Of Saint Paul And Minneapolis29 postings
- 09Catholic Sports26 postings
- 10Archdiocese Of Philadelphia25 postings
- 11Archdiocese Of Chicago17 postings
- 12Catholic Diocese Of Fort Worth16 postings
- 13The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints16 postings
- 14Christian Career Center15 postings
- 15Youth For Christ15 postings
- 16Diocese Of Venice14 postings
- 17Catholic Diocese Of Dallas13 postings
- 18Diocese Of Green Bay13 postings
- 19Regina Caeli Academy13 postings
- 20Archdiocese Of Detroit12 postings
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