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church planting

Types of Degrees church planting Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing church planting may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	9

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for church planting graduates include:

• Youth Teacher
• Faith Healer
• Pastoral Worker
• Home Mission Worker
• Field Worker
• Reader
• Postulant
• Christian Science Healer
• Bible Reader
• Sacristan
• Mohel
• Grand Scribe
• Novice
• Buddhist Monk
• Pastoral Counselor

Who Is Earning a Degree in church planting?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 70% of church planting degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3	30.0%
Men	7	70.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of church planting graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5	50.0%
Hispanic or Latino	1	10.0%
Black or African American	3	30.0%
Race Unknown	1	10.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do church planting Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of church planting graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$31,015
4 years	$29,516
5 years	$31,974

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $31,974 — roughly 3% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online church planting Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for church planting. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	2	0
Master’s	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in church planting Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, church planting graduates earn a median of $29,516 four years after completion — about 22% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology	39.03
Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology, Other	39.0399
Missions/Missionary Studies	39.0301
Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies	39.0706
Lay Ministry	39.0705
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other	39.0799
Pastoral Studies/Counseling	39.0701
Religious Music and Worship, Other	39.0599
Religious/Canon Law	39.0802
Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other	39.0699
Urban Ministry	39.0703

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.