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Lay Ministry

Types of Degrees Lay Ministry Majors Are Earning

Those studying Lay Ministry have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	36
Associate’s Degree	72
Bachelor’s Degree	196
Master’s Degree	424
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Lay Ministry Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Lay Ministry develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Lay Ministry graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Lay Ministry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Lay Ministry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Lay Ministry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Lay Ministry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Lay Ministry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Event scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Social media software	Web page creation and editing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Google Workspace software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Lay Ministry graduates include:

• Religion Teacher
• Shohet
• Reader
• Mother Superior
• Divine Healer
• Pastoral Assistant
• Salvationist
• Minister Helper
• Missionary
• Postulant
• Parish Visitor
• Home Mission Worker
• Christian Science Healer
• Church Warden
• Traveling Missionary

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Lay Ministry graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	53.6%
Postsecondary certificate	21.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	14.4%
Master’s degree	9.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%
Some college courses	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Lay Ministry?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 63.3% of Lay Ministry degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	269	36.7%
Men	463	63.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Lay Ministry graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	365	49.9%
Asian	42	5.7%
Hispanic or Latino	69	9.4%
Black or African American	143	19.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.5%
Two or More Races	13	1.8%
Race Unknown	74	10.1%
International Students	19	2.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Lay Ministry Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Lay Ministry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,962
4 years	$41,537
5 years	$44,763

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,763 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Lay Ministry Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Lay Ministry. 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	6	1
Bachelor’s	9	4
Master’s	12	3

^{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 Lay Ministry Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Lay Ministry graduates earn a median of $41,537 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{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
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries	39.07
Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies	39.0706
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other	39.0799
Pastoral Studies/Counseling	39.0701
Urban Ministry	39.0703
Women’s Ministry	39.0704
Youth Ministry	39.0702
Religious Music and Worship, Other	39.0599
Bible/Biblical Studies	39.0201
Church Planting	39.0302
Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology, Other	39.0399
Missions/Missionary Studies	39.0301

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.