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Other Pastoral Ministries

Types of Degrees Other Pastoral Ministries Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Other Pastoral Ministries have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	41
Bachelor’s Degree	176
Master’s Degree	412
Doctor’s Degree	19

What Other Pastoral Ministries Majors Need to Know

Studies in Other Pastoral Ministries build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Other Pastoral Ministries graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Other Pastoral Ministries 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 developed in a Other Pastoral Ministries program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Other Pastoral Ministries 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.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other Pastoral Ministries 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
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	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 Other Pastoral Ministries professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Event scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Website development software	Web page creation and editing software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Social media software	Web page creation and editing software	—
Google Workspace software	Office suite software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Pastoral Ministries graduates include:

• Missionary
• Mission Worker
• Spiritual Advisor
• Field Worker
• Gospel Worker
• Faith Healer
• Grand Scribe
• Ecclesiastical Worker
• Faith Doctor
• Pastoral Counselor
• Infirmarian
• Postulant
• Sister
• Sunday School Missionary
• Sister Superior

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Other Pastoral Ministries 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 Other Pastoral Ministries?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 55.5% women and 44.5% men among Other Pastoral Ministries graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	376	55.5%
Men	302	44.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Other Pastoral Ministries graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	367	54.1%
Asian	23	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	44	6.5%
Black or African American	149	22.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.3%
Two or More Races	11	1.6%
Race Unknown	25	3.7%
International Students	57	8.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Pastoral Ministries Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Other Pastoral Ministries 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 Other Pastoral Ministries Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Other Pastoral Ministries. 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	5	2
Bachelor’s	11	2
Master’s	15	6
Doctoral (Research)	2	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 Other Pastoral Ministries Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Other Pastoral Ministries 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
Lay Ministry	39.0705
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

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.