If you are having trouble classifying an employee using one of ChurchSalary 18 positions, consult the list of expanded job descriptions below.
If you have more questions about which position may be the best fit, contact customer service using the chat bubble in the lower right-hand corner.
Remember, in ChurchSalary 3.0, you can now create hybrid employees that are a mix of up to three different positions. And if you are an Expanded member, you can generate Hybrid Reports for these employees with a single click!
Pastoral Positions
All of these positions may also be called _______ director or ______ minister. To simplify, we will refer to each position as a “pastor,” but please substitute the descriptor that suits your church and denomination.
Senior Pastor
This employee serves as the lead pastor in a church where there are multiple paid ministry positions.
Solo Pastor
This position is often the only paid ministry staff member or there are no other paid pastors or ministers serving in the church. In other words, there may be a part-time administrative assistant or accountant paid by the church but only one paid pastor.
Pastors who lead par-church ministries or serve a church planters may be able to use this position to gather relevant salary data.
Executive/Admin. Pastor
An executive pastor handles ministry the supervision, management, and development of staff as well as overseeing the planning and administration of the church budget.
In some churches it is hard to differentiate between an executive pastor and adminstrator.
Ask yourself these three questions to disambiguate between these positions:
- Is this employee considered part of the pastoral staff?
- Are they capable of or empowered to preach and teach?
- Do they share the responsibility of leading the pastoral staff spiritually, along with the senior pastor?
This spiritual leadership component is usually present in the job descriptions of executive pastors versus pure administrators.
Associate Pastor
Associate pastors or ministers typically hold a level of churchwide leadership that adult ministry or Christian education positions do not. However, this is not always the case.
These pastors can and will preach from the pulpit and/or are responsible for multiple adult-related (and even non-adult related) ministries. In some churches, an associate pastor will function like an assistant pastor to the senior pastor but without the administrative and financial aspects of an executive pastor. In these cases, the senior pastor retains the primary responsibility of leading and supervising the staff (including hiring, firing, etc.) while the associate pastor is empowered to lead a broad swath of the adult ministries (and even committees or teams) at the church.
Job titles: Assimilation Pastor, Care Pastor, Church Life Pastor, Congregational Care Pastor, Connecting Pastor, Counseling Pastor, Disabilities Ministry Pastor (any), Ethnic Ministries Pastor (any), Evangelism Pastor, Family Life Pastor, Lay Pastor, Membership Pastor, Missions Pastor, Outreach Pastor, Pastoral Care Pastor, Pastoral Counselor, Prayer Pastor, Teaching/Preaching Pastor, Visitation Pastor, Campus Pastor, etc.
Youth Pastor
These employees (which are sometimes not considered part of the pastoral staff) lead and supervise middle school, junior high, senior high, and college ministries.
Female youth leaders are often called youth directors but they still fall under this category. This category includes youth pastors who also oversee other paid middle school or college pastors, as well as stand-alone employees. ChurchSalary is working to gather data that will differentiate these supervisors from non-supervisors and include that in future salary reports.
Job titles: College Minister, Junior High Pastor/Director, Senior High Pastor/Director, Youth Center Director, Youth Pastor/Minister/Director, and so on.
Adult Ministry Pastor
These pastors/directors typically focus on a specific age group or defined demographic in the church (e.g., senior adults or women’s ministry). They also may handle a specific type of ministry for adults (e.g., adult hopsital visitation or missions).
To differentiate between an adult ministry pastor and an associate pastor ask:
- Is this employee responsible for multiple adult ministries at the direction of the senior pastor (or even non-adult ministries)? (They may be an associate pastor).
- Is this employee the default pulpit supply option at your church (if the senior pastor is out of town or ill)? (They may be an associate pastor).
- Or is this employee responsible for a stand-alone or demographically specific ministry (e.g., senior adult pastor, women’s ministry director, men’s ministry pastor). (They are probably an adult ministry pastor/director).
Areas of responsibility: married couples, men, singles, seniors, women, and young adults.
Job titles: Outreach Pastor, Pastoral Care Pastor/Director, Small Group Pastor/Director, Director of Faith Formation, Community Director, Membership Director, and so on.
Children's/Preschool Pastor (Director/Coordinator)
Employees that fall under this position lead ministries for children that are organized in various ways, depending on the church and denomination:
- Nursery through elementary school
- Pre-K
- Elementary school
This includes pastors who oversee preschool directors and those who function as a stand-alone children’s pastors who oversee a host of lay leaders.
Job titles: Children’s Pastor, Early Childhood Pastor, Elementary School Pastor, Preschool Director, Childcare Director, Daycare Director, and so on.
Christian Education Pastor/Minister/Director
Currently, salary data for adult ministry and christian education pastors is combined. We are working to disambiguate these positions and offer narrower reports by gathering more data (and a higher level of data related to job descriptions and keywords). Help us gather more data by filling out the Excel spreadsheet version of our survey here.
Employees who serve in this role hold education-related roles. Their sole responsibilty is the spiritual sanctification and biblical education of adults.
Areas of responsibility: Bible studies, small groups, Christian education, catechism, discipleship, equipping, cell groups, spiritual formation, and so on.
Job titles: Cell Group Pastor, Small Group Pastor, Director of Catechesis, Education Pastor, Sunday School Pastor, Discipleship Pastor, and so on.
Music/Choir/Worship Pastor/Minister/Director
Includes paid pastors and directors of band, bell/chimes choir, music ministry, orchestra, praise and worship team, vocal choir, and more. May include such positions as Music Pastor/Director, Worship Pastor/Director/Leader, Multimedia Pastor/Director, and so on.
Media/Production/Arts/Communications/Design
Includes paid pastors and directors who oversee drama, technical ministries, video, sound production, and more. May include positions such as Technical Director, Media Director, Drama Director, Production Director, Video Producer, Minister of Arts, and so on.
Staff Positions
Administrator
Includes paid, usually not ordained, staff who supervise the business aspect of running the church, such as business or financial management. May include such positions as Business Administrator, Business Manager, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, IT Director, etc.
Accountant/Bookkeeper
Accountants/Bookkeepers include paid personnel who assist with the day-to-day financial matters in the church. This category may include such positions as Accountant, Controller, Financial Administrative Assistant, Financial Secretary, Payroll Secretary, Treasurer, etc.
Child-Care Provider
Includes paid personnel who provide regular or occasional childcare and are on the church's payroll (not school staff). May include such positions as Babysitter, Child Care Assistant, Child Care Provider, Daycare Staff, Nursery Attendant, Nursery Director, Nursery Helper, Nursery Worker, and so on.
Custodian
Includes paid personnel who provide care and cleaning of physical facilities, buildings, grounds and security. May include such positions as Custodian, Grounds Keeper, Housekeeper, Lawn Maintenance Assistant, Maid, Maintenance Assistant, Security Assistant, Sexton, Traffic Coordinator, and more.
Maintenance Personnel
Includes paid personnel who provide maintenance, repair, and oversight of physical facilities. May include such positions as Building and Grounds Manager, Building Supervisor, Facilities Manager, Plant Manager, Property Manager, Security Manager, and so on.
Musician/Accompanist/Vocalist
Includes paid personnel who provide vocal or instrumental music or accompaniment. May include such positions as Accompanist, instrumentalist of any kind, Organist, Pianist, Soloist, Vocalist, and so on.
Secretary/Administrative Assistant
Includes paid personnel who provide clerical or administrative support. May include such positions as Administrative Assistant, Clerical Assistant, Executive Secretary, Lead Secretary, Office Assistant, Office Clerk, Office Manager, Publications Secretary/Coordinator, Receptionist, Secretary, secretary to any pastor or ministry, Secretary's Assistant, and so on.
Communications/Design Publications
Includes paid personnel who provide design services, create publications, or otherwise oversee church communications. May include such positions as Designer, Communications Coordinator, Publicist, Writer, Editor, and more.
