How Do I Choose the Best Pastor Job?

Although you might choose to become a pastor for reasons other than money, it is often a primary factor when it comes to choosing the best pastor job. In order to minister to others and live a comfortable life, you might seek the job that offers the highest pay, medical insurance and a housing allowance or a place to live. Some areas, however, have more pastors than available jobs, and landing a position can prove to be a challenge. In such a case, you might agree to travel to less attractive locations or accept an offer from a smaller church to secure a position, even if it wouldn’t normally be your top choice. Additionally, when choosing a pastor job, you might consider any paid help that you will receive.

Most pastors earn a salary for the work they do, and as with accepting any type of position, the amount of that salary likely will have an influence on your decision to accept a job offer. When you are trying to choose the best pastor job, you might place the jobs that offer to pay you enough to live in reasonable comfort at the top of your list. Those that also provide an attractive medical insurance package for you and your dependents might be appealing as well. Additionally, a housing allowance or even a complementary place to live might help you meet your expenses.

Sometimes, finding the best pastor job means being willing to travel to a new location. If you are facing a situation in which there are many pastors but few jobs available in your area, being open to relocating might improve your job prospects. For example, churches in rural areas sometimes have a more difficult time attracting pastors, and small churches that cannot pay high salaries might have this issue as well. If you can live comfortably with less money and do not feel the need to live close to a big city, you might find a good opportunity in a rural or small church.

The help that you will receive as a pastor might also influence your choice of the best pastor job. Running a church can be a challenging and sometimes overwhelming task. You might find your responsibilities easier to meet, however, if you have paid help to assist you with business tasks and administrative duties. As such, you might decide that a church that can afford to pay for this type of help is the best choice for you. If you accept a job at a church that can not afford an assistant for you, volunteers might be able to help you with some of the routine tasks.