3 Pastor Resume Samples and Writing Tips
Written By Samuel Johns
Reviewed By Geoffrey ScottShow your church that you're ideal person to lead their flock by modeling your resume on our three pastor resume examples and honing it with our four writing tips.
Check out our full collection of resume templates for even more designs to choose from.
Pastor Resume Template (Text Format)
Format your resume using this template to present your qualifications effectively.
[Your Name]
[Your Address], [City, State]
[Your Email Address] | [Your Phone Number]
[LinkedIn Profile] (optional)
Dedicated Pastor with 10+ years of experience in spiritual counseling, program management, volunteer training and recruitment, congregational leadership, and community services management. Committed to shepherding individuals to Christ, engaging the community in missionary work, and devising strategies to achieve long-term operational goals.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Outlook, and MS Access
- Bilingual, fluent in Spanish and English
- Web and tech savvy, require little to no training
Pastor | Allegan, MI | May 20XX – Present
- Serve as a pastor for a multi-ethnic and multi-site church with 2000+ members, 100+ pathfinders, 55+ adventurers, and a vibrant elementary/middle school of 225+ students
- Multiplied the size of congregation from 15 to 550+ in the first 4 years
- Direct a summer day camp for elementary school kids and all activities of youth camp meeting program of 160+ participants for 4 years with countless commitments for Christ
- Deliver counseling and direction to individuals dealing with a variety of issues, including marriage and family counseling, substance abuse, addictions, and mental health problems
- Lead community outreach such as 30-hour famines, feeding the homeless, salon days for the homeless, creating and distributing homeless bags, and intentional acts of kindness
Pastor | Grand Rapids, MI | August 20XX – April 20XX
- Led a team of 100+ volunteers and a full-time staff of 5+ to coordinate video shoots and manage projects, website, and budget for the ministry
- Guided over 200+ students, their family members, and adults through baptismal studies and baptism while growing volunteer base by 30%
- Directed 300+ Vacation Bible School participants and increased youth and young adult leadership to 70+ youth and young adult staff through consistent coaching and training
- Managed all volunteer activities such as hiring, training, and directing volunteers for community services and keeping records of volunteers for committees and ministries
Liberty University | Bachelor of Science in Religion, Minor in Christian Counseling
Graduation Date: May 20XX
Whether you’re starting out on your path as a pastor or you’re applying for a leadership position in your church, we have the right example for you below.
Assistant pastor resume
If you’re being called to the Church, you might be applying for a no experience or assistant pastor job. Here’s how your resume should look to make churches want to learn more about you and your ability to support a congregation:
Associate pastor resume highlights
- Relevant hobbies and interests: If you’re including a hobbies and interests section on your resume, make sure the hobbies you list show your fit for the pastor role you’re seeking. For example, this candidate lists current affairs, homeless outreach, and volunteering.
- Volunteer experience: Any volunteer roles you’ve held show your zeal for empowering other followers. So list your church-related volunteer work, even if you have formal work experience in the Church.
Senior pastor resume
You’ve served the Church for years, tending to your flock and increasing its numbers. So highlight your achievements on your lead pastor resume as this example does:
Lead pastor resume highlights
- Professional development: Show the Church you’ve kept ahead of the lastest theological developments by adding a professional development section to your resume. Then, add any certificates you’ve recently received to it.
- Quantify your achievements: Your church will be interested in the impact you’ve had as a leader. So include numbers on your resume (called quantifying your resume achievements). For example, this candidate uses hard numbers to show the number of people supervised, the increase in participation, and the growth in donations to the Church.
Average pastor salaries in the US
The following table includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data is presented based on the top states in the United States.
Average pastor annual salaries by state
| State | Salary / Year |
|---|---|
| Texas | $45,280 |
| Georgia | $37,230 |
| California | $42,730 |
| Florida | $37,080 |
| New York | $33,330 |
| Pennsylvania | $32,350 |
| Illinois | $43,050 |
| Ohio | $29,680 |
| North Carolina | $31,330 |
| Michigan | $35,940 |
| National Average | $39,036 |
How to write a pastor resume
If you’d like more guidance on writing your pastor resume, follow these four writing tips.
1. Summarize your experience, goals, and skills in your objective
A good resume objective summarizes the spirit of your resume in 3–5 sentences. The idea is to make hiring managers want to learn more about you so they look at the rest of your resume and call you in for an interview.
While you may need to tailor your objective for the specific church you’re applying to, here are three resume opener examples for you to get inspiration from:
Passionate youth pastor with 5 years of experience engaging teenagers through dynamic programs and discipleship. Skilled in building relationships, fostering spiritual growth, and creating a welcoming environment for young people.
Experienced worship pastor with a heart for leading impactful worship experiences. Proficient in music direction, team leadership, and creating an atmosphere where people can connect with God. Proven ability to develop and mentor musicians.
Dedicated Baptist pastor committed to preaching sound doctrine and shepherding the congregation. Six years of experience leading ministries, providing pastoral care, and equipping believers for service. Strong biblical foundation and passion for evangelism.
2. Highlight your educational focus
Churches will be very interested in your theological focus and the relevant coursework on your resume as it will indicate the direction of your sermons. To show you’re theologically in alignment with the church you’re applying for, try writing a fleshed-out education section like this:
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biblical Counseling (20XX)
Dissertation: “A Biblical Model for Counseling Individuals Experiencing Same-Sex Attraction” (Focus: the application of biblical principles and pastoral care in alignment with Southern Baptist beliefs.)
Master of Divinity (MDiv) (20XX)
Relevant Coursework: Biblical Interpretation, Systematic Theology, Expository Preaching, Hermeneutics, Pastoral Ministry, Christian Ethics, Apologetics, Evangelism
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biblical Studies (20XX)
Emphasis in Missions and Evangelism
This education section is targeted toward the Southern Baptist Convention, so if you’re a member of another church, make sure your education section emphasizes its doctrine instead.
3. Quantify your achievements as a pastor
Churches will be impressed by numbers because they show what you can achieve for them, so add them to as many of your resume bullet points as you can (this is called quantifying your resume bullet points).
You should focus on the outcomes your church is focused on, so you might want to talk about:
- Increases in donations
- Congregation growth
- Social media follower numbers
- Baptisms performed
- New followers welcomed
- Mission trips led/supported
- Volunteer engagement
- Outreach events
And here are five strong bullet points with numbers added to them:
- Grew average weekly worship attendance by 18% within two years through engaging preaching, expanded programming, and targeted community outreach
- Increased annual giving by 12% through the implementation of a new online giving platform and a focused stewardship campaign
- Led a successful capital campaign that raised $500,000 to renovate the Church’s youth facilities, resulting in a 25% increase in youth group participation
- Initiated and developed three new community partnerships with local organizations, leading to 500+ volunteer hours served annually by church members
- Implemented a comprehensive discipleship program that resulted in 35 new believers being baptized and 20 new small groups being formed within one year
4. Highlight your volunteer experience
Even if you’re a full-time employee of a church, you’ll want to highlight your volunteer experience to show you put in extra time to spread the message of the Gospels far and wide.
So it’s worth including volunteer work in your work experience section, or even including a separate volunteer work section to put the spotlight on the effort you put in to spread Jesus’s word in your free time:
Here’s an example of volunteer work on a pastor resume for you to base yours on:
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Community Chaplain, Mercy Hospital, Los Angeles, CA | 20XX – Present
- Provide spiritual care and counseling to patients, families, and staff facing illness, grief, and crisis situations
- Offer prayer, scripture reading, and emotional support to individuals
- Collaborate with medical teams to ensure holistic care for patients and address spiritual needs alongside physical and emotional needs
- Participate in interfaith initiatives to promote understanding and cooperation among different religious communities
Board Member, 8th Avenue Homeless Shelter, Los Angeles, CA | 20XX – 20XX
- Served on the board of directors for a non-profit organization dedicated to providing shelter, meals, and resources to homeless individuals and families
- Assisted in developing and implementing strategic plans to address the root causes of homelessness and provide pathways to self-sufficiency
- Participated in fundraising efforts and community outreach to raise awareness and secure resources for the shelter’s programs and services
- Provided spiritual guidance and support to shelter residents through Bible studies, prayer groups, and individual counseling
Resume examples for different industries
Not sure what your resume should look like? The best way to learn is by taking inspiration from resume examples written by other candidates in your industry.
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3 Pastor Resume Samples and Writing Tips
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