Professionals in Religion

(NOC 4154)

in All Education, Law, Government, Social and Community Services

Professionals in this group oversee religious services, administer the rites of a religious faith or denomination, provide spiritual and moral guidance, and do other tasks related with the practice of a religion. They carry out these duties in churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, or other places of worship. They may also work in other institutions like schools, hospitals, and prisons.

Job Outlook

Average

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  • Estimate change in employment not available for this occupation.
  • Estimate 0 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
  • Estimate rate of unemployment not available for this occupation.

Compared to: All Education, Law, Government, Social and Community Services

  • Estimate 1830 employment change, 2021-2023
  • Estimate 5515 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
  • Estimate rate of unemployment not available for these occupation.

Hourly Pay

$16.00

Minimum

$25.72

Median

$38.46

Maximum

Annual Pay

$8,862

Minimum

$37,988

Median

$65,937

Maximum

Compared to: All Education, Law, Government, Social and Community Services

Hourly Pay

$16.30

Minimum

$30.00

Median

$51.30

Maximum

Annual Pay

$5,616

Minimum

$44,335

Median

$92,599

Maximum

About the job

Nature of work

Professionals in this group oversee religious services, administer the rites of a religious faith or denomination, provide spiritual and moral guidance, and do other tasks related with the practice of a religion. They carry out these duties in churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, or other places of worship. They may also work in other institutions like schools, hospitals, and prisons.

Job duties

Ministers of religion:

  • Conduct regular religious services.
  • Administer rites of faiths like marriages and funerals.
  • Pray and promote spirituality by giving sermons and other talks.
  • Provide spiritual and moral guidance to members of a religious faith.
  • Supervise, plan, and administer religious education programs.
  • May participate in humanitarian, social service, and welfare activities.
  • May share in the administrative and financial operation of a religious community.
  • May provide consultation services to government and other organizations.

Sample job titles

  • chaplain
  • clergyman/woman
  • evangelist
  • imam
  • minister
  • pastor
  • preacher
  • priest
  • rabbi
  • reverend

Skills

  • You should be sensitive, reliable, discreet, and interested in serving the needs of others. Patience, self-discipline, and emotional stability are also important. You must be able to communicate clearly, both spoken and in writing. Leadership and organizational skills are necessary. An understanding of human nature and the behavioural sciences is essential for counselling.

Job requirements

  • Educational requirements vary, depending on the religion, and range from the completion of a college or other program in religious studies to a master's of divinity degree.

Other considerations

  • These jobs may require working long and irregular hours in administrative, educational, and community service activities. A period of study with a senior minister is usually required. Progression to senior positions included in this group, within a religious order, is possible with experience.

By the numbers

Quick look

1,030

employed in 2016

72.8%

employed full-time

2.9%

self employed

29.1%
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70.9%
Icons/male Created with Sketch.
58

median age

Compared to: All Education, Law, Government, Social and Community Services

55,420

employed in 2016

76.4%

employed full-time

6.6%

self employed

64.0%
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36%
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43.5

median age

Where will I likely work?

36.1%

Halifax

$44,434 median annual income
20.0%

Southern

$32,369 median annual income
17.6%

Annapolis Valley

$34,300 median annual income
15.6%

North Shore

$33,357 median annual income
10.7%

Cape Breton

$33,505 median annual income

Compared to: All NS Occupations

47.0%

Halifax

15.6%

North Shore

12.9%

Annapolis Valley

12.7%

Cape Breton

11.8%

Southern

Top Industries of Employment

94.4%

Other services (except public administration)

3.3%

Public administration

2.2%

Health care and social assistance

What is the age of Employment?

28.0%

65+

26.0%

55-64

25.0%

45-54

13.0%

35-44

6.0%

25-34

2.0%

15-24

Compared to: All Education, Law, Government, Social and Community Services

24.2%

35-44

22.7%

45-54

21.4%

25-34

17.2%

55-64

8.4%

15-24

Top levels of education

44.9%

Master

$42,836 median annual income
23.2%

Bachelor

$35,973 median annual income
13.0%

College Diploma

$29,765 median annual income
5.8%

High school

$43,806 median annual income
5.8%

Doctorate

$56,493 median annual income

Compared to: All Education, Law, Government, Social and Community Services

28.9%

Bachelor

$45,929 median annual income
21.2%

College Diploma

$35,398 median annual income
16.8%

Master

$71,043 median annual income
14.6%

High school

$29,055 median annual income
4.6%

Doctorate

$100,443 median annual income

Education & training

Divinity/Ministry (BDiv, MDiv)

College or University Program

These programs prepare students for ordination as ministers or priests in any of the Christian religious traditions. They include courses in the theology and polity of a particular church, church law, liturgy and ritual, principles of pastoral ministry, homiletics, evangelism, church/parish organization and management, Christian ethics, church history, and related studies.

Institutions providing this program

Acadia University

Wolfville, NS

Atlantic School of Theology

Halifax, NS

Lay Ministry

College or University Program

These programs prepare non-ordained individuals to serve as lay pastors, religious educators, youth leaders, and other professional positions open to the laity in local churches and other settings. They include courses in bible studies, theology, spirituality, pastoral counselling, foundations of ministry, effective communication, and church leadership.

Institutions providing this program

Atlantic School of Theology

Halifax, NS

Philosophy

College or University Program

These programs focus on ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. They include courses in logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, symbolism, and history of philosophy, and applications to the theoretical foundations and methods of other disciplines.

Institutions providing this program

Acadia University

Wolfville, NS

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

University of King's College

Halifax, NS

Mount Saint Vincent University

Halifax, NS

St. Francis Xavier University

Antigonish, NS

Saint Mary's University

Halifax, NS

Cape Breton University

Sydney, NS

Religion/Religious Studies

College or University Program

These programs focus on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems. They include courses in phenomenology, the sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature and art of religion, mythology, scriptural and textual studies, religious history and politics, and specific studies of particular faith communities and their behaviour.

Institutions providing this program

Acadia University

Wolfville, NS

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

University of King's College

Halifax, NS

Mount Saint Vincent University

Halifax, NS

St. Francis Xavier University

Antigonish, NS

Saint Mary's University

Halifax, NS

Cape Breton University

Sydney, NS

Theology/Theological Studies

College or University Program

These programs focus on the beliefs and doctrine of a particular religious faith from the intramural point of view of that faith. They include courses in systematic theology, historical theology, moral theology, doctrinal studies, dogmatics, apologetics, and applications to specific questions of ecclesiastical polity and religious life.

Institutions providing this program

Acadia University

Wolfville, NS

Saint Mary's University

Halifax, NS

Atlantic School of Theology

Halifax, NS

Youth Ministry

College or University Program

These programs prepare the ordained clergy and other religious professionals to provide spiritual, counselling, and leadership services to children, adolescents, and young adults. They include courses in child and adolescent psychology, human growth and development, family studies, communication skills, religious education, youth counselling, small group leadership, planning and organizing youth activities, volunteer supervision, and youth evangelism and worship.

Institutions providing this program

Atlantic School of Theology

Halifax, NS

Employment requirements & contacts

No regulating bodies were found under this occupation profile

Contacts

Canadian Association for Spiritual Care - Atlantic
Various, Canada

Additional resources

There are no additional resources for this occupation.