Minister of religion
Also called nun, monk, pastor
Ministers of religion lead religious organisations or communities, perform spiritual and religious ceremonies and provide spiritual guidance to members of a particular religious group. They may undertake missionary work, pastoral or preaching work, or work within a religious order or community, such as a monastery or convent. Ministers of religion perform duties such as leading worship services, giving religious education, officiating at funerals and marriages, counselling congregation members and offer a range of other community services, both in conjunction with the organisation they work for, and through their own personal day to day activities.
What you'd do
Religious professionals · ILO- Perpetuating sacred traditions, practices and beliefs
- Conducting religious services, rites and ceremonies
- Undertaking various administrative and social duties, including participating in committees and meetings of religious organizations
- Providing spiritual and moral guidance in accordance with the religion professed
- Propagating religious doctrines in own country or abroad
- Preparing and presenting religious sermons
- Developing and directing study courses and religious education programmes
- Counselling individuals regarding interpersonal, health, financial, and religious problems
- Scheduling and participating in special events such as camps, conferences, seminars, and retreats
- Indoors
- Sitting most of the day
- Constant contact with people, including the public
- Good freedom to decide
- Often more than 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Average prospectsA typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
Above averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,800 a month (Bulgaria) to €8,800 (Luxembourg), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among professionals in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually a degreeA degree in religion and theology is the usual route.
1,154 institutions in the EU offer arts and humanities bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.17 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 9 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for religious professionals. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).