Pastoral worker
Also called lay worker, parish worker, religious worker
Pastoral workers support religious communities. They provide spiritual education and guidance and implement programmes such as charity works and religious rites. Pastoral workers also assist ministers and help participants in the religious community with social, cultural or emotional problems.
What you'd do
Religious associate professionals · ILO- Undertaking religious works
- Preaching and propagating the teachings of a particular religious faith
- Assisting at services of public worship and religious rites
- Providing religious education, spiritual guidance and moral support to individuals and communities
- Administering and participating in programmes to provide food, clothing and shelter to those in need
- Advising communities and individuals on proper behaviour and faith to preserve or improve well-being
- 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?
Yes, good prospectsMany jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,400 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,600 (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 technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually post-secondary or a short degreePost-secondary training or a short 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 0.12 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 6 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 associate professionals. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).