Secular Jobs for Pastors: Part I

Whether or not you realize it, as a pastor you already possess many skills that are in high demand in the secular marketplace. You simply must recognize your skills and translate them into the proper marketplace vernacular for the job you want. There is obviously a need for pastors to make some money outside of the church’s payroll. Whether you’re just planting a church, your church is too small to support you, or you’re transitioning off staff, sometimes you need to turn to the secular marketplace to feed your family.

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS THAT MOST PASTORS POSSESS
The truth is that most pastors are well qualified for a multitude of secular jobs. You just have to translate what you do as a pastor into the language of the marketplace. You have a lot of highly sought after, transferable skills, you just need to learn to communicate them to potential employers. So, what are some of these skills?

  • LEADERSHIP
    LinkedIn surveyed 2,000 business leaders to find the most in-demand skills for employers, and the number one soft skill was leadership. If you’ve been leading a church or ministry for any amount of time, then you clearly possess leadership skills. These include abilities such as delegation, building rapport, decision-making, vision casting, empathy and a willingness to take on responsibility.

  • COMMUNICATION
    This was LinkedIn’s number two most desired skill. If you are a lead pastor, one of your biggest advantages over the rest of the world is the fact that you are comfortable and experienced with public speaking. As many as 75% of people fear public speaking, so public speaking and presentation skills are in high demand.Communication skills go far beyond speaking groups, though. Other things that employers are looking for are the ability to communicate in difficult situations and with tact and diplomacy. Have you done marriage counseling? Performed funerals? Then you have that covered. If you can write clearly and efficiently, that just takes you to a whole other level.

  • COLLABORATION
    This was third on LinkedIn’s list. The ability to work with others. Who has as much experience working with a wide variety of people as pastors? You work with people of all ages, education levels, staff members, volunteers, the list goes on and on. Teamwork is huge in the modern workplace, and the rise of cross-functional teams makes the ability to work with those different than yourself even more important.

  • MARKETING
    Have you ever tried to get people to come to your Easter service? Passed out invitations, promoted it on social media or in the local newspaper, offered pastel-colored donuts for people to some? Then you have experience with marketing. Though it’s a bit of a dirty word in some circles, marketing is simply informing people of what you have to offer and explaining to them how it can benefit them. In fact, God has called us all to be marketers of His saving power. Aren’t we supposed to be a light for the world to see? That’s marketing.

  • PROJECT MANAGEMENT
    Vacation Bible School. Youth Camp. Outreach Events. Redecorating the sanctuary. You have experience carrying a project from conception to realization while managing teams of people, schedules, and budgets to get it done. You have experience with Project Management.

  • CUSTOMER SERVICE
    Though you probably don’t like to think of it this way, your church members are your customers. You are offering a service, church, and if they don’t like it they can go find it elsewhere. Customer service is about maintaining relationship, solving problems to everyone’s satisfaction, and providing people with a product or service that they want (your preaching, the church’s community, etc.). You don’t have a monopoly on God, so that’s not the only thing that keeps the pews full. You, pastor, are well-versed in customer service.

To be continued next week …


Article credit: The Pastor's Wallet
Photo by Ben Rosett on Unsplash