Clergy

What Clergy Do

Conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

5.7%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Philosophy and Theologyimportance 4.7/5
• English Languageimportance 4.2/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 4.1/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.0/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.8/5
• Therapy and Counselingimportance 3.8/5
• Communications and Mediaimportance 3.7/5
• Psychologyimportance 3.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail4.8/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
• Telephone Conversations4.7/5
• Contact With Others4.6/5
• Freedom to Make Decisions4.5/5
• Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.4/5

Related Careers

• Directors, Religious Activities and Education
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers
• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
• Social and Human Service Assistants
• Social and Community Service Managers
• Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary
• Community Health Workers
• Marriage and Family Therapists

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Education Administrators, Postsecondary97% skill match
• Fundraisers97% skill match
• Human Resources Specialists97% skill match
• Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks97% skill match
• Labor Relations Specialists96% skill match
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks96% skill match
• Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare96% skill match
• Librarians and Media Collections Specialists96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.1/5
• Instructingimportance 4.0/5
• Service Orientationimportance 4.0/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.9/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.9/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.9/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.8/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Empathy
• Cooperation
• Dependability
• Integrity
• Sincerity
• Humility
• Social Orientation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• SocialHigh
• EnterprisingMedium
• ArtisticMedium
• ConventionalLow
• InvestigativeLow
• RealisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where clergy make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Albany, OR9.20× national avg
2. 2Grants Pass, OR7.82× national avg
3. 3Bend, OR5.95× national avg
4. 4Salem, OR5.55× national avg
5. 5Medford, OR5.50× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Education Administrators, PostsecondaryCareer Change
• Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsCareer Change
• Financial ManagersCareer Change
• Human Resources ManagersCareer Change

See the full career path from Clergy →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.