Colleges are offering a growing diversity of bachelor of ministry degrees online, but it can be a bit confusing trying to choose the one that’s right for you. That’s because ministry is an area with a vast range of career opportunities, some of which are well paid and include benefits, and others which are part time or even done on a volunteer basis. At the same time, a big increase of new options in youth ministry, worship leadership and other specialized areas has occurred as all sorts of Churches have grown larger and more complex. Colleges and universities have jumped in to offer more and more specialized ministry degrees to prepare graduates for those jobs.

A Job and a Calling
Many people take courses or even full degrees in divinity, theology or ministry mainly for personal enhancement. But if you wish to pursue the ministry as a real career, you should expect to find a very wide array of salaries and job descriptions. A denomination that has only recently been founded and wants to grow from a base of 75 or so members may need only a part-time minister, and be able to pay just $30,000. or so per year. In that situation, the minister would probably need to hold another job (which is not unusual), and that could be tough if the new Church is a remote rural environment.

On the other hand, a job as a senior minister or head pastor at a large Church with more than 2,000 members could pay more than $75,000. per year and include a full package of benefits. Bachelor of ministry degrees online are designed to prepare a graduate to get on a career path to this type of job, though most ministers of large congregations will add a master’s degree to their resume before they are hired for this type of position.

Diverse Job Opportunities
Even if you don’t get, or perhaps don’t want, the job as a head minister, there are growing opportunities in specialized jobs, particularly in larger churches. Directors of youth ministry, family ministry and even musical directors for Church services are all needed, and there are specialized degree programs designed for each.

A degree can also prepare you to work outside the traditional Church environment, as a missionary, a religious scholar, a counselor working in prison, hospital or other institutional environments or even a non-profit organization with a religious underpinning. » Read more: Career Benefits of an Online Bachelor of Ministry Degree