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.

 

I recently wrote a post on business ideas for pastors that has gotten a great response. 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.

 

If you don’t have the entrepreneurial drive and have no interest in starting a business, you need to find a job. But what kind of jobs are pastors qualified to do? And what can you put on your resume that will actually garner an interview?

 

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

LinkedIn’s number two most desired skill was communication. There’s no reason to wonder why, we’re all familiar with what happened with the tower of Babel.

 

If you’re 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 to 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? I think you’ve got that covered. And if you can write clearly and efficiently, that just takes you to a whole other level.

 

Collaboration

The third on LinkedIn’s list is collaboration. 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 come? 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 relationships, 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.

 

Research

While employers may not be interested in your knowledge of ancient Hebrew and Greek, they want your research skills. The ability to study and dig deep into research is very useful in today’s marketplace. In fact, research is a huge part of what I do as a writer and I couldn’t do the job otherwise. You’re used to studying the Bible and finding cute illustrations online, and those are skills that can be applied to any number of other topics as well.

 

Problem Solving

I’ll bet sometimes you feel like your entire job is problem-solving. Whether it’s bad plumbing or bad marriages, you’re faced with problems all day long and forced to find creative, affordable, and mutually beneficial solutions for all of them. Well, companies have a lot of problems too. They are looking for people who can troubleshoot and solve problems independently, just like you do every day.

 

Resiliency

One of the most coveted soft skills in today’s job market according to Monster.com, resiliency is your ability to recover from setbacks. This one ties in with the previous skill; not only do you have to solve a lot of problems as a pastor, but you have to survive them as well. In a culture where it’s all too easy to give up, those who are willing to fight it out to the end are a rare and valuable find.

 

Recognizing Your Skills

These are just a few of the skills that you possess in marketplace terminology. Chances are, you’re also well-versed in sales (you staffed the nursery, didn’t you?), counseling, sticking to a budget, active listening, and working independently. See, you’ve got a whole lot to offer a potential employer.

 

If you have a job in mind, take a look at some of the job postings for it. What skills are they looking for? Is there something you do as a pastor that uses those skills, even if you use different terminology? I just did a quick search for a recruiter position. One of the job requirements is “ability to work under pressure and without supervision.” Pastor, you’ve got that one covered!

 

The Additional Skill You Need

You should be able to get a job with the skills you already possess if you know how to present them the right way. There is just one thing that I would recommend you learn if you don’t already know it- technology.

 

In today’s world, you have to be comfortable with technology for just about any job. If you’re not, take a class, find a tutor, do whatever it takes to at least master Microsoft Suite and become literate with social media. In fact, those are things that pastors should do whether or not they’re trying to get an outside job!

 

To learn how to put this all together into an impressive resume, read Secular Jobs For Pastors: Writing A Relevant Resume.

 

What other transferable skills do you possess? Share in the comments how your pastoral skills can be applied in the secular marketplace!