Clergy
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.
Clergy 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. The role reports a median annual salary of $60,820 in the US. Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.30 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Instructing.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £31,183 a year for Clergy (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £30,329 to £37,251 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2463). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Clergy, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Philosophy and Theology
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Therapy and Counseling
- Communications and Media
- Psychology
A day in the life
You rise early for quiet prayer and reflection before the first service of the day, which you lead for a small but faithful group. Afterwards you spend time with an elderly member who has just lost her husband, listening more than speaking, and agree on plans for the funeral rites. Mid-morning is for study: you read from the sacred texts and draft the talk you will give at the weekly gathering, looking for a message that speaks to what your community is living through. After lunch you meet a young couple preparing for their wedding ceremony and explain what each part of the ritual means. Later you visit a hospital ward, then teach a class for people learning about the faith. Keeping the accounts and fixing the leaking roof are part of the job too. Being trusted with people's joys and griefs is a privilege that makes the long days meaningful.
In India: In India religious leaders serve temples, mosques, churches, gurdwaras and other places of worship, and much of the day revolves around daily rituals, festivals and family ceremonies such as weddings, naming ceremonies and last rites, often in the community's own language.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Pray and promote spirituality.
- Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks.
- Read from sacred texts, such as the Bible, Torah, or Koran.
- Organize and lead regular religious services.
- Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith.
- Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does 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.
What does a typical day look like in Clergy?
You rise early for quiet prayer and reflection before the first service of the day, which you lead for a small but faithful group. Afterwards you spend time with an elderly member who has just lost her husband, listening more than speaking, and agree on plans for the funeral rites. Mid-morning is for study: you read from the sacred texts and draft the talk you will give at the weekly gathering, looking for a message that speaks to what your community is living through.
How much does Clergy earn?
The median annual salary for Clergy in the US is $60,820.
How do I become a clergy?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Clergy need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Instructing, Reading Comprehension. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Clergy?
Our AI-durability model gives Clergy a score of 0.30 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Clergy has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.