Directors of religious activities and education determine needs for religious education in the church group they serve. Collaborating with other ministry members, they establish goals and objectives for their programs, and develop ways to encourage participation in activities that they have planned. Directors of religious activities and education schedule special events such as retreats, meetings, seminars, conferences and camps. They often meet with clergy and congregation officials to solicit their support of and participation in these events.
After plans have been made, directors of religious activities and education develop and direct study courses and children’s religious education classes. This involves selecting and ordering materials, reserving space for these activities and scheduling speakers. They handle other administrative details as well, including the recruitment of volunteer workers and training and supervising religious education instructional staff.
Some directors of religious activities and education also provide counseling and guidance to church members who need help with health, financial, marital or religious problems.
Summary
- Those who are interested in a career as a director of religious activities and education must have a strong desire to help others and be able to work with a wide variety of individuals.
- Working long hours and receiving low pay are often part of this career.
- An educational background in ministry or education can be helpful to the director of religious activities and education, but they are not required by all employers.
Work Environment for Directors of Religious Activities and Education
Directors of religious activities and education typically work for churches. They may have an office that they spend part of each workday in, reviewing religious education materials, making phone calls to prospective volunteer teachers or collaborating with other members of the congregation or religious education team. They also spend a substantial amount of time in classrooms, instructing church members or supervising teachers and volunteers. They may work irregular hours since they must attend meetings in the evenings, and they typically work weekends when religious education classes for children take place. Sometimes directors of religious activities and education are on-call to provide counseling to church members who are facing a problem or personal emergency.
Education, Training and Licensing
Education and training for directors of religious activities and education varies from one religious institution to another. Some directors have bachelor’s degree or advanced degrees in theology or in a ministry area that they earned at a seminary or theological college. Others have a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, education or in a related subject. Some employers require that directors of religious activities and education have experience as ministers or in teaching religious education, volunteering in church programs or serving the church as a minister.
Knowledge of business and management is very helpful to the director of religious activities since this career involves planning, leadership and coordinating people and resources. A background in counseling or psychology is very helpful, especially when the director must counsel and guide members of the congregation in personal matters. Candidates should have very good oral and written communication skills since they will be used often in making presentations to large groups, instructing adult classes and in other ways that are unique to the particular church that employs the director of religious activities and education.
Employment Figures, Projections, Outlook and Earnings
Directors of religious activities and education held about 15,060 jobs in May 2009, according to research published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Most of these directors worked for religious organizations. A few worked for elementary and secondary schools, colleges, universities and professional schools, for the federal government or for individual or family services.
According to O-NET OnLine’s updated 2010 report on directors of religious activities and education, employment in this field is expected to grow seven percent to 13% from 2008 to 2018, which is average growth for all occupations.
BLS reports indicate that the median annual salary for directors of religious activities and education was $36,190 as of May 2009. The middle 50% of directors earned between $25,640 and $50,450, while the bottom 10% earned $18,670 or less. The top 10% earned $69,090 or more.