Home/Careers/Social Work Specialists
social-services

Social Work Specialists

Social services professionals in religious settings provide spiritual guidance, conduct worship services, and develop educational programs for their communities. These professionals work in churches, temples, mosques, and other religious organizations, where they deliver sermons, coordinate outreach activities, and offer counseling to congregation members. They play essential roles in promoting faith-based values and supporting individuals through life's challenges.

Median Annual Pay
$53,983
Range: $28,530 - $104,430
Training Time
4-5 years
AI Resilience
🟡AI-Augmented
Education
Bachelor's degree

🎬Career Video

🤖AI Resilience Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 4/6: strong human advantage means AI will assist but humans remain essential

🟡AI-Augmented

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Medium+1

44% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Stable+1

+2% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Strong+2

EPOCH score: 22/25

Total Score4/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09

📋Key Responsibilities

  • 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.
  • Counsel individuals or groups concerning their spiritual, emotional, or personal needs.
  • Administer religious rites or ordinances.

💡Inside This Career

Social services professionals in religious settings dedicate their days to nurturing faith communities and supporting individuals through life's spiritual journey. Their mornings might begin with prayer or meditation, followed by preparing for worship services, reviewing educational curricula, or meeting with community members seeking guidance. These professionals spend considerable time in direct service—leading ceremonies, facilitating classes, counseling individuals and families through challenging times, or coordinating community outreach programs. Whether delivering sermons, teaching children about religious traditions, or organizing volunteer efforts, they create meaningful experiences that strengthen both individual faith and collective community bonds.

The work environment varies significantly throughout the week, shifting from quiet offices where they prepare lessons and handle administrative tasks to bustling community centers during events and programs. Many collaborate closely with volunteers, other religious leaders, and community organizations to develop educational materials, plan seasonal celebrations, or address social issues affecting their congregations. Technology plays an increasingly important role, as these professionals create online content, manage virtual services, and maintain digital communications with their communities.

Beyond traditional religious duties, these professionals often serve as crisis counselors, event coordinators, and community advocates. They might spend an afternoon visiting hospitalized members, an evening leading a youth group discussion, or a weekend organizing a community service project. The work requires both deep spiritual knowledge and practical skills in education, counseling, and program management. Each day brings opportunities to make meaningful connections, whether through one-on-one spiritual guidance, group learning experiences, or community-wide initiatives that reflect their organization's values and mission.

📈Career Progression

What does this mean?

This shows how earnings typically grow with experience. Entry level represents starting salaries, while Expert shows top earners (90th percentile). Most workers reach mid-career earnings within 5-10 years. Figures are national averages and vary by location and employer.

1
Entry (10th %ile)
0-2 years experience
$28,530
$25,677 - $31,383
2
Early Career (25th %ile)
2-6 years experience
$38,711
$34,840 - $42,582
3
Mid-Career (Median)
5-15 years experience
$53,983
$48,585 - $59,381
4
Experienced (75th %ile)
10-20 years experience
$79,207
$71,286 - $87,128
5
Expert (90th %ile)
15-30 years experience
$104,430
$93,987 - $114,873

📚Education & Training

Requirements

  • Entry Education: Bachelor's degree
  • Experience: Several years
  • On-the-job Training: Several years
  • !License or certification required

Time & Cost

Education Duration
4-5 years (typically 4)
Estimated Education Cost
$46,440 - $173,400
Public (in-state):$46,440
Public (out-of-state):$96,120
Private nonprofit:$173,400
Source: college board (2024)
Loading location...

Ready to Start Your Career?

Find jobs and training programs for social work specialists- Median salary: $54K/year

🔍

Find Jobs

Search positions from LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and more. Get up to 50 relevant job listings with salary info.

  • Real-time results
  • Export to Excel
📚

Find Training

Discover training programs, certifications, and educational resources to help you get started or advance your career.

  • Local programs
  • DOL verified
Find Training Programs
Training data powered byCareerOneStop- U.S. Department of Labor

💻Technology Skills

Email softwareEvent scheduling softwareFacebookGroupMeMembership databasesMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordTwitterWeb browser softwareAdobe PhotoshopDatabase softwareGoogle Workspace software

Key Abilities

Speech Clarity
Oral Expression
Oral Comprehension
Written Comprehension
Written Expression
Problem Sensitivity
Deductive Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
Speech Recognition
Fluency of Ideas

🏷️Also Known As

Social Work SpecialistsAdministrator PastorBishopBrotherCampus MinisterCampus PastorCantorCatechistCatholic PriestChancellor+20 more

📑Specializations

This career includes 3 specialized roles with different focuses and compensation levels.

🔗Related Careers

Other careers in social-services

🔗Data Sources

Last updated: 2026-01-09

Have feedback about this page?

Help us make this page better. Share your experience, correct errors, or suggest improvements.