Our nation was founded on the principle of freedom of religion, and every day the faithful throughout DC prove this to be as important as ever. Pastors in the District of Columbia have a history of service to their communities that stretches back centuries.
A prominent local church in the Washington Highlands-Bellevue area, founded in 1916 as a missionary center to help with community needs in a highly segregated city, is one example. The actions and willpower of one dedicated member, whose day job was at a thrift store, helped the church to gain notoriety for providing vital needs to the local community who were otherwise failed by a then-racially-segregated local government.
Today the Temple of Praise’s missionary center still bears the name of Anna Johenning.
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The yearning to provide outreach, community assistance, and spread the word of Jesus through evangelism is something all Christians feel compelled to do in some way. For some this desire manifests itself in the calling to become a pastor.
The journey to serve Christ through ministry as a pastor in DC is a multi-step process. This calling is a challenge God has put to you, and it begins with getting the right education.
Follow the steps in this simple guide to learn how to become a pastor in the District of Columbia:
Steps to Become a Pastor in Washington, DC
Step 1. Earn a Bachelor's Degree in Christian Ministry, Pastoral Studies or Other Similar Major in the District of Columbia
A soapbox preacher on the corner may have great insights into the human psyche and a lay understanding of the Bible. But an in-depth academic knowledge of the Bible and God’s word through the study of things like history, Biblical languages, and Biblical scholarship is what sets apart the preacher of a well-established church from the person on a street corner soapbox.
The road towards ministry starts with a bachelor's degree in a field related to pastoral studies and Christian ministry. A bachelor's degree is also a general prerequisite for entrance into a Master of Divinity program, a standard requirement for pastors hailing from many different Christian denominations.
A relevant bachelor's degree gives you foundational knowledge that you'll use throughout your life as a human being who serves God – especially if you're serving Him through ministry. In addition to online options, DC and the surrounding area is home to several schools offering bachelor's degree programs in subjects like:
- Biblical Studies
- Theology
- Religious Studies
- Sacred Theology
But disparage not the soapbox preachers: they have a unique gift of connecting with people on their terms and at their level. This is also a vitally important skill for any pastor, which is why the next step towards fulfilling your calling involves working in the local community in jobs that are open to bachelor’s-degree graduates.
Step 2. Look for Ministry Jobs and Gain Experience Serving the People and Churches of DC
Having a bachelor’s degree in a ministry-related field can open up important career doors that will serve to propel you along your path towards becoming a pastor. A degree helps you to get your foot in the door for entry-level and even some mid-level positions like:
- Assistant Pastoral Care Coordinator
- Member Engagement Specialist
- Project Coordinator
- Communications Assistant
- Assistant Director of Ministry (children, youth, young adult, and adult)
- Assistant Finance Coordinator
Mid-level jobs like ministry leadership positions are just around the corner once you’ve established yourself in the church community.
Explore Ministry Jobs with One of DC's Many Churches
If you want to be a pastor it’s important to gain real-world experience and learn what’s important to your fellow parishioners. Working within your local church is a great way to develop your interpersonal skills while putting the academic knowledge from your bachelor’s degree to work.
Some of the largest Christian organizations in the District provide some great opportunities to do just that:
- Bible Way Temple
- Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church
- International Ethiopian Evangelical Church
- Rhema Christian Center Church
- Saint Columba's Episcopal Church
- Shiloh Baptist Church
- Temple of Praise
Salary Expectations for Church Ministry Jobs in the District of Columbia
Entry- and mid-level church support staff in DC earned an average yearly salary of $55,430 as of 2020. This places the DC-Arlington-Alexandria metro area among the top-10 in the nation in terms of salaries for religious workers.
Entry and mid-level religious workers with more experience and education earning within the top ten percent made more than $93,370, that year.
Step 3. Earn a Master of Divinity (MDiv) or Similar Graduate Degree in the District of Columbia and Establish Your Role in Christian Leadership
Accruing work experience is important for moving up to higher positions. But equally, if not more important, is education.
A Master of Divinity degree is the most widely recognized religio-academic credential that’s common across American Christendom and can take your career prospects to a whole new level. It even fulfills the education requirement to become a minister in some denominations.
Many divinity programs, especially those offered online, give you the option to keep working at your local church while you gain advanced knowledge in areas of the Christian faith. Master’s programs can be offered stand-alone or with different areas of specialization like:
- Bible Studies
- Old Testament
- New Testament
- Biblical Languages
- Ministry and Missions
- Transformative Ministry
- Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy
ingredients you need –plenty of experience and specialized education– to take the next step up and move into senior pastor roles.
Church director, adult worship leader, senior ministry director, and director of missions are just a few example roles.
Start checking the ordination requirements at your local church because at this point it's time fulfill your calling and make the final moves in this direction.
Pastor Salary Expectations in the District of Columbia
The US Department of Labor reports that directors of religious activities and education in DC earned an average salary of $75,020 in 2020. If DC were a state that would be the third-highest average salary for religious directors in the nation. If it were considered a metro area it would be the highest, beating out the second-place metro area by nearly $20k.
DC religious directors with greater amounts of education and experience, represented by the 75th and 90th percentiles, earned $96,350 and $137,260, respectively.
Members of clergy in DC earned an average of $73,920 in 2020. This is the highest average clergy salary of any metro area or state in the nation.
DC clergy members with more experience and education, represented by the 75th percentile, earned $96,320. Those at the tops of their fields, represented by the 90th percentile, earned six figures at $110,270.
Step 4. Consider Forming a Christian Ministry of Your Own in the District of Columbia
Leading worship services, serving as a senior pastor, or directing religious outreach and education programs is truly carrying out the Lord's work. Yet for some the calling may extend to taking things a step further and founding your own church.
If you’re called to be a church planter then you’re very well poised if you’ve completed the steps up to this point. However, there are still some important tax and business issues to take care of.
First, you'll need to start at the DC level. You will be filing documents so your church will be considered a domestic nonprofit/not-for-profit corporation under local DC tax law:
Draft Articles of Incorporation for your church, and submit these to the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). These explain how your church is financially and organizationally structured. You can submit these online along with a DNP-1 form. You'll need to submit your Articles to the IRS later, so it's useful to follow this IRS template for your Articles. The Articles must include:
- The name of your church (you can check here to confirm the name you’ve chosen isn’t already taken).
- Your name (as the registered agent) and business address in DC.
- A Declaration of Trust that describes how your church’s assets would be distributed if it were to dissolve. You can include this with your application to DCRA, and you’ll also need to include this later when you apply for tax exempt status with the IRS.
The DC government provides this guide to help you through the steps of incorporating your church locally in the District.
Now at this point you’ll need to file for 501(c)(3) tax exemption status for your church with the IRS:
- Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) using an SS-4 Form.
- Submit a Form 1023 to the IRS ($275 fee); this is your official application for non-profit 501(c)(3) status. Include copies of your Articles of Incorporation and Declaration of Trust.
Once your 501(c)(3) status is approved you’ll be able to complete the final steps you need to earn a similar status at the local level in DC:
- Fill out Form FR-164 and submit this to the DC Office of Tax and Revenue. This is an application for tax exemption in DC.
- Fill out Form FR-500 and include this with your FR-164. This registers your church with the DC Office of Tax Revenue.
It might seem like a lot but by this point you’ve come so far that it’s just a matter of working through one form at a time.
Before you know it you’ll have all the paperwork in order and be ready to start welcoming in members to your new church.
This will bring one journey to an end, while also marking the beginning of a new one that will change your life and the lives of your parishioners forever as you answer God’s personal call to you.
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures and job market trends for Religious Workers, Church Directors, and Clergy based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed February 2022.
Christian Colleges in Washington, DC
The Catholic University of America School of Theology and Religious Studies
BA in Theology and Religious Studies (campus)
Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (campus)
