Have you ever thought about becoming a pastor?
The answer is not as simple as “getting ordained.” Becoming a pastor involves many steps, including earning an undergraduate degree and completing seminary training. This article will cover everything you need to know about becoming a pastor in Canada!
If so, you’re in good company. In fact, there are currently more than 1.2 million pastors serving in the United States alone. But what does it take to become one of them?
How To Become A Pastor Canada
Are you looking for a guide on how to become a pastor in Canada? If yes, here it is!
Pastoral jobs are one of Canada’s professional jobs in religion, which often requires a university degree to become one.
As of 2011, more than two-thirds of Canada’s population are Christians. This amounts to approximately 22.1 million Canadians. The denomination of Christians in Canada consists of Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Christian Orthodox, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, United Church, etc.
The average salary of pastors in Canada per year is about CAD $20,000 lower to the average yearly earnings of workers generally within the country. Regardless of that, pastoral jobs are profitable in Canada and have good prospects.
Without a doubt, Christianity is a well-established religion in Canada. Its initial emergence in Canada was in 1497. Choosing to work as a pastor will lead you towards a spiritual life while teaching others on the right path of Christ, and getting paid by the church in return.
On this page, you’ll be access the steps to take to become a pastor in Canada. It also covers information on their job duties, estimated salary, qualifications, licensing, some churches to apply to, and more.
How To Become A Minister In Canada
Who is a pastor?
A pastor is a person with authorization to conduct religious activities. He or she also leads the congregation in the church, as well as advises, encourages and leads them to Christ.
Besides, pastors are one of the professional occupations in religion in Canada. There are varieties of pastoral job positions and titles in Canada.
Some of these include assistant pastors, evangelist/outreach pastors, senior pastors, youth pastors, worship & creative arts pastors, English pastors, Cantonese pastors, and children’s pastors.
What do Pastors do?
Generally speaking, you need to know what the church and congregation expect from you while planning to become a pastor in Canada.
With regard to this, here are the primary job responsibilities of pastors.
- Organizing and administering sermons
- Providing counselling services such as to individuals and prospective couples
- Carrying out events and programs based on the church’s mission
- Hosting special events and guests according to need
- Upholding a well-built image that portrays the mission of the church
- Executing community support schemes
- Discussing business terms to promote the church
- Collaborating with the advisory councils, as well as with church boards to decide on the church’s direction.
Pastor Jobs In Canada For Foreigners
Why is Pastoral job a good career in Canada?
The following are justifications that show that pastoral jobs are rewarding and worthwhile in Canada.
- There is a shortage of pastors in Canada. Because of this, even foreigners can become a pastor in Canada through its Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP).
- Pastors earn a substantial salary of CAD $51,675 in Canada. This amount is sufficient to cater for a family of not more than two.
- There are good career prospects for pastors in Canada due to its high population of Christians and churches. Moreover, pastors have more job opportunities in Ontario and British Columbia provinces of Canada.
Requirements To Be A Pastor In The Bible
Top skills needed to become a pastor in Canada
All persons who want to become a pastor must possess a number of essential skills. These skills make it possible for you to carry out your job responsibilities as expected.
You can surely build all of these skills through mentorship by emulating the moral qualities of a pastor.
The following are the top five (5) skills you need to become a pastor, as well as to conduct religious activities in Canada.
Studying the Bible is essential because of how important God is.
We should give our full attention to the Bible since it contains God’s message to humanity. We need to get in touch with him. Since we aim to take his words to heart, we will be giving them our full and undivided attention.
What a priceless piece of advice! A biblical passage describes them as “more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold; also sweeter than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10). More than the biggest joys that our world wants—money and food—the Bible satisfies us.
Paul told young pastor Timothy that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). As you speak, God “breathes out” each individual word in the Bible. It is absolutely original in this respect. That statement is true of the Bible but not of any other literature.
Reading the Bible is not the same as studying it.
The Bible is just another document, therefore we read it as quickly as possible. In contrast, we don’t rush through Bible study. We search for answers to the world’s mysteries as we attempt to make sense of it. What they say is given serious consideration.
Ephesians 1:1-14 can be read in 30 seconds, yet the lessons it contains will last you a lifetime. The Gospel of John can be read in its entirety in roughly two hours. But its complexity ensures that you’ll never get bored exploring it.
The reward of maturing in God’s word will be ours for as long as we live.
It’s important to devote a lot of time to Bible study and have faith in what you’re reading.
We put in the time and effort necessary since we value education highly. However, relying on God also calls for us to ask for wisdom.
Paul urged Timothy to “think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Timothy 2:7). God endows us with wit, but we have to put it to use.
The evangelist George Whitefield began devoting himself to reading the Bible on a regular basis once he became a Christian. Author says, “I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books and praying over, if possible, every line and word… I daily received fresh life, light, and power from above.” Take note of how modest he is.1
Whether or not we choose to get on our knees to study, that’s where our focus ought to be.
#1. Public speaking skills
To become a pastor in Canada, you need to possess top-notch public speaking skills. This gives you the courage to stand and preach in front of the congregation.
You can develop your public speaking skills by rehearsing, learning how to control your breath while talking, and by maintaining a relaxed state.
#2. Good communication skills
As a pastor, you need to be excellent in both written and oral communication. This implies that your English language should be superlative with regard to speaking, writing, reading and listening.
#3. Problem-solving skills
Another top skill required to become a pastor in Canada is problem-solving skills. With a high level of problem-solving skills, you’ll be able to resolve conflicts within the congregation, as well as in the neighbourhood.
You can develop this skill by thinking and praying on all matters brought forward to you.
#4. Leadership skills
Pastors also need to have premium leadership skills in order to enable them to lead and rule the congregation. Being a good leader demands you to be compassionate, dependable, patient, creative, and experienced of several situations.
#5. Active listening skills
Undoubtedly, pastors are required to have good active listening skills. With this skill, you’ll be able to pay attention to your church member’s spiritual needs, marital issues, and other concerns.
Ensure not to judge too quickly or to interrupt him or her when explaining their concerns and problems to you.
Steps To Become A Pastor In Canada
Simply by acting on the following steps, you’ll find it very easy in becoming a pastor in Canada.
- Attain education in theology
- Seek for a mentor
- Get ordination as a pastor
- Apply for pastoral job positions
STEP 1: Attain education in theology
Before you can become a pastor in any Canadian province or territory, you need to have completed a post-secondary program. A theology-related degree program from an accredited university is often required.
As a matter of fact, several denominations of Christians require pastors to have graduated from a theological college or university program in order to facilitate their ordination.
STEP 2: Seek for a mentor
#2 out of the four steps to take to become a pastor in Canada is to consider having a pastor as your mentor. This serves as a way of getting guidance and advice on what pastoral job entails.
Having a mentor will also enable you to learn about their moral qualities, skills, as well as how they perform their responsibilities in the way of the Lord.
Without doubt, you can seek for your mentor while studying in a college or university. These include through your supervisor or an internship program.
As a matter of fact, having a mentor will help you gain cognizance of how to handle wide-ranging situations, as well as to make critical decisions.
STEP 3: Get ordination as a pastor
Here is the stage where your degree certificate comes in handy. As has been noted, you must have completed a Bachelor of Theology degree program in order to meet the employment requirement for pastors in Canada.
Of course, you need to be ordained with the United National Ministry before you can officiate weddings, and conduct some other religious activities in Canada. There are surely different ways to secure ordination in Canada depending on the province or territory.
STEP 4: Apply for pastoral job positions
This is definitely the last step to take in becoming a pastor in Canada. It requires you to start sending and completing applications for pastoral jobs in Canada.
Employment agencies and job sites are options open to you in finding pastoral jobs in any Canadian province or territory. There are many employment agencies in Canada that help both Canadian and foreign workers.
Additionally, you can try job sites like Talent Canada, Glassdoor, Job Bank, Jobillico, CareerBuilder, Jobboom, Indeed Canada, LinkedIn, Monster, Eluta, Workopolis, etc.
