Women can pursue many different positions in religious settings. Consider the following jobs for Christian women:
Women are prohibited from serving as Catholic priests; however, they may serve as pastors in a variety of other faith denominations. Becoming a pastor is one option that may be available to you after you earn a degree in Christian theology.1 As a pastor, you would be responsible for leading your congregation in worship services and for overseeing all other activities of your church.
If you decide to pursue a career as a pastor, you will select scriptures to discuss during worship services, write and deliver sermons, perform religious rituals like baptisms and lead group classes, such as Bible studies. You might also lead religious retreats and counsel individuals and couples by providing spiritual guidance. Serving as a pastor — the main source of spiritual guidance for your congregation — is a major responsibility, but you may find it to be a meaningful career choice.
Do you enjoy working with children and teens and feel called to help them grow in their faith? Instead of becoming a pastor responsible for the entire church, you might decide to specialize as a youth pastor. A theology degree program can teach you how to tackle the challenges associated with serving as a youth pastor and to serve your church community with wisdom and integrity.1
Youth pastors focus on developing and implementing religious programs for the faith community's children and teens. They also develop or select curriculum for religious education classes and develop after-school activities. Some youth pastors get kids and teens involved in community service activities, and some serve as chaperones for youth retreats or trips.
Earning a theology degree may also enable you to pursue a career as a missionary.1Becoming a missionary may be a good fit for you if you are interested in serving God internationally and connecting with people from different cultures. As a missionary, you might be sent to a wide range of locations, such as Asia, South America, Africa or Europe. (Note that some missionaries may work in their own country.)
Missionaries have a broad list of job responsibilities. Ultimately, their goal is to bring people to Christ. They lead religious services and help the local population understand Christian doctrine and theology. Missionaries also usually work on service projects intended to improve the community, such as digging trenches to lay water lines, building schools or hospitals and distributing aid supplies.
A religious education teacher will typically teach classes in a private school that is affiliated with a particular church group or faith denomination.1 These teachers are charged with helping students develop their faith by learning more about Christian beliefs, religious practices and church history.
A religious education teacher may work with students of varying age ranges. They may share religious stories and counsel students by providing spiritual guidance.
The exact requirements to become a religious education teacher can vary from one school to the next. Although aspiring teachers are required to earn a state-issued certification or license if they plan on teaching in public schools, this is not a legal requirement for those who plan to teach in private schools. However, some private schools may still prefer to hire teachers who have an education degree.2
You could still earn a bachelor’s degree in theology if you plan on becoming a religious education teacher. If you’d like to pursue an education credential, you might then decide to enroll in a master’s degree that leads to initial teacher licensure. One example is the Master of Education in Elementary Education degree program at GCU.
