How Much Can You Make After Leaving Ministry?
A Former Pastor’s Guide to Marketplace Salaries

How Much Can You Make After Leaving Ministry?
A Former Pastor’s Guide to Marketplace Salaries

How Much Can You Make After Leaving Ministry?
A Former Pastor’s Guide to Marketplace Salaries

Read Time: 5 minutes

Overview

Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! In today’s issue, we’re going to talk about how organizations value your experience based on the job title that you’re looking for next, and (what is actually more important) some specific characteristics of those organizations that will key you into how much your experience is worth. This is an important factor in making an effective pastor career change. Let’s dive in.


Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:

  • Mindset Shift: How much is your experience worth as a former pastor?

  • Strategy Shift: Finding roles that will support your family.

  • Do This Right Now: A more targeted job search.

  • Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors

Overview

Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! In today’s issue, we’re going to talk about how organizations value your experience based on the job title that you’re looking for next, and (what is actually more important) some specific characteristics of those organizations that will key you into how much your experience is worth. This is an important factor in making an effective pastor career change. Let’s dive in.


Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:

  • Mindset Shift: How much is your experience worth as a former pastor?

  • Strategy Shift: Finding roles that will support your family.

  • Do This Right Now: A more targeted job search.

  • Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors

LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH

🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: How much is your experience worth as a former pastor?

🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: How much is your experience worth as a former pastor?

What jobs could you even do as a former pastor? A lot of jobs! But that’s not the only important question. You want to make at least what you’re making now, right?


But here’s the thing…


You could be in sales and make $60K or you could be an administrative assistant and make $110K (I know someone who does).


How is this possible? Seems upside down, right?


The answer is in where you do the job.


The primary function of how much you get paid has less to do with the job title, and more to do with the organization where you do the job.


Because there are 3 levers that you can pull when figuring out how much you can get paid:

  1. The value the position brings to the organization quarterly and/or annually, measured in dollars.

  2. The size of the total addressable market for the organization multiplied by the percentage of its saturation of the market. We call this % SAT TAM.

  3. The lifetime value of a customer. We call this LTV.


Each of these are numbers that together, contribute to how much an organization will be able to pay someone in a specific role.

What jobs could you even do as a former pastor? A lot of jobs! But that’s not the only important question. You want to make at least what you’re making now, right?

But here’s the thing…

You could be in sales and make $60K or you could be an administrative assistant and make $110K (I know someone who does).

How is this possible? Seems upside down, right?

The answer is in where you do the job.

The primary function of how much you get paid has less to do with the job title, and more to do with the organization where you do the job.

Because there are 3 levers that you can pull when figuring out how much you can get paid:

  1. The value the position brings to the organization quarterly and/or annually, measured in dollars.

  2. The size of the total addressable market for the organization multiplied by the percentage of its saturation of the market. We call this % SAT TAM.

  3. The lifetime value of a customer. We call this LTV.

Each of these are numbers that together, contribute to how much an organization will be able to pay someone in a specific role.

♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: Finding roles that will support your family.

♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: Finding roles that will support your family.

Where to start: How much do you need to make?

Where to start: How much do you need to make?

If you’re transitioning out of ministry, this is the first important factor.

How much you need to make annually will either open or close possibilities to you. If you know this number, you’ll quickly be able to eliminate opportunities that don’t fit, and focus on ones that do.

If you’re transitioning out of ministry, this is the first important factor.

How much you need to make annually will either open or close possibilities to you. If you know this number, you’ll quickly be able to eliminate opportunities that don’t fit, and focus on ones that do.

How much value does the role bring in or save?
How much value does the role bring in or save?

The role you get will be based on your marketable skills. We talked about that in the last two issues of the newsletter. And each of those roles equates to a monetary value to the organization. 


Example: Let’s say you’re going into sales. Then the dollars that you bring into the company will reflect how much you take home. If you’re in HR, it is less clear, but it will be a function of how much profit you can create for the company by managing payroll and benefits expenses effectively. 


You can use the same logic across the board with any role.


Generally, organizations will also look at ranges for certain roles with publicly available data and try to fit within a range of 20% below and 20% above the median salary with a COLA (cost of living adjustment) factored in. 


You can view national averages for salaries at a website like: this calculator from Payscale or this article from Indeed


But that’s just the starting point.


% SAT TAM

How much you can make is greatly affected by this equation. Let’s define each part.


  • TAM = Total Addressable Market. Basically, what is the total number of people who are able to and might want to buy a specific product or service? 


For Coca-Cola, that could be upwards of 6 or 7 billion people! 


  • % SAT = Percent Saturation. Of the TAM, how many people will choose that company’s products or services when they want or need to buy them.


A high % SAT TAM creates a somewhat predictable income stream for the organization. When that happens, they can tweak their budgets and systems to create more value with less waste, which leads to more profit. 


So even though the average price of a can of Coke is $1.50, when 2 billion people choose that on a weekly basis, that adds up!

And oftentimes, more profit leads to higher salaries for the employees. Some companies even have a profit sharing model that rewards all employees.


Customer Lifetime Value or LTV

The Lifetime Value of a customer is also a factor in determining pay. 


  • If they purchase something one time, how much is that thing worth?

  • If they purchase something multiple times, how much is it worth each time they buy it? 


(this is why subscriptions are becoming so popular)


So let’s pose a question: “Who is going to make more, the person working the front desk at the used Kia dealership or the Ferrari dealership?” 


Ferrari. 


Even though they are doing essentially the same thing, one will make more because of the cost of the thing going out the door.

Now, there are some other factors, but these are three of the big ones. 


So you want a higher salary? Great. Here’s what you do.

  1. Figure out what you need to make. Write that number down.

  2. Get clear on the job type you want. That will give you a general range of what you can make.

  3. Find organizations or companies that have higher values for % SAT TAM and LTV. 


P.S. It will be helpful to look for organizations in industries that you may do better in because of your background. But other people will get this too. 

Competition may be higher in those companies and industries, so be aware of how competitive you want your job search to be.

The role you get will be based on your marketable skills. We talked about that in the last two issues of the newsletter. And each of those roles equates to a monetary value to the organization. 

Example: Let’s say you’re going into sales. Then the dollars that you bring into the company will reflect how much you take home. If you’re in HR, it is less clear, but it will be a function of how much profit you can create for the company by managing payroll and benefits expenses effectively. 

You can use the same logic across the board with any role.

Generally, organizations will also look at ranges for certain roles with publicly available data and try to fit within a range of 20% below and 20% above the median salary with a COLA (cost of living adjustment) factored in. 

You can view national averages for salaries at a website like: this calculator from Payscale or this article from Indeed

But that’s just the starting point.

% SAT TAM

How much you can make is greatly affected by this equation. Let’s define each part.

  • TAM = Total Addressable Market. Basically, what is the total number of people who are able to and might want to buy a specific product or service? 

For Coca-Cola, that could be upwards of 6 or 7 billion people! 

  • % SAT = Percent Saturation. Of the TAM, how many people will choose that company’s products or services when they want or need to buy them.

A high % SAT TAM creates a somewhat predictable income stream for the organization. When that happens, they can tweak their budgets and systems to create more value with less waste, which leads to more profit. 

So even though the average price of a can of Coke is $1.50, when 2 billion people choose that on a weekly basis, that adds up!

And oftentimes, more profit leads to higher salaries for the employees. Some companies even have a profit sharing model that rewards all employees.

Customer Lifetime Value or LTV

The Lifetime Value of a customer is also a factor in determining pay. 

  • If they purchase something one time, how much is that thing worth?

  • If they purchase something multiple times, how much is it worth each time they buy it? 

(this is why subscriptions are becoming so popular)

So let’s pose a question: “Who is going to make more, the person working the front desk at the used Kia dealership or the Ferrari dealership?” 

Ferrari. 

Even though they are doing essentially the same thing, one will make more because of the cost of the thing going out the door.

Now, there are some other factors, but these are three of the big ones. 

So you want a higher salary? Great. Here’s what you do.

  1. Figure out what you need to make. Write that number down.

  2. Get clear on the job type you want. That will give you a general range of what you can make.

  3. Find organizations or companies that have higher values for % SAT TAM and LTV. 


P.S. It will be helpful to look for organizations in industries that you may do better in because of your background. But other people will get this too. 

Competition may be higher in those companies and industries, so be aware of how competitive you want your job search to be.

QUICK WINS

✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW:  A more targeted job search

✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW:  A more targeted job search
  1. Look at your budget. Talk to your spouse. What do you need to make in your next job? Write that number down.

  2. Figure out what you want to make in your next job. Write that number down. Now you can start a much more targeted job search.

  3. Look for jobs and companies that can fulfill both of those numbers, with positions where the average salary is less than or equal to the number you need to make. Use tools like Glassdoor.


What if you don’t know the job you want to do next? 


We created an assessment that will narrow down the exact job titles that fit your experience, skills, and wiring. It also comes with all of our online training on getting clarity for your next role and how to find the right people who can help you figure out what fits you and the quickest pathway to take to land that job. Get the Job Clarity Assessment here.

  1. Look at your budget. Talk to your spouse. What do you need to make in your next job? Write that number down.

  2. Figure out what you want to make in your next job. Write that number down. Now you can start a much more targeted job search.

  3. Look for jobs and companies that can fulfill both of those numbers, with positions where the average salary is less than or equal to the number you need to make. Use tools like Glassdoor.

What if you don’t know the job you want to do next? 

We created an assessment that will narrow down the exact job titles that fit your experience, skills, and wiring. It also comes with all of our online training on getting clarity for your next role and how to find the right people who can help you figure out what fits you and the quickest pathway to take to land that job. Get the Job Clarity Assessment here.

🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP

🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP

BIG WIN! Today’s 3rd interview went GREAT! 20 minutes later the HR Manager reached out to fly me out to the company headquarters! Hopefully to be followed by an offer!

BIG WIN! Today’s 3rd interview went GREAT! 20 minutes later the HR Manager reached out to fly me out to the company headquarters! Hopefully to be followed by an offer!

🤝 WHO WILL HIRE ME?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.

🤝 WHO WILL HIRE ME?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.

This list is made up of “ministry friendly” companies. They have a redemptive vision for their products and services, are led by a Christian founder, or have hired someone with a ministry background before.



*Launch Point does not make any introductions to hiring managers or recruiters based on this list except to those that have joined the Ministry To Marketplace Coaching Program.

This list is made up of “ministry friendly” companies. They have a redemptive vision for their products and services, are led by a Christian founder, or have hired someone with a ministry background before.

*Launch Point does not make any introductions to hiring managers or recruiters based on this list except to those that have joined the Ministry To Marketplace Coaching Program.

Rooting for you! 🚀

Todd Linder

Founder and Head Coach // Connect with me on LinkedIn

How we can help you:

  1. The Ministry To Marketplace Coaching Program: Join 84 others that have successfully transitioned from ministry into marketplace jobs that value their experience. Our coaching program will give you our proven step by step process to getting a job faster in the marketplace, weekly coaching calls and check ins, and community with others on the same journey as you. ​Book a call here.​

  2. The Ministry To Marketplace Quiz: Join 343+ other ministry to marketplace job seekers that have taken our 60-second (FREE) quiz to find out what is hindering your job search. You'll get a video and PDF results report straight to your inbox that will identify where you are, and what you need to focus on right now to get results. ​Take the FREE quiz here.​

  3. Want to hire someone with a ministry background? We always have 20-30 people in our coaching group who are hire ready! Email me (todd@launchpoint.co) with a link to the job description and I'll personally take a look in our coaching community for someone that fits, make sure their resume is lined up, and connect you with them directly. (completely FREE)

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