Clergy
In short: today's best AI models could do about 41% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 42% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 58% of the time, stays with people.
Conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members.
57,200 people do this job in the US. $60,810 a year.
Reviewed on October 18, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on13 h
- A person checks AI's work3 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet1 h
- Stays with people23 h
Clergy, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 13 hours, 3 hours become checking its work, 1 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 23 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Study doctrine and tradition (about 4 h); Plan membership growth (about 3 h); Run the congregation's administration (about 2 h, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 40%
- 2%
- 7%
- 51%
- 0%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 41% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 13%. Today's estimate: 41%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.19% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 104th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 5 of its 21 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.68% to 0.99% (released February and March 2025); 0.32% to 0.49% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.18% to 0.19% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.68% | 24 of 708 | 11 of 21 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.99% | 16 of 703 | 10 of 21 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.32% | 55 of 655 | 11 of 21 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.52% | 35 of 672 | 12 of 21 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.49% | 39 of 677 | 12 of 21 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.18% | 106 of 434 | 5 of 21 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.19% | 104 of 447 | 5 of 21 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 3% of this job's working time as physical work. For 0% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere. 0.00 of 3.
- Not physical 97%
- No robot shown 3%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
58% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Lead religious education, the in-person work, 7%
- Lead regular services, the in-person work, 4%
- Organize community activities, the in-person work, 4%
- Pray with people, the in-person work, 4%
- Write and speak on religious issues, the in-person work, 4%
- Instruct those seeking conversion, the in-person work, 4%
What becomes checking the machine
7% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 34% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Run the congregation's administration, costly if wrong, 5%
- Take part in fundraising, costly if wrong, 0.8%
- Work with committees on finances, costly if wrong, 0.7%
- Conduct special ceremonies, costly if wrong, 0.7%
What to learn
- The conversations. About 58% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 40% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 21 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan or lead religious education programs.Planning the program and teaching the sessions.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 12% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | In person 60%, documents 40% | 40%Desk part half by now |
| Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions.Reading and interpretation at the desk.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Documents 100% | 96%Half by now |
| Devise ways in which congregational membership can be expanded.Planning outreach at the desk and with the leadership.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Documents 70%, conversation 30% | 70%Desk part half by now |
| Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks.Writing the sermon, then preaching it.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 9% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | Documents 60%, in person 40% | 54%Desk part half by now |
| Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching.Writing articles, and speaking or teaching in person.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 3.3 h50 min to 5 h | Documents 50%, in person 50% | 48%Desk part half by now |
| Perform administrative duties, such as overseeing building management, ordering supplies, contracting for services or repairs, or supervising the work of staff members or volunteers.Orders and contracts handled at the desk, with staff and volunteers directed in person.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Documents 40%, systems 30%, in person 30% | 70%Desk part half by now |
| Organize and lead regular religious services.Leading the service, with its order planned beforehand.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 3.3 h | In person 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Organize or engage in interfaith, community, civic, educational, or recreational activities sponsored by or related to religious programs.Events attended in person, with calls and planning around them.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | In person 60%, documents 20%, conversation 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Pray and promote spirituality.Prayer with the congregation and those who come.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith.Teaching the faith to those preparing to join it.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 2.5 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Conduct special ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, or confirmations.Officiating in person, with the service prepared beforehand.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day | In person 80%, documents 20% | 19%Desk part half by now |
| Train leaders of church, community, or youth groups.Training sessions with the leaders, with some material prepared.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | In person 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Directors, Religious Activities and Education35% now, 44% by 2028
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers32% now, 44% by 2028
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors29% now, 32% by 2028
- Social and Human Service Assistants24% now, 24% by 2028
- Social and Community Service Managers36% now, 51% by 2028
- Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary46% now, 77% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Clergy is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 41% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 42% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Clergy come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Study doctrine and tradition (96% of the task's time now); Plan membership growth (70% of the task's time now); and Run the congregation's administration (70% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Clergy stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Pray with people; Instruct those seeking conversion; and Prepare people for ceremonies. Together such tasks are about 20% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Clergy learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the conversations; briefing a model and checking its drafts; and dealing with people outside the organization. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 58% of the working time stays with people, 7% becomes checking a model's work and 34% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Clergy?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.19% went to this job's tasks, the 104th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 5 of its 21 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 11%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Clergy?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 3% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 0% of the working time. Its index is 0.00 of 3. A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 21 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on October 18, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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