Clergy
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.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 50%
- 24%
- 26%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
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, 18%. Today's estimate: 25%.
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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 21 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan or lead religious education programs.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 12% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Devise ways in which congregational membership can be expanded.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | 49%Half by now | |
| Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 9% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 19%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 3.3 h50 min to 5 h | 38%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Perform administrative duties, such as overseeing building management, ordering supplies, contracting for services or repairs, or supervising the work of staff members or volunteers.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Organize and lead regular religious services.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Organize or engage in interfaith, community, civic, educational, or recreational activities sponsored by or related to religious programs.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Pray and promote spirituality.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct special ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, or confirmations.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Train leaders of church, community, or youth groups.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people |
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.
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 Education9% now, 44% by 2028
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers35% now, 52% by 2028
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors34% now, 44% by 2028
- Social and Human Service Assistants44% now, 46% by 2028
- Social and Community Service Managers24% now, 83% by 2028
- Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary16% now, 61% 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).