Most worship leaders work full-time, and do not have formal training or institutional ties, according to a recent survey.
The survey, from Worship Leader Research, found that about 15% of respondents have a degree in worship studies, and 84% are full-time employees.
“Worship leaders are full-time professionals, but most have likely learned their craft on the job through mentorship, YouTube tutorials, and trial and error,” the report said. “Worship leaders shape theological formation every Sunday, often without formal training in theology, liturgy, or music theory.”
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Eleven percent of respondents have a bachelor’s degree in worship studies, and about 3.5% have either a masters or doctorate in worship studies. The survey found that 5% of respondents work part-time, and another 5% are unpaid volunteers.
Denominational lenses
Similarly, most respondents didn’t claim a denominational affiliation. Eight out of 10 respondents — 84% — left the denomination field blank or identified as non-denominational. Respondents who left the field blank either skipped over the field or “simply don’t think of themselves through denominational lenses,” according to the report.
“Worship leadership has become its own trans-denominational identity, shaped more by shared musical practices and industry connections than by theological tradition,” the report said.
These findings — on training and denomination — could be due, in part, to a bias in the survey. It was sent out to people who are on the email list for Worship Leader Research and to an “extended circle of colleagues including: worship professors, social media accounts, prominent worship leaders, and others who write publicly about worship music.” That list of people would be more likely to include a full-time worship leader than an unpaid volunteer.
What is evident is that most of the people represented do not think about leading worship in denominational terms.
Nearly half of respondents lead worship at churches with between 50 and 99 members. A little over 3% lead worship at a church with more than 1,000 members. Women account for 46% of respondents, and men account for 53%. Gen Z accounts for 32%, while 62% were Millennials, and 6% were Gen X or older. The median age of respondents was 33.4, and 76% were under 40 — whereas the average pastoral leader in North America is 59.
The survey was conducted in Spring 2025 by Worship Leader Research, a website that uses quantitative and qualitative data “to better understand the relationship between the worship music industry and local worship practitioners.” It’s funded in part by the Lilly Endowment, through the Louisville Institute.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Isaac Wood and originally published by Warren Smith.
