What does a children's ministry director cost a church in Tennessee?
In Tennessee, a children's ministry director costs a church roughly $47,487–$62,682 per year in total — about $54,610 at a typical mid-size church (250–499 attendance) — including employer payroll taxes, before benefits. Because this is a non-clergy staff role, the church also pays the employer share of payroll taxes (about 7.65%), so the real cost runs above the salary, before benefits.
The children's ministry director shoulders one of the most trust-heavy roles in the church — the safety, discipleship, and volunteer engine of everything under age twelve. It's frequently underpaid relative to its responsibility and its effect on whether young families stay, so it's worth benchmarking honestly. Pay tracks the local labor market more than church size.
Tennessee's cost of living runs below the national average, which pulls church salaries down accordingly (BEA prices Tennessee at 91.9 versus 100 nationally).
Children's Ministry Director cost in Tennessee, by church size
| Church size (avg. attendance) | Est. salary | Est. cost to the church |
|---|---|---|
| Under 100 | $37,495 | $40,363 |
| 100-249 | $44,112 | $47,487 |
| 250-499 | $50,729 | $54,610 |
| 500-999 | $58,228 | $62,682 |
| 1,000+ | $68,374 | $73,605 |
"Cost to the church" = salary + employer payroll tax (≈7.65%) , before retirement, health, or other benefits. Add those — and an optional clergy Social Security allowance — in the calculator.
Salary figures represent estimated cash salary, before employer payroll tax, benefits (retirement, insurance), and any housing allowance.
Benchmarks built on 2024–2025 source data (BEA 2024, BLS May 2025).
These are state-level estimates — costs in Tennessee’s major metros can run meaningfully higher or lower. StaffClarity adjusts for your specific location.
Estimates are a start. See your actual cost.
Plug in your children's ministry director's salary, housing, and benefits and get the exact fully-loaded cost — clergy or staff — then plan your whole team.
Other roles in Tennessee
Children's Ministry Director in other states
How these numbers are built: a national church-comp base for the role, scaled by church size and adjusted for state cost of living, then run through the same fully-loaded cost model our calculator uses. Sources: BEA Regional Price Parities (state cost of living, 2024); BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (May 2025); Lifeway Research / GuideStone SBC Church Compensation Study (biennial, free). Figures are planning estimates, not a guarantee — your church's real numbers depend on experience, scope, and benefits.