Afraid About AI in Ministry? Here’s What Church Leaders Need to Know

What Is AI in Ministry?

AI in ministry refers to using artificial intelligence tools—like ChatGPT and other automation software—to assist pastors and church leaders with administrative work, sermon research, content organization, and communication. When used wisely, AI can save time without replacing spiritual leadership, prayer, or pastoral care.

Why AI in Ministry Feels Overwhelming

It’s hard to believe, but artificial intelligence wasn’t a massive cultural talking point until about two years ago. Now, everyone and everything is about AI. 

Obviously, you’ve got tools like ChatGPT that are hugely popular. But it seems like AI is being incorporated into just about everything. Apps. Netflix. Microsoft Office. Internet search. Everything. 

The speed at which AI has taken over the world can be unsettling, especially for church leaders. Just as the internet completely revolutionized the way we live, so will AI. It will, and is already, having a significant impact on your church's members. 

You may be tempted to fear how AI will affect your ministry and members. And it is right to have some fear. AI is a tool, and tools can be used for good or bad. You can use a hammer to build a house. You can also use it to break a window. 

But there’s a good chance some of your major fears aren’t true.  

In this article, we’ll explore some common fears about AI in ministry and how to approach AI with wisdom.

Fear #1: AI Is Moving Too Fast 

One of the most common concerns pastors voice isn’t about AI itself, but about the pace of change. New headlines about what AI can do pop up on what seems to be an hourly basis. 

If you’re already juggling sermons, staff care, budgets, and congregational needs, it can feel overwhelming.

It can feel like things are careening out of your control, and you’ll never be able to keep up. Will you and your church be forced to use tools you don’t really understand? Will you fall behind if you wait too long to adopt AI?

The truth is far less dramatic. 

You don’t need to adopt AI to remain faithful, effective, or relevant. There are no legal or financial consequences if you don’t start using AI fast enough. 

You can use AI in ways that are slow and reversible.

The leaders and churches currently using AI are doing so in a limited way. As a tool. To help draft emails, organize notes, brainstorm ideas, etc. AI is great for doing research and can help you sort through and organize massive amounts of data very quickly.

Remember, AI is a tool. You can use it in ways that are good, ethical, and make you more efficient, so you can spend more time doing the things that really matter. Caring for members. Praying for your church. Studying the Bible. 

AI is not a force that will overwhelm you. Initially, many people were concerned when the iPhone was introduced. That might have included you. But you learned (hopefully) how to use your smartphone in helpful, healthy ways. 

You can do the same with AI.

Fear #2: AI Will Replace Church Staff

The fear here is that AI will start doing the jobs of church staff. And I guess that could theoretically happen if your job is limited to highly manual tasks like writing emails or helping a pastor research. AI could be used to do tasks like those much faster. 

But if your job involves serving and maintaining relationships with people, you don’t need to be overly concerned.

This fear often comes from how AI is portrayed in pop culture: autonomous systems making decisions and removing the need for personal involvement. But that’s not how AI actually functions in ministry settings.

See, here’s the thing. AI is not, to state the obvious, human. 

It doesn’t understand emotional things like circumstances, pain, joy, trials, happiness, depression, anxiety, etc. What it does well is pattern recognition and organization. This makes it very helpful for activities like summarizing, drafting, and repetitive admin tasks. 

In other words, AI can’t shepherd people. 

It can help prepare material, but it can’t preach with conviction. It can organize children’s ministry schedules, but it can’t be with someone in grief. It can suggest possible sermon titles, but it can’t pray for people.

All those things require people. People who know God and are sensitive to His leading. People called by God to ministry. 

It can be helpful to think of AI more like email or presentation software than a replacement for people. It can help you do ministry more efficiently, but it will never replace you.

Fear #3: Using AI Is Spiritually Lazy or Dishonest

Recently, controversial worship leader Sean Feucht posted a prayer on X (formerly Twitter). It was obviously generated by AI. How can you tell? Because he accidentally left part of his conversation with AI at the bottom. 

Let’s just say that this is an example of how you should NOT use AI. 

It also raises the concern of whether using AI compromises spiritual integrity. Does it shortcut prayer? Make sermons feel less authentic? Cause you to become dishonest?

The answer to each of these questions is…maybe. 

You can use AI to quickly generate “prayers”, and it can make sermons feel less genuine. You can use AI in dishonest ways, such as directly copying and pasting AI output and then claiming it as your own. 

But you don’t have to use it to do any of those things. Back to the hammer idea. If you want to, you can use a hammer to destroy a person’s car. But the hammer won’t do these things by itself. You have to do them. 

Your integrity isn’t compromised simply by using AI. What matters is how you use it. AI can help you brainstorm sermon illustrations and organize your points, but you have to do the spiritual work. 

You have to carefully, prayerfully study the Bible and seek God’s wisdom to understand it. You have to write words that will resonate with specific members you know by name. 

You could use AI to write an entire sermon for you in 30 seconds. But you shouldn’t. Ever. 

Presenting that sermon as your own would be straight-up lying. Copying and pasting even part of the AI text into your sermon would be lying. 

Even more importantly, you’ve removed God from the process of creating the sermon. Preaching is a sacred, spiritual task. You need God to do it in ways that genuinely bless and serve your church members. Never use AI to shortcut your dependence on God. 

Use it as a tool for things like sermon prep. You already use things like commentaries, digital Bible software, and planning apps. Use AI in the same way you use those tools. As a support. 

Use it to help you find numerous Bible verses on a particular subject. Don’t let it replace your prayerful dependence on God to help you understand and apply the verses.  

If AI replaces prayer, reflection, and deep engagement with Scripture, that’s a problem. If it supports those things, it’s a tool.

Fear #4: Will AI Remove the Human Touch From Ministry?

It’s true that technology can remove the human element of ministry if you let it. You can stop having coffee with people and instead only send them short, generic texts like, “Praying for you today.”

I certainly hope you don’t do that. Because ministry should never feel impersonal or automated. 

But, when used well, AI can actually strengthen the human element of ministry rather than hurt it. 

One of your most precious resources is time, and the best use of that time is doing things that deepen your relationship with God and serve the people in your church. 

Admin tasks, like emails, scheduling, planning, and organizing information, can free up time to focus on the most important things.

AI can free up time you would normally spend on those admin tasks. 

When you spend less time formatting documents or drafting repetitive communication, you gain more time for conversations and counseling. AI can help you spend less time in spreadsheets and more time in prayer. 

AI will never replace relationships. It can give you more time to build them.  

Fear #5: Is AI Safe and Ethical for Churches?

It’s right to have concerns about privacy and ethics, especially in ministry contexts where sensitive information is used. 

You already have to navigate some of these issues when you use other digital tools, such as giving platforms, contact databases, and church management software. 

AI doesn’t introduce completely new categories of risk. It does emphasize the importance of using people’s information in safe, responsible, ethical ways. 

Don’t enter sensitive pastoral information into AI tools. Or people’s giving information, contact data, family members, etc. Personal data should be handled with the utmost care. Like you already are with other platforms. 

You don’t need to avoid AI for safety or ethical reasons if you don’t use it in ways that are unsafe or unethical. 

Fear #6: Will AI Influence Theology?

Some leaders worry that AI will shape doctrine or influence teaching in unhealthy ways. It can generate plenty of content, including theological content. If you use information from AI without critical thinking, it could possibly lead to a change in your theology or beliefs. 

But books can do that too. And podcasts. And friends. 

You don’t avoid those things. 

Rather, you think carefully about what is presented and compare it to what’s found in scripture. 

Your beliefs and theology change as you process information. They don’t change just because the information exists.

AI doesn’t think or believe. It generates information based on millions of sources and the requests you submit. Theology still comes from Scripture.

Using AI doesn’t mean you’ll become a heretic. You could become a heretic, but AI wouldn’t be the cause. You would be the cause. 

AI can help you research topics or summarize lots of data, but it can’t replace theological discernment. Use AI like you would use any reference tool. Don’t treat it like it’s an authority of some sort. 

Fear #7: “We’re Not a Tech Church”

You might not be the most tech-savvy person. Maybe you worry that AI is too complex or overwhelming for you to use.

The reality is that most AI tools are really simple to use. If you can use a search engine, you can use AI. You can use AI in really complex, powerful ways, but you certainly don’t have to. If you find a particular tool to be frustrating or unhelpful, you can stop using it.  

You don’t need a complete tech overhaul to start experimenting with AI. Many tools, like ChatGPT, have a free version. You can see what it’s like to use AI for things like drafting an email or organizing notes. 

You aren’t required to invest hours and hours in learning how to use AI. Most tools are easy to learn in just a few minutes.  

Practical Ways Pastors Can Use AI Wisely

AI is great for reducing repetitive administrative work, organizing content, generating ideas, researching topics, and generating rough drafts. It can help you be more efficient and quickly perform tasks that normally would take hours. 

When used correctly, it can reduce burnout by removing busywork that drains energy.

AI will never be able to provide pastoral care. Or pray (despite what Sean Feucht thinks). Or discern the Spirit’s leading, sit with people in suffering, or lead a meeting. 

Ministry has and always will require people who love God, love their neighbors, and want to reach people with the gospel. 

Conclusion: Choose Wisdom Over Fear

The fact that you’re concerned about AI is a good thing. It shows that you care deeply and take your responsibilities seriously. 

But you don’t need to be afraid of AI. 

Using it won’t lead to laziness, compromise, or dishonesty unless you let it. 

If you approach AI with wisdom and a commitment to use it in God-honoring ways, it can be a wonderful tool.

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