How Does Your Church Use AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days, from our phones and email inboxes to creative tools and worship software. But what does that mean for the church? How are you seeing AI show up in ministry, or shaping the way your congregation works, communicates, and worships? 

Let’s start a conversation together. Here are a few questions to get us thinking:

Q: What kinds of AI tools have you noticed in your church work (or personal life)?
There are definitely times when I've used AI to support my work editing and curating the Network. Are you experimenting (or perhaps regularly using) tools like ChatGPT, Canva’s Magic Write, or sermon transcription software? Maybe your church uses AI in unexpected ways, like planning worship or editing livestreams. How have these tools helped (or complicated) your ministry?

Q: How do you decide what’s appropriate for AI to do—and what still needs the human touch?
Do you use AI to draft newsletter headers or generate ideas for sermons? Where do you draw the line? How do you make sure your church’s communication is personal, authentic, and Spirit-led, even when we have the resources of generative AI at our fingertips? And how do you approach issues of privacy and confidentiality, especially with generative resources that use the data we input to continue to train their models?

Q: What concerns do you have about AI in ministry?
Some people worry about privacy, bias, or the loss of genuine creativity. Others worry about technology moving faster than our theology can keep up. What questions or red flags have come up in your congregation or within your leadership team?

Q: Have you found any creative or faithful ways to use AI?
Maybe AI helped your church craft announcements faster, brainstorm sermon series ideas, or make your website more accessible. What’s worked well for you, and what surprised you?

Q: How can churches model discernment and wisdom in this new space?
AI will likely continue to grow in influence. How can we, as people of faith, show what it means to use new technology with care, humility, and integrity?

I'm looking forward to hearing and learning from all of your responses!