Most churches today, especially those in the West, rely on technology that was unimaginable in the days of the New Testament church. Electricity, screens, sound systems, digital Bibles, virtual reality worship experiences—the introduction of these technologies over the centuries has come with their own share of divisive opinions, but the active integration of artificial intelligence into everyday norms poses entirely new challenges for the church.
A June 2025 Gallup poll found that 27% of U.S. white-collar workers regularly use AI at work, more than double the 13% found in a 2023 poll. 40% of all employees use some form of AI in their work, up from 21% in 2023. This number is virtually guaranteed to continue rising. For better or worse, our economy has become dependent on the unparalleled efficiency of AI.
But the reach of artificial intelligence extends beyond mundane professions. The December report found that 61% of pastors use AI weekly or daily, up from 43% in 2024. What does this mean for our churches? For pastors? What are the risks? And is it worth the risk? Can the church redeem its use of AI for the glory of God without compromising missionary work?
AI and efficiency
The answers to these questions are complex and the perspectives vary, but it is clear that this is not the case. all Bad about the intersection of AI and service. For example, the average senior pastor wears several hats when leading a church. If artificial intelligence could assist with management needs, pastors could be freed up to spend more precious time with the flocks and families they shepherd.
Artificial intelligence also serves as a highly effective search tool, helping pastors search church history, commentaries, sermons, and systematic theology to find specific information. Such a role benefits not only pastors but also lay leaders who want to learn but lack bookshelves.
For example, AI acts as a super-efficient super search engine that can help you find and edit citations, pages, and documents much faster than you could spend time doing a series of Google searches or sifting through a physical library.
Perhaps AI could help generate small group questions based on a sermon or search a collection of hymns to help with song selection for Sunday night worship. AI can compare texts and translations on the same screen, and generate charts and tables showing which Old Testament prophets correspond to which kings. AI has also proven to be a valuable tool for graphic design, which can be beneficial for churches that lack resources or talent.
AI companies have found a niche in the church and are betting on it. Some sites, such as pastors.ai and gloo.us, are created for the church world.
pastors.ai allows you to upload 20 sermons per month for $75 per month. Create 20 sermon clips for each sermon in a fraction of the time it would take a video editor. It also generates daily devotionals and summaries based on the sermon and acts as a chatbot for your church website.
aiforchurchleaders.com offers courses and monthly workshops to help pastors integrate artificial intelligence into the rhythm of their lives. They warn of being left behind and missing out on opportunities for growth.
Wycliffe, the world’s leading Bible translation ministry, leverages AI in a variety of ways, including to supplement manual translation processes. Although our translation team does not rely on AI, we have found ways to implement it while being fully aware of the risks involved.
Bible translation is an essential service for sharing the gospel with the world. If AI could help us do this faster without compromising the accuracy of our work, wouldn’t all the objections be minimized?
church warning labels
If I had to sum up the objections to the use of AI by churches and pastors in one word, it would be, “Don’t be pastored by artificial intelligence.”
The first caveat comes when the inherent biases of AI become visible. While you can contextualize the prompts to your AI chatbot to suit your church’s style, theological tradition, and audience, you can’t completely rid yourself of the unique worldview instilled by your human creator. Even when we study the Bible personally, we should be wary of relying on AI to help us interpret and apply the Bible.
Christian scholarship is still finding its footing on this topic, but Dr. Derek Schulman of Calvin College is one of the researchers who has covered this topic in detail. In a 2024 interview, he warned that chatbots are programmed with a worldview, evidenced by so-called “subliminal persuasion.”
In other words, “As you ask Copilot questions, more questions are suggested. Over time, those nothings can form opinions without you realizing it.”
The downstream effects of potential persuasion can cause pastors to preach with a different slant or follow a different theme than what is best (or even true) for their congregation. What may seem like a simple shortcut on the surface, can actually take you to a completely different destination than you intended.
While reading the Bible raises questions and AI seems to have all the answers, commentaries and Bible study notebooks are more reliable interpretive tools, and many already exist. Websites like gotquestions.org and desiringgod.org address most of the pressing Bible questions that are too broad for Bible commentary and study.
In an article for pastoral training organization 9Marks, Swiss pastor Benjamin Egger completely opposes the use of AI in pastoral ministry. He asked some important ethical questions that led him to the conclusion that delegating even a small part of pastoral duties to AI poses a dilemma. After all, the AI, a soulless machine, was not installed to become a pastor.
Egger argues that sermon preparation in particular should be completed independently of AI, as it is a long and prayerful process. AI can summarize commentary, perform original language word studies, and generate witty illustrations, all of which are part of the pastor’s own spiritual formation, which takes hours of preparation.
Whether you view the conversation around AI and the church as a battle or a balancing act, the reality must ultimately settle in that AI companies want a share of the faith “industry.” 23% of this year’s Super Bowl ads were generated by AI or promoting AI companies. Its dystopian presence continues to grow, changing nearly everything we see and hear. Will the pulpit be next?
What does this mean?
While the implications of artificial intelligence may vary from church to church and pastor to pastor, Christians can have the utmost confidence that AI is not a threat to the global church that God has protected for 2,000 years and continues to protect. Jesus will continue to develop dedicated leaders who preach His Word and disciple children.
Please pray for church leaders as they navigate these difficult questions and conversations. Find beneficial uses for AI in your own life. There’s no need to be afraid of it, but you need to be true to it.
Note: AI is here to stay, and the discussion of where things are headed is much more complex than there is space here to write about. Click here to learn more about AI capabilities. Evangelical Alliance Articles From AI Architect Clayton Chansey.
