In the wake of declining traditional church attendance post-pandemic, there’s a silver lining: recent studies show that spiritual openness is on the rise. So, where are these spiritually inclined individuals finding Christian teaching if not in church buildings? Welcome to the digital faith realm, where churches and ministries are leveraging new technologies in order to meet growing needs—including the often maligned and much-misunderstood Artificial Intelligence (AI).
We in the church do not need to fear the use of AI. Of any community, we should have the most wisdom for discerning when there is no substitute for human creativity and Holy Spirit inspiration. However, there are so many tasks for which AI is perfectly suited. In these areas, new machine-learning technologies enable us to reach more people, have a greater impact, and do so more quickly than ever before.
Here are five ways my team at PRAY.COM and I have seen churches and ministries effectively use AI without losing the essential human touch or spiritual connection, which are vital to helping people grow in their faith.
Multilingual Translations With AI
Using AI for language translation has become commonplace for anyone spending time online and running across articles in a different language. Churches and ministries can employ this same concept to translate their content into other languages so that it can be readily understood by individuals from all over the world—whether visiting in-person or online. Utilizing state-of-the-art speech-to-speech and text-to-text technology allows organizations to translate their content into multiple languages at a fraction of the cost and time it used to require for just one language. Imagine what good those months of staff time and tens of thousands of dollars can do applied elsewhere in the ministry context!
AI for Content Editing and Management
Long gone are the days of “spell check” that itself had to be checked to ensure words like “there” and “their” were used properly. AI grammar correction tools can now learn an individual’s voice and style, polish and perfect any written content, and transcribe any audio or video content into text. Once finalized, AI can organize, share, manage permissions, and track usage, saving countless hours of human time and attention.
AI-Driven Content Distribution
In addition to sharing content appropriately, AI marketing tools can repurpose existing content into formats suitable for various media platforms. Descriptions, transcriptions, tags, and captions can be automatically created for messages upon upload. The content can be syndicated to platforms like Apple Podcast, Spotify, and more. AI can also automatically create short viral video clips and tweets, for example, to easily generate social media posts from sermons, which can then be integrated with social platforms for publishing.
AI Tools for Research
Several AI tools serve as research assistants, gathering data in a fraction of the time required by staff. Acting as your personal team of data scientists, AI can easily integrate your social media and other information into one place and glean important knowledge about key audiences and their behaviors. Insights gained can include what kind of content gets the most attention, what demographics you are reaching, and other information about those audiences that will help you to craft messages and content for greater impact.
AI for Data Analysis
Once all that data is collected, AI analytics tools can help you interpret, understand, and act on the findings. This is where the power of machine learning can really transform your digital strategy, driving deeper engagement and ministry impact. AI can identify the types of people who engage most with your ministry and then target unreached audiences of similar demographics and preferences with messaging that is most likely to get their attention. AI-driven digital strategies can then incorporate the messaging, formats, and platforms most expected to draw the interest of these new audiences, helping to grow your ministry and spread the Gospel.
And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? If we can find a tool that helps us to reach more people with the message of salvation, it is incumbent upon us as believers to harness that technology for Kingdom impact. Yes, we must use wisdom and discretion in how we apply it, but we should be motivated to take advantage of every resource when we understand just what’s at stake.
