While AI offers exciting opportunities for ministry, its use also raises important ethical questions. From sermon writing to administrative tasks, church leaders must carefully weigh the benefits and potential pitfalls of integrating AI into their work.
This article explores the ethical considerations of AI in ministry and offers practical guardrails for its responsible use. First, you must understand the role of the preacher/pastor. Faithful pastors are crafting messages drawn from the Scriptures, guided by the Holy Spirit, and contextual for their congregation.
Now, if we are honest, that’s not the case with a lot of preaching, which often circumvents these necessary steps in favor of haste or convenience. To that end, the introduction of AI into a pastor’s sermon writing can make an existing problem worse. As such, let me encourage you to read no further if you are looking for ways to avoid the basic calling of Scripture, Spirit, and your congregation. (You can read my series on the importance of these things in my recent series on expository preaching.)
But, if you are still reading, here are some ways to use AI ethically in church.
AI as a Ministry Sous Chef
Think of AI as the sous chef in your ministry kitchen. While it can assist with operations, resource curation, and workflow optimization, the pastor remains the “head chef” responsible for vision and execution. For example, AI can automate visitor follow-ups or help with finding sermon illustrations, but it should not replace the prayerful and Spirit-led process of creating a sermon.
(I partner with SermonShots and wrote a larger series on this here.)
The Plagiarism Problem
So what are the ethical concerns, beyond what I have already mentioned? Well, AI’s reliance on data sourced from the internet introduces risks such as plagiarism, bias, and inaccuracy. Church leaders must ensure that AI-generated content aligns with their ministry’s values and stated doctrine, and avoids unintentional errors.
A pastor who relies too heavily on AI for sermon writing risks compromising the authenticity and theological depth of their messages. For example, if you ask ChatGPT for Ed Stetzer quotes on the gospel (which, I don’t imagine you would, but let’s pretend), about half the quotes would be from someone else. So, don’t make me look like I stole a quote about the gospel from Tim Keller, please.
Guardrails for AI in Ministry
To ethically integrate AI into ministry, pastors should ask the following questions:
- Is this task appropriate for automation? Will AI free up time for personal ministry, or will it create distance between leaders and their congregation?
- What are the risks if errors occur? Are safeguards in place to catch and correct mistakes?
- Will this enhance or diminish personal connections? AI should streamline administrative tasks to allow pastors to focus on people, not replace human interaction.
- Are we scaling AI use at a healthy pace? Over-enthusiasm for new technology can lead to shortcuts that undermine the ministry’s core values.
If these questions raise concerns, it may be wise to modify or reconsider the planned use of AI.
