Insight into AI Adoption by the Church and Ministry

In a recent seminar, we shared developments in the AI landscape that could serve, yet also confuse, challenge, or even threaten the church, and we gained insight into the use of AI with a hybrid audience of about 100 people, including many Senior Pastors and Pastors from the Singapore Churches.

Application of AI for Church and Ministry, a seminar by AI in God's Intelligence

It was an exciting seminar in many respects. First, we covered the 6Ps (Preserve, Prepare, Produce, Personalise, Predict, Protect) regarding awareness of the AI landscape and the necessary preparation for the church to adopt AI. We shared about AI trends that challenge Christian teachings and how we can better prepare ourselves for them. Secondly, we gain insights into how churches in Singapore are using AI today, including where it is applied and which popular AI tools are used. We gathered information on the key benefits and challenges of using AI, as well as the reasons some are not using it. We also discovered whether they are positive about using AI tools for evangelism and outreach, and, excitingly, most attendees indicated they are already somewhat or very familiar with AI tools.

One critical observation is that many Pastors and Church Teams are already using AI, yet the majority of respondents say there are no clear guidelines or oversight for its use. So let's dive in and travel this journey together.

The seminar "Application of AI for the Church and Ministry"

Right from the planning stage, we avoided another AI How-to workshop, not that those are not important, but those trainings are more readily available. More importantly, we wanted to inform the church of the steps to take before any AI implementation, including planning, change management, awareness of potential pitfalls and threats, and the importance of protecting data privacy. i.e. A holistic and practical approach in AI Adoption.

Flyer for the "Application of AI for Ministry" organised by The Pastors Seminar & Fellowship, Singapore Bible College

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The  seminar: Application of AI Technology for Ministry was organised by The Pastors Seminar and Fellowship (PSF) from Singapore Bible College (SBC). It was held in the Smart Classroom, which is capable of conducting hybrid sessions, with full audio and visual interactions among the audience onsite, on Zoom, and the presenter. The turnout filled most of the room, which was encouraging. In total, more than 100 participants attended the event, with over 80 onsite.

We had more than 100 attendees, with around 80 attending onsite, including Senior Pastors, Pastors, Preachers, Church Staff, and volunteers. (Faces are blurred for privacy)

AI has upended nearly every corner of our society. For a tool with such a broad impact, I organised those areas that are relevant to the Church into 6Ps:

The 6Ps: Preserve, Prepare, Produce, Personalise, Predict, Protect

Preserve:

To preserve the relationship and trust between believers and God, with the help of the Holy Spirit. AI can confuse, challenge, and also threaten the biblical teachings. Topics of concern are:

• Conversation with God through AI

• Idolising and worshipping AI Innovation

• AI Companionship

• Transhumanism

• Digital Afterlife Industry (DAI)

Prepare:

Remind pastors, church teams, and members of the benefits of AI and its dangers; digital tools can subtly change the user. Differentiate between Data and Knowledge, versus the Wisdom from God.

Produce:

AI is a good helper with words and content; it's fast and MOSTLY accurate. (Beware of Hallucination)

Personalise:

Quickly customise content based on unique prompts, AI magnifies our thoughts and distortions, and it can go in either direction without ethical restraints. We also discussed the importance of keeping church data and ensuring its integrity. Increase awareness of ethical concerns in AI adoptions.

Predict:

The ability to forecast future activities based on historical records. Church Data analysis can help improve event planning and organisation.

Protect:

Keep data safe and accurate, be aware of potential risks, and uphold Christian Ethics.

A glimpse into AI adoption for the Church and Ministry

Based on survey results and interactions with seminar participants, we examine the statistical status of AI adoption in the Church and Ministry. Given that most attendees are serving in local churches, we presume the collected data is mainly relevant to the operations of churches in Singapore. However, it may also be helpful as a reference for churches in other countries.

Of the over 100 attendees, 66 responded to the Google survey. Thank you, guys and girls. These are the basic demographics: 33% were 60 years old and above, the largest group, followed by 29% in their fifties and 26% in their forties.

Bar Chart - The different Church Roles vs their age group. The largest group is in their 60s, next is the 50s, 40s, and then the 30s. The smallest group is from the 20s.

The bar chart above shows the breakdown of their roles in the church by age group. Around 5% are Senior Pastors and 37% are Pastors, totalling 42%, the largest group interested in learning more about adopting AI for the church. Perhaps this was influenced by the organiser, the "Pastors Seminar and Fellowship", suggesting the event is primarily meant for Pastors; in fact, it is beneficial to all people working in, for, and around the church who are concerned about the impact of AI.

Familiarity with AI

Bar chart of AI familiarity by role: Most are somewhat familiar (basic understanding).

Regarding familiarity with AI and tools, 75% indicated they are somewhat familiar with it; the vast majority across all roles have at least a basic understanding of AI, but deep expertise remains less common, especially among the Pastor/Preacher and church staff. Organising training and education for all church workers could help increase confidence and knowledge.

Bar chart showing AI familiarity by age group. Label Green: Very familiar. Yellow: Somewhat familiar. Red: Heard about it. Blue: Not familiar

Interestingly, at first glance, familiarity with AI is well distributed across different age groups. Although the perception that older individuals might be slower with technology holds some truth, it is only to a slight extent. I believe this is due to the lower learning curve and information readily accessible to all age groups. A few in their 60s are not familiar with AI at all.

Current Usage and Practices

Bar Chart showing feelings on AI in the church and ministry.

(Senior) Pastor/Preacher: Most are either excited or cautious, with some neutral.

Church Staff: A mix of excited, cautious, and neutral.

Other roles: Similar distribution, with excitement and caution being the most common feelings.

What could this mean?

There is a general openness to exploring AI, but also a healthy level of caution regarding risks and appropriate use. The sentiment that “AI is a tool and does not replace everything” reflects a desire to balance technology with personal relationships and spiritual leadership.

Bar Chart - Source of Information about Ministry-related AI development

This reveals the sources of AI information. The most significant source of their Ministry-AI updates was online articles and videos, followed by social media and news.

Pie chart on AI usage in churches: blue (regularly) red (occasionally), brown (considering), green (no plans)

Most churches are experimenting with AI: The largest group uses AI occasionally for specific tasks, indicating a phase of exploration and experimental adoption.

A small number have integrated AI: Only a handful report regular use across several areas.

Many are still undecided: A significant portion is considering AI but has not yet implemented it.

Some are not interested: Some have no plans to use AI at all.

What could this mean?

• AI adoption in churches is still emerging; most are in the early stages, using AI for tasks such as Administration and Communication. This is followed by its use in sermon research and preparation, then in Social Media/Outreach and Media/Design, and finally in data analysis or reporting.

• There is openness to future adoption, with many churches considering how AI might fit into their ministry.

• A small group is cautious and chooses not to use AI at this time.

Typical applications of AI:

In which areas is AI currently being used?

Areas where AI is currently used:

• Administrative Support: Automating routine communication tasks or using chatbots frees up time for leaders to focus on pastoral care.

• Content Creation for Spiritual Growth: Many respondents mentioned AI helping with sermon preparation, Bible study guides, and devotional materials.

• Personalised Learning: AI can tailor reading plans, prayer guides, and discipleship resources for different age groups or levels of spiritual maturity.

• Accessibility and Reach: AI enables resources in multiple languages and supports digital discipleship, making it easier to reach remote members.

• Idea Generation: Respondents see AI as useful for brainstorming creative approaches to teaching and outreach.

AI should complement, not replace, human relationships and spiritual guidance, and we should constantly be aware of the risks of over-reliance and the loss of authenticity in spiritual content.

Common AI tools adopted

ChatGPT is by far the most popular AI tool among church staff, leaders, and volunteers. Google Gemini and DeepSeek are also gaining traction. A few less common tools are NotebookLM, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, Canva, Meta, and Copilot. The diversity of tools suggests experimentation and openness to different platforms. The AI landscape is changing rapidly, and users may find it challenging to keep up with the latest features and developments in tools, or experience FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

Benefits of using AI Tools

The overwhelming majority appreciate AI for its ability to streamline administrative and creative tasks, freeing up time. Many find that AI enhances the quality of presentations, sermons, and media, making ministry communication more engaging.

AI is valued for its analytical capabilities, which assist in better decision-making and a clearer understanding of ministry needs. A few respondents note that AI helps extend the church’s reach through digital channels. Some see AI as a helpful tool for generating new ideas or supporting brainstorming sessions. A few have not observed clear benefits.

Bar chart showing challenges experienced: Ethical concerns are the highest, followed by theological, data privacy, technical issues, cost, and hallucinations.

Ethical concerns (truth, authenticity, bias): The most frequently cited challenge. Many worry about the accuracy of AI-generated content, potential bias, and whether it aligns with Christian values. Theological concerns (replacing human touch): There is apprehension that AI might diminish the importance of personal relationships and pastoral care.

Data privacy or security: Respondents are concerned about how personal and church data is handled, stored, and protected when using AI tools.

Technical challenges or learning curve: Some find AI tools difficult to use or require more training to implement.

Cost or access to software: For some, the cost of AI tools or the accessibility to advanced features could be a barrier.

Hallucinations: At least one respondent mentioned concerns about AI generating incorrect or misleading information.

A small group reported no significant issues with AI use.

What could this mean?

The most significant barriers to AI adoption are ethical and theological, rather than purely technical.

Data privacy and security remain essential, especially when handling sensitive information. Documenting proper AI policy and organising regular training and support could help address technical challenges and increase confidence in using AI tools.

Governance and Operations

Pie chart showing church AI guidelines: 67% no guidelines (green), 17% discussing (blue), 16% informal guidelines (red).

Although most respondents use AI in their church, over 75% reported lacking established AI guidelines. The remaining respondents are either developing guidelines or have unofficial ones.

Concern about the lack of an AI policy

An AI policy helps to safeguard biblical principles and church values, protect member information and church data, ensure consistency in ministry practices, and prevent bias, misinformation and over-reliance on AI. It will also impose a responsible framework for the use of AI.

AI adoption is outpacing policy development: Churches are using AI tools without clear rules or frameworks.

Areas in which AI best supports spiritual formation and discipleship?

28% indicated that AI adoption will benefit small group facilitation, the most frequent application. Many respondents mentioned that AI helps with sermon preparation, Bible study guides, and devotional materials. AI can tailor reading plans, prayer guides, and discipleship resources for different age groups or levels of spiritual maturity.

AI should complement, not replace, human relationships and spiritual guidance; otherwise, we may risk over-reliance and loss of authenticity in spiritual content.

Bar chart shows discussions on technology and AI in churches. "No" dominates; "Yes, 4 to 6 times" and "Yes, 7 or more" are minimal.

Similar to AI policy, AI is not a common topic discussed or preached from the pulpit, yet AI has already penetrated many aspects of our lives.

Bar chart on AI use for evangelism: Orange bars indicate positive sentiment

The majority felt positive about using AI in evangelism and outreach, with applications such as online social media engagement and translation.

Churches that are not into AI

Bar chart showing reasons for not using AI: Ethical concerns, unawareness, correctness, technical issues, theological and consistency concerns.

For churches not getting into AI, ethical concerns about truthfulness, authenticity, and bias were the top reasons. Some have not considered using AI, while others are concerned about its accuracy and consistency. Technical challenges, learning curves, and the lack of confidence or manpower were also cited as reasons. 14% selected theological concerns as to why their church has not adopted AI.

Overall Insight

In total, 64% of respondents use AI occasionally and regularly. Church workers and pastors/preachers use AI for tasks such as sermon preparation, administration, communication, social media, outreach, and media creation. A small number of users use AI regularly. They are exploring AI and applying it across different areas of the church and ministries.

The main benefit of AI adoption is saving time and effort; about 43% disclosed that. Other benefits include improved creativity and presentation, better insights and analytics, and the ability to reach more people. AI has been seen as a blindspot checker that can help in ideation or proof of concept, while a small number have not observed any clear benefits.

Around 28% felt that AI is ideal for small-group facilitation, providing support during cell groups and Bible study. Those who are preaching use it to assist in sermon preparation, and those leading bible study use it to write bible study guides and devotional materials. It can also be used to customise reading plans and discipleship resources tailored to the specific audience groups. It is important to remember that AI should complement, not replace, human relationships during the process. Prayer and seeking spiritual guidance through the Holy Spirit are just as essential, if not even more, to prevent overreliance and trusting blindly in AI tools.

Several additional challenges associated with AI use were also identified, with ethical concerns at the top of the list. The ability to generate truthful, authentic, and unbiased responses was the primary worry. The next concern was the replacement of human touch and the theological issues it raised. The protection of church members' information and data privacy was also critically important. Following that were the technical challenges and learning, as well as the accessibility to the software or the cost of accessing it. A few individuals also noted the tendency of LLM to hallucinate. Meanwhile, a few reported not encountering any major concerns thus far.

The skill sets are well distributed across age groups, with the Pastors/Preachers and church staff somewhat familiar with AI. Age does not seem to hinder learning in AI, as the majority of people in each age group were familiar with the tools. Most get their information about AI developments from online articles or videos, followed by social media or news, and friends or ministry peers.

Overall, sentiments toward AI adoption in the church and evangelism were also positive. Most are cautious about the potential pitfalls, but remain upbeat about its benefits. most people were excited about the implementation of AI in the church and ministry.

ChatGPT was the trusted go-to tool for most; about 58% chose it as their default AI tool. Next was Google Gemini. I personally use Google Gemini and ChatGPT, but I have found that ChatGPT consistently provides more relevant and accurate answers, whether for my studies, projects, consultancy work, or self-enrichment. It even suggested an academic plan in Machine Learning and Analysis aligned with my career status, along with blogging topics based on the study subjects, with an updated schedule from local universities. And, of course, I specify that courses must be SkillsFuture (a Singapore government grant for local citizens) subsidised. I was rather impressed with the proposed plan for me. I would also recommend NotebookLM from Google for digesting sites, books, and articles; their generated mind map is especially useful in helping me comprehend the content.

Only 11% are using their church data for analysis, which could grow by analysing data and gaining more informed insight into our activities and planning.

Churches not in AI

And for churches not into AI, their primary concerns are its ethical implications, ensuring its correctness and consistency, and theological soundness. Some haven't thought about AI for the church, while others are facing technical challenges, including a steep learning curve, a lack of confidence, or a lack of manpower to pursue AI. Starting the journey into AI can feel daunting and intimidating, with such diverse and rapid development, constantly shifting directions, massive discoveries in applications, widespread speculations and many unknowns. It is wise for churches to be prudent.

Importance of AI Guidelines and Policies

While AI adoption is exciting, easily accessible, and can be immediately applied to many ministries and church work, it is equally important to remain cautious about cybercriminals who are already causing harm and damage through the hallucinations inherent in LLM models; fancy new generation AI browsers that are tricked into revealing your data; the lack of data privacy protection practices, and poor cyber hygiene. With 75% of churches not preaching or discussing AI from the pulpit in the last six months and 77% lacking an AI policy, any AI implementations should remain as a small-scale experiment and avoid the disclosure of sensitive church data.

Most are using AI in the Church, though we don't talk about it much.

There is a general lack of cyber awareness regarding AI use. Many users may not be aware of the differences between pasting data into their personal ChatGPT account and a corporate ChatGPT account, and casually switch between them, accidentally leaking sensitive and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) into the public domain.

AI policies and guidelines can help to safeguard our church data and prevent cybercrime

As we gain these insights into AI adoption, I imagine that, if we time-travel 20 years earlier to a similar seminar on the use of technology, we could be discussing: "Should Pastors use Google search in sermon preparation and ministry?" Yet today, Google is a tool we accept and take for granted. Not that Google search has been perfected, but we have become familiar with its strengths and applications, as well as its shortcomings. We navigate to maximise its powerful capabilities and remain alert to potential cyber pitfalls. I would think AI can one day be adopted in the same cautious manner in which our generation learned about AI's unique benefits and possibilities, and became more aware of the hallucinations and errors rooted in AI.

What do these mean for the church?

AI has made its way into almost every aspect of our lives, including the church. All of us need to approach it with caution, actively learn about the tools and developments, stay aware, and consider a more comprehensive plan to adopt AI in a responsible and accountable manner. You might be surprised to learn that some of your church members are ready to contribute in these areas. So it's time to raise the topic of "What is AI and how it is impacting the church" in your sermons and meetings, and gather the church to face it together, in prayer and in practice.

A few possible immediate actions

• Talk about AI in your staff meetings, discuss:

  • Are you using AI?

  • Where is it being used?

  • What tools are you using?

  • Which AI account did you sign in with?

• Talk about AI at the pulpit

  • How is AI impacting us as human beings?

  • How should the church face AI?

• Think about the guidelines and policies on the use of AI

• Get skilled people to organise regular training and talks. (It should not be a surprise to find skilled people right within your church!)

• Send church workers for AI training

• Subscribe to AI news and information (Consider subscribing to this blog too 😁)

A thank you note

Thanks to all who turned up for the event, helped with the survey, and to the team that organised and supported this seminar:

From the left: Dr Richard Ong from PSF, Tin Siong, and Jeffrey from the IT Department

From the left: Jonathan and Joshua from Wesley Methodist

Note: All percentages are rounded to the nearest integer.