Should AI Have a Role in Church Ministry?

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence—especially tools like ChatGPT—has prompted deep debate within faith communities about whether and how AI should be integrated into church life. While AI can assist with practical tasks like transcriptions or scheduling, Christianity Today’s coverage raises concern over deeper spiritual implications, especially when AI and chatbots or large language models (LLMs) are used in church ministry, discipleship, pastoral care, or answering spiritual questions.

The article centers on Gloo, a tech company focused on creating AI tools tailored for faith-based environments. Gloo claims its tools are “values-aligned,” using faith-informed data sources, denominational statements of belief, and frameworks like Harvard’s Global Flourishing Study—adding spirituality as a core component. Gloo’s AI is designed to reflect each church’s unique theological perspective and even “escalate” sensitive conversations to human staff rather than allowing a chatbot to offer final guidance.

Still, the article’s author remains skeptical. While Gloo emphasizes relationships and safeguards, the risk remains that congregants—especially youth—might turn to AI instead of pastors, parents, or mentors for spiritual guidance. This concern is especially strong when AI claims to offer biblical truth, but is ultimately built on programmable algorithms, not human wisdom or divine inspiration.

Gloo contends that since AI is inevitable and increasingly embedded in daily life, the church must equip itself—and its members—to engage wisely with it. They argue for discernment rather than avoidance, encouraging pastors to help their congregations navigate a “post-AI world.”

The broader question remains: Should the church adapt these tools simply because they’re available, or are there spiritual functions, like church ministry, that AI should never attempt to replicate? While AI may help scale administrative tasks or expand accessibility, its role in guiding faith journeys is still widely debated—and the church must weigh the cost of convenience against the integrity of discipleship.

For more details, refer to the original article on Christianity Today.