Artificial Intelligence and the Church

The Ministry Leaders Network met in August at Faith, Grand Blanc to hear presentations from Rev. Dr. Trevor Sutton and Mr. David Gehm about theological and practical considerations for the use of AI in the life of the church. Those of us who have not used AI very much were encouraged to become more familiar with it so that whatever we do or do not do with AI is done from an informed perspective.

So, in writing this article, I gave ChatGPT the following prompt: “From the perspective of an LCMS Lutheran, give me six ways that AI can be used in church work and three cautions when implementing any sort of AI.” What follows is the response, with my additions or clarifications in italics:

From an LCMS Lutheran perspective, I’d frame AI as a tool that can serve a vocation, but never as a replacement for the people and offices God has given the Church. That fits the direction of recent LCMS discussion: the Synod is encouraging thoughtful engagement with AI while emphasizing honesty, Christian love, theological discernment, and the preservation of the ministry of Word and Sacrament. [So far, so good. There are many advancements in society that we have utilized in the church—some even over the objections of many. Some thought Guttenberg’s printing press would be the end of biblical literacy because it would discourage people from memorizing the Word of God. Many things can become tools without superseding the Word of God itself.]

Six helpful ways AI can be used in church work

1. Research and study assistance
   AI can help a pastor or Bible study leader get an overview of a topic, identify relevant passages, generate questions for further study, or point toward resources. The human worker still has to do the theological work and verify the information. [AI can bring together many of the books that we consult on our shelves and give us much more rapid access to the information we need. As mentioned, this is just the start of the prep work. We still have to do the hard work of processing the information in a biblical and confessional framework and applying to our people with the personal relationships that AI could never generate.]
2. Editing and proofreading
   AI can help clean up newsletters, announcements, Bible study handouts, meeting minutes, or other documents—catching spelling errors, awkward wording, repetition and unclear sentences. This is probably one of the safest and most practical uses. [Agreed! AI is exponentially better than spelling and grammar checkers. This is actually the opposite of point 1, which starts with AI and then asks us to do the hard work with what is produced. Here, we do the hard work first and use AI to help clean it up a bit.
3. Administrative work
   Churches can use AI to help draft routine communications, organize information, create meeting agendas, summarize non-confidential discussions, prepare volunteer schedules, or develop first drafts of policies and procedures. The goal is to free people for more important work, rather than simply getting more work out of them. [I am reminded of Acts 6, where a task that did not need the gifts of the Apostles was assigned to others so that the needs would be met without taking up more time. We already bring in administrative assistants to help save time on tasks that are essential to the effectiveness of the ministry. AI is one more tool that makes them even more efficient.]
4. Educational and Bible study preparation
   A teacher could ask AI to generate discussion questions, illustrations, quizzes, vocabulary exercises, or different ways of explaining a difficult concept. It can be a brainstorming partner—but the teacher remains responsible for making sure the material is faithful to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. [This is very reminiscent of point 1, and the clarification is essential. Since AI is using all sources at its disposal, and not all of those are scripturally or confessionally consistent, it is important that the teacher uses his/her training to clean up any false teachings that are included or implied in the generated material.]
5. Communications and outreach
   AI can help turn information already produced by the congregation into website copy, bulletin announcements, social media posts, visitor materials, or emails. It can also help a congregation communicate clearly with people who aren't familiar with Lutheran terminology. [Again, this does not replace the human discernment, but it utilizes AI’s efficiencies to maximize impact. Asking AI to “translate” Lutheran teaching to cultural expressions can help communication in ways that someone like me, who is out of touch with modern slang, can be effective, but it would be good to have someone familiar with slang and idioms AND Lutheran teachings check it over to make sure that you are not saying something that is confusing or downright wrong.]
6. Accessibility and practical assistance
   AI can help translate or simplify church communications, create large-print or plain-language versions, generate captions/transcripts, and help people who struggle with writing or language participate more fully in congregational life. [Seems like ChatGPT was stretching a bit to meet my requirement of 6 since this sounds a lot like number 5! It does expand it to include help for those whose written and oral communication skills may need some help, but it covers what I said above a little more explicitly.]

Three cautions when implementing AI

1. Don't let AI replace the human vocation.
This is perhaps the biggest Lutheran caution. A pastor isn't merely a producer of religious content. He is a called and ordained shepherd who knows his flock and applies God's Law and Gospel to actual people. The LCMS CTCR has specifically urged pastors not to preach AI-generated sermons, while acknowledging that AI may have limited usefulness for sermon research, outlines, illustrations and cross-references. [Yes, this has been what I have heard in conferences, in articles, and it just makes sense. It is a tool, not a replacement. I would add that so are other sermon resources. Online sermons written by actual pastors still need to be scrutinized, even if it is other LCMS pastors, not just for content, but to determine the appropriateness of it for the individual congregational context.]

2. Treat everything AI produces as untrusted until checked.
AI can confidently produce false information, bad citations, fabricated quotations, and theologically incorrect statements. Even an AI specifically instructed to be "Lutheran" doesn't possess faith or a confessional subscription. Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions—not the AI—remain the standard. [It would be easy to get “lazy” and trust the citations, but AI scans the internet for collective knowledge/information, some of which is not true. If we take false statements at face value, they can become familiar and then accepted as fact. Check everything and compare it with what we know from the always reliable Word of God.]

3. Protect people and preserve honesty.
Don't put confidential pastoral care information, sensitive member information, counseling conversations, or other private material into an AI system without an appropriate privacy framework. And don't use AI deceptively—for example, presenting an AI-generated message as though it were personally written or presenting an artificial "pastoral" interaction as actual pastoral care. The 2026 LCMS convention discussion specifically emphasized using AI in honest, transparent and Christ-like ways, without deceiving or taking advantage of people. [I would take out the phrase “without an appropriate privacy framework. Anything you put in will get included into the collective knowledge network, so just don’t put any of that in. Use the tool, and apply it to the situations you are addressing, but don’t ask AI to address it for you. And AI is not an excuse to avoid proper crediting. That’s why I acknowledged right away what is mine and what is ChatGPT in this article.]

A good Lutheran rule of thumb:

Use AI to assist your vocation, not to abdicate your vocation.

AI can help a secretary become more efficient, a teacher brainstorm, a pastor research, and a congregation communicate. But AI cannot pray, believe, repent, receive the Sacrament, exercise pastoral care, or proclaim Christ as a member of Christ's Body. As a recent Lutheran Witness article puts it, “a bot has no body, soul, Baptism, Spirit, ordination, penitence or faith” (LW, August 2026).

That distinction is especially important when thinking about Word and Sacrament ministry: Technology can support the Church's work, but it cannot become the Church's shepherd. [Good summary from ChatGPT! Use the tools, but keep them as tools for the tasks that the Lord has put before us. And, in all things, to God be the glory!]

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