Should my church employ an AI chatbot?

AI chatbots and other Large Language Model (LLM) tools are everywhere - and for good reason! Authors and business bigwigs alike have professed an adopt-or-die rhetoric that has put some serious pressure on leaders in virtually every line of work to integrate AI, lest they ‘fall behind’. It’s an enticing proposition - low cost, instant results, and it’s improving at a staggering rate. You might be surprised to hear that even though ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other LLMs can be extremely useful in a professional setting, work isn’t what most people are using them for. 70% of ChatGPT queries are actually personal questions, with the top queries being around seeking life advice and therapy. [Chatterji et al. 2025] Many church leaders are seeing this and are starting to experiment with AI tools themselves. Some see these tools as a way to lighten the load of a famously heavy and often boundary-less calling. Others believe integrating AI can make spiritual care more accessible and efficient. The idea of handing off the everyday and introductory spiritual questions or prayer requests to a chatbot sounds harmless - but is it?

There are some really compelling arguments for using these chatbots: AI is always available. It responds instantly. Struggling with something that’s keeping you up at 3 AM? Why would you call your pastor and wake him up when you can go to the church’s chatbot? It can gather information straight from Scripture, summarize commentaries, and offer language that sounds warm, personal, or even in a tone that mimics your pastoral team! For someone who is hesitant to approach a pastor, a chatbot can feel like a safe place to start. For an overwhelmed leader, it can feel like a welcome respite. And for churches with limited staff, AI can feel like an answer to long-standing limitations.

But this is where we need to pause and consider what we’re losing. How can we weigh the speed of a response or convenience against a genuine connection with another human being? When someone sends your church a prayer request, they are trusting you with something fragile and personal. When someone is struggling with an area of their faith, they aren’t always just looking for the most technically logical answer. These should be recognized as opportunities for building relationships, not completing a transaction. As helpful as AI can be, it cannot sit with someone in silence. It cannot feel the weight of their grief. It cannot discern the deeper story beneath the question or share how it also dealt with those same doubts or sins. AI can do a lot of things, but it cannot, and should not, bear the weight of spiritual care. We should consider keeping conversations about developing an intimate relationship with God between those who are capable of having one.

Let’s be clear, this does not mean AI has no place in ministry. It can help leaders prepare, brainstorm, write, search, and plan. It can assist with administrative tasks that free up more time for relational ministry. It can offer a starting point for someone who feels unsure of how to reach out. But it should not replace the conversations between two real-life children of God. If you serve in any form of front-facing ministry, now is the time to consider how you will guide your congregation through this. People will continue turning to AI for help, and some will feel tempted to rely on it for things that should involve another human being. Leaders will need to set boundaries, offer clarity, and model a better way. We cannot assume that people will naturally know when AI is helpful and when it is not. We have to talk about it.

My hope is that the church will use technology, including AI, wisely, but never forget the irreplaceable value of genuine presence. The conversations that shape a person’s faith, the prayers that are offered in trust, the guidance that comes from shared life and shared struggle – these are not tasks to be delegated. These are sacred responsibilities, and they belong to us.