The Church Is Falling in Love With AI

AI and its relationship to the church is a hot topic - one that sparks strong opinions in every direction. For some, AI is simply the next iteration of tools we’ve always used: scrolls, books, Google. It’s society’s newest and most efficient way to gather and distribute information. For others, it represents something far more troubling: a machine “playing God,” Silicon Valley’s most ambitious attempt to erase not only our need for God, but even our need for one another.

While I don’t believe AI should be used in ministry without prayerful thought and debate, nor do I believe God is absent from Silicon Valley or AI entirely, there are grains of truth on both sides. But at this point, a more pressing question is emerging: do we even have time to debate this anymore?

In October 2024, a 14-year-old boy took his own life after becoming romantically entangled with a chatbot (New York Post, 2024). It’s one tragic example out of the hundreds of millions of digital conversations that now occur daily between humans and AI. But it offers a sobering glimpse into the current state of our world. The value of the AI girlfriend industry alone is projected to reach $11 billion by 2032 (Yahoo Finance, 2025). ChatGPT processes more than 2.5 billion messages every day (OpenAI, 2025). And OpenAI is less than a month away from updating its models to allow for erotic conversations (BBC, 2025).

The biggest AI question facing ministries has already shifted. It is no longer simply, “Should I use AI in my ministry?” It is becoming, “How do I respond when someone tells me they’ve fallen in love with their AI chatbot?”

In a very short time, we’ve lost the luxury of slow reflection. Very soon - if it’s not happening already - you will be having conversations with attendees not only about their use of AI, but about their relationships with it. It may sound futuristic or irrelevant to your church context, but it isn’t. It will reach your congregation eventually.

So where is this coming from? We’ve known about the loneliness epidemic for years. Despite unprecedented access to constant digital connection with hundreds or thousands of our closest friends, many of us feel deeply alone. The issue isn’t a lack of contact - it’s an imbalance.

As someone who moved hundreds of kilometres away from friends and family and then became a parent, social media felt like a lifeline. And yet, without being able to see my church family every week during the first few months of sleepless nights, I still felt as though I was missing something crucial. Social media just isn’t enough. Digital connection isn’t enough - even with real people! 

We all felt the ache of that truth during COVID lockdowns. The World Health Organization reported this year that 100 deaths per hour are linked to loneliness (WHO, 2025). We were never meant to be alone (Gen. 2:18, Heb. 10:24–25). I mean that in a literal, physical sense. People turning to comfortable, controllable, non-confrontational AI companions to soothe loneliness will not find the fulfillment they desperately crave.

If you hold any position of influence in ministry, I’d encourage you to start this conversation now. Much like the battle against pornography, you’ll find many people who are already engaging in these AI relationships, but won’t talk about it unless you initiate. My daughter will grow up in a world where hyper-intelligent chatbots have always existed. For her sake, and for the sake of those we serve, we need to understand how to respond to that reality with wisdom, grace, and Christ as our guide.