AI and digital preaching

 AI is not the map – it is the jungle itself. This is how I feel at the time of the writing of this text. We know a lot and yet, so little. New developments come by leaps, and the number of available tools may leave us overwhelmed or discouraged. Also, since AI amplifies both strengths and misconceptions, there is the danger that "it'll confidently help you implement terrible architecture faster than ever before.”[1] Another important aspect of the ethical concerns about AI is expressed by John Lennox: people need to understand that current AI—and what we foresee in the reasonable future—does not and will not have a moral sense or understanding of right and wrong, [2] which underscores the important place and role Christian Theology and Teaching occupy and play in this context.

At Hope Lutheran Church we have been using AI tools in our daily routines, with the objective of making use of tools to benefit the work of the body of Christ. While different AI tools can serve different purposes, they need to remain what they are – tool in the hands of Christians who are solidly grounded in the Bible and our confessions. This might not pose a big problem when it comes to designing a power point, creating a picture that illustrates the Sunday morning Sermon or formatting the weekly email in the best updated practices. However, it may pose a threat when it comes to creating content.

In this contexts, ethical and practical considerations, especially Pastoral oversight to maintain theological integrity, need to be addressed in order to ensure proper Lutheran Doctrinal and Theological approach to this environment.

 

Ethical and practical considerations

 

The “2024 State of AI in the Church” is a survey conducted by Exponential AI NEXT in partnership with multiple organizations, involving church leaders across various denominations. The data show that an outstanding shift has occurred: 87% of church leaders now favor using AI for ministry purposes in 2024, compared to only 8.7% in 2023 who believed churches should definitely embrace it. However, despite increasing adoption, 19% of churches were highly concerned about ethical issues related to church AI usage in 2024, while 64% were somewhat concerned about the ethical implications.[3] Nearly 83% of respondents had some level of ethical concern around integrating AI technologies into spiritual activities.[4] Key ethical concerns include: Moral and theological implications, replacement of human interactions, privacy and data security, and bias and discrimination.[5] Interestingly, fewer leaders reported ethical concerns with 19 percent highly concerned about ethical issues related to church AI usage in 2024, while in 2023, 29 percent reported that they were extremely concerned.[6] This suggests that familiarity with AI tools may be reducing anxiety while maintaining appropriate caution.

This led 58% to identify the need for moderate to extensive training on AI to integrate it into their church effectively.[7] 42% shared that the #1 factor that would encourage AI adoption is the availability of training/education for ministry contexts[8], which point to the core need of Human responsibility.

This is one of the key points for Executive Director of Deloitte Global AI Institute Beena Ammanath. She outlines five key attributes of trustworthy AI in her perception: Responsibility, Explainability, Fairness, Transparency, Privacy and Security.[9] While Lutheran theology emphasizes stewardship and responsible vocation, these values align naturally with principles of transparency, fairness, and responsibility in AI design and use. Ensuring explainability and security in church-based AI applications can serve both ethical stewardship and the pastoral calling to protect and guide.

In this context, discernment and pastoral support needs to be exercised regarding the “humanization” of AI tools, especially Large Language Models (LLMS) such as ChatGPT and Claude. As AI tools progress in shape, form and effectiveness, an increasing number of people have been reporting talking to a LLMs feels like talking to “someone.” Words as thanking, confiding become more constant and some even describe it as “alive.”^[10] 

This bears direct implication on preaching in the digital world, as many viewers are actual “Alive” beings who are drawn by the Holy Spirit to partake in the same faith and express their identity as baptized, not bot-tized, children of God. Those who still don’t have this identity are the very reason this preaching is carried out. The Church has an organic nature, and it is Spirit led, not prompt led. And it is designed to deal with human beings as they are, and not as a LLM or a bot-humanized version creates, usually a perfect model, that may reflect only our own aspirations mirrored and an environment where we hardly are held accountable on our sinful nature and need of redemption. Paul’s metaphor of the Body (1 Corinthians 12) emphasizes interdependence. Sacraments, preaching, and pastoral care involve human interaction, accountability, and real shepherding.  AI tools used in Lutheran congregations should never be disconnected from pastoral and communal discernment. Rather, echoing Ammanath’s emphasis on AI’s role to augment human decision-making[11], these tools can free time for deeper personal engagement—thus strengthening, not weakening, the body of Christ in action.

In a world increasingly mediated by machines and screens, the Church remains a space for embodied, relational people to meet people and to preach the word from human heart to human hearts. The Christian proclamation is not just a message but are aimed at a gathering (ἐκκλησία), at people on the other side of the pulpit as well as on the other side of the screen. Paul’s letters, for example, assumed physical communities gathered around the Word and the Sacraments. While one could argue that digital tools like livestreaming and even avatar generators could provide the same sense of gathering, it misses the embodiment that actual bodies carry and present, the real and incarnational interaction.

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            [1] TDLR newsletter, email to author, June 2025.

[2] John Lennox, “Can We Survive AI? John Lennox on Deepfakes, Death, and the Divine Upgrade,” YouTube video, 1:07:00, posted by “Thinking Faith with OCCA,” July 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MbD_KdPgZ0.

           [3] "7 Insights On How Churches Are Adopting AI In 2024," Exponential, July 1, 2024, https://exponential.org/7-insights-on-how-churches-are-adopting-ai-in-2024/.  Current usage has increased significantly, with over 66% of church staff using AI tools occasionally, weekly, or daily, compared to approximately 37% in 2023. The survey reveals that 43% of church leaders use AI tools frequently, either weekly or daily for various ministry purposes. The primary use cases are: Sermon preparation, informational/research, article generation, and content production were the top AI use cases reported. Churches are expanding beyond initial focus areas to include audio/video editing, data analysis, and automation of administrative processes. As for the tool adoption patterns, mainstream AI tools like ChatGPT (25%), Grammarly (13%), and Canva's Magic AI features (10%) gained significant traction among respondents. This indicates churches are moving beyond specialized solutions toward accessible, multi-purpose platforms.

 

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Beena Ammanath, Trustworthy AI: A Business Guide for Navigating Trust and Ethics in AI (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2022), 14.

[10] Reservoir Samples, “Some Thoughts on Human–AI Relationships,” Reservoir Samples (Substack), June 15, 2025, https://reservoirsamples.substack.com/p/some-thoughts-on-human-ai-relationships

[11] Beena Ammanath, Trustworthy AI: A Business Guide for Navigating Trust and Ethics in AI (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2022)