CAUTION FROM THE PAST
In the mid-2000s, I traveled through the Middle East. At a small internet café in a Jerusalem hostel, I saw a college-aged person using Facebook. The platform had just opened to the public (previously requiring a university email for signup).
I got excited. A stranger from halfway around the world was using the same new digital tool I had just begun exploring. I felt a kindred connection of shared experience with this stranger, along with a hope for the potential of social media to connect us across geography and culture. I also hoped it would be a force for joy, hope, truth, and community.
Fast forward nearly twenty years; I’ve just finished reading Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation to help me guide my children through the risks and dangers of this algorithmic force called social media, where studies show its e ects on anxiety, depression, suicide, and disconnectedness, especially among young people.
I now sit at my local Nashville airport, where, twenty years ago, my family commented that the flight into Nashville was always filled with friendly, talkative, helpful Southern hospitality at 30,000 feet.
But today, as I sit in that same airport, looking around me, I notice that heads are down and eyes are locked on screens. People scroll through curated content from strangers’ lives while ignoring the human souls around them.
What if the church had shown up earlier?
What if we had engaged with social media thoughtfully at the start?
What if we had learned how these tools worked, advocated for safety measures, funded theological and ethical research, or modeled a di erent way to use them, instead of waiting until we were pushed into engagement in 2020, scrambling to adjust to community in the digital realm?
We cannot make that mistake with AI.
THE DANGER OF SHALLOW CRITIQUE
For the past two years, I’ve been teaching workshops on artificial intelligence to pastors, annual conference sta , and denominational leaders. While the emphasis has primarily focused on practical usage (that’s what most leaders ask for), my deeper goal is twofold:
First, I want the church to have a voice in shaping the next phase of digital integration. That requires more than opinion; it requires understanding. Like the printing press, industrialization, and the rise of social media, AI is already shaping how humans live, learn, relate, and work. If we don’t show up informed, we will forfeit our place at the table, as humanity is again transformed by the tools we create.
Second, I want to help ministry leaders reclaim their time. Overwork in the church has become such a trope that it’s a constant start to meetings in my agency work and local church committees: “I know we’re all swamped, but…”
If AI can o oad some of the busy work that keeps us from focusing on intentional discipleship— NEVER replacing ministry, but making more time for it why wouldn’t we lean in?
Instead, what I hear most often when I train ministry leaders is fear, and that fear is usually uninformed. I consider that dangerous because uninformed fear discredits our voice.
The longer I teach these AI classes, the more nuanced and refined the questions and concerns become. That gives me pause, as I don’t have all the answers.
In this article, I will outline ten common concerns I’ve heard over the past two years. I’ll give my perspective on the ones I can, and I’ll admit where I don’t have answers.
Then I’ll share an invitation. I invite you to help shape the direction and response that Discipleship Ministries takes concerning this emerging technology and how we position ourselves within the coming world (because AI isn’t going back in its box). We need to discover what part of the future we can influence as we examine what it means to be human in a digital world.
TEN CONCERNS I KEEP HEARING ABOUT AI (FROM A MINISTRY CONTEXT)
Below are ten of the most frequent fears or frustrations I encounter in AI workshops. Some are valid. Most are based on misunderstandings. But each is worth a deeper look.
1. “It’s going to make pastors lazy.”
This is the most common reaction I hear – verbatim (so often I’ve wondered where this sentiment comes from).
If pastors misuse their time, that’s not technology's fault, but a human issue. If AI helps reclaim time for rest, prayer, or people, that’s not laziness; it’s wisdom.
Do you check in with your pastors to see how much time they spend scrolling on TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram? Do you poll them to discover how much of that time is spent searching for sermon ideas or mindlessly consuming strangers’ content?
My concern is not that pastors use AI; it’s that they use AI poorly or secretly, trying to get it to do work for them instead of using it for feedback, clarity, reflection, or double-checking research. Practically speaking, this is the di erence between putting a prompt into a Large Language Model (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity etc.), such as, “Write a sermon for me about those hurt by the church” versus a better prompt, “Those who feel hurt by the church have been on my heart lately, and I’m working on a sermon specifically for them. Here are some ideas I’ve been pondering. Will you ask me five questions to help me verbally process why this topic is heavy on my heart, so that I can take it to my small group and share my ideas with more clarity?”
2. “AI is biased.”
A speaker at a recent AI conference said, “We don’t need better AI; we need better humans.”
Bias, racism, and sexism are not AI problems; they are human problems. We must review our outputs with discernment our commentary, our theology, the sermons we write, the curriculum we create, and the media we consume. AI large language models reflect what they have learned from what humans put on the internet. Discernment and knowledge start and end with us. Relying on AI tools to sort those biases for us is the kind of outsourcing of our discernment we want to avoid.
3. “This will harm underserved communities.”
There are real equity concerns around who builds AI and who it serves.
In a great TED talk, educator Sal Khan (of Khan Academy, a free platform making education accessible to all) called AI “The Great Democratizer,” pointing to AI tools that o er tutoring assistance to underserved students.
AI tools give access, assistance, and resources to students, entrepreneurs, and struggling ministry leaders who could never have a orded the kind of help they receive through AI. The only people I have seen who do not access it are those who choose to disregard it.
My concern lies with the builders and owners of the technology and how they use it. Will they prioritize development that betters humanity and democratizes access, or, like social media platforms, will AI be algorithmicized to prioritize addiction, replacement of human connection, and shareholder profits?
This is precisely why I believe the church should advocate—with knowledge and thought— for ethical design, fair access, and tools that lift people up.
4. “It’s evil.”
AI is not sentient. It is not sacred. It is not demonic. It is a tool like microphones, projectors, or the printing press. The better questions are: Who is controlling it? Who is using it? And for what purpose? Is it supplementing or replacing? Are we turning to technology in the exclusion of our mentors?
5. “It will outsource spiritual discernment.”
I suppose you could try to let it, but just as purchasing a sermon or using a preaching magazine, or any resource to formulate spiritual discernment, that is a human issue. I firmly believe (and often repeat in my trainings) that you should never attempt to have AI do your work for you.
Instead, these tools should be used as an additional layer of checks and balances, planning support, idea refinement, verbal processing, or the death of writer’s block.
A friend recently asked me, “Have you ever used an AI tool for ideas where you previously would have sat in quiet reflection with the Holy Spirit?” After much thought, I had to admit that I have. What a gut punch. Just as my wife challenges me to not get ‘sucked into’ social media consumption at the cost of prayer and Bible study, this kind of wake-up call was what I needed. ANY digital tool must be used transparently and as an elevation of healthy community, never as a replacement.
We are already seeing lonely people turning to AI for friendship, counsel, and romance. This is a human issue. People have done this with social media for years. Can the church advocate for the messiness of human-to-human relationships that cannot be replaced by the perfected outputs of AI or the filtered angle of social media imagery? We must exercise the tools we have for discernment such as scripture, prayer and other means of grace.
6. “It just gives shallow, generic output.”
Perhaps, if it is used like Google or with poor prompting techniques. We often use a phrase in training: “Garbage in, garbage out.” AI requires context, specificity, and training. It’s like any assistant: what you ask, how you ask, and what you feed it shapes the result. Garbage in, garbage out.
7. “People are going to lose their jobs.”
Some already are. That’s the hard truth. Throughout history, technology has changed the job landscape from the loom to tractors to calculators. We cannot ignore this, and I don’t have a good answer from a theological perspective. Though I dislike it, the job market will be separated by those who have learned how to use the tools and those who refuse to adapt. Proper use of AI will not guarantee work, but, like knowing how to type in the 90s, I believe it will help.
Our job as Christians is to shepherd people through hard times with compassion and connection, and the church's role is to advocate for the dignity of each person. I wish I had a better answer, but whether we like it or not, this is the future. Putting our heads in the sand will not benefit the world; it will only allow it to change without the aid of our God-given discernment.
8. “What about plagiarism?”
This is a tricky and ever-evolving question. I have not yet heard a good answer to this question, but I can talk about the technology: AI large language models do not copy text or images; they use a knowledge base (training data) to predict language and pixels based on statistical patterns using math.
If you ask AI to finish the sentence, “Hello barista, I would like to order one black….,” it will calculate the statistical correlations around the language patterns it knows and decide that, mathematically, the most likely next word should be “co ee.” This is not copying or stealing, unless you consider the language structure and pixel patterns copyrightable. But attribution matters, especially in ministry. Be transparent when AI helps generate content. Try to follow the development of laws (like the recently passed Elvis Law in Tennessee, protecting the vocal rights of artists).
And always consider trust. I encourage those who use the tools to ask, “If the extent of my AI use were discovered (by my congregation, pastor, committee, partner, etc.), would that degrade trust?”
9. “The church (or humans) will idolize e ciency.”
This is a subtle but serious risk. If we let AI drive us toward output over presence, we’ve lost the point and will continue to repeat history. The challenge in our training sessions isn’t to do more. It’s to be more available—for discipleship, for family, for the widow, the orphan, those hurt by the church. Does using a spellcheck tool in our email app help us have more time with our community, or does it help us answer more emails? Are those mutually exclusive?
10. “It’s not worth learning; it’s just a fad.”
I’ve heard this from colleagues, friends, and constituents, especially in frustrated tones; for example, “I’m tired of hearing about AI; it’s being shoved down our throats.”
I get it. AI is one of the hottest topics right now. The technology is used in refrigerators, dryers, and nearly every computer and phone application we use regularly. AI is a fad right now, making a lot of money for companies. But have you ever seen a time when a groundbreaking technology accessible to nearly everyone, that increases e ciency and productivity has been put back in its box?
AI is already embedded in our tools, platforms, and systems. Learning how it works is no longer optional if you want to lead with clarity and care. I have heard CEOs state they will not hire someone who doesn’t know how to use AI tools. I encourage you to see AI like the keyboard or the personal computer. While the term “AI” may be a marketing fad, it will separate those who use it from those who do not.
A THOUGHTFUL INVITATION: LEARN, LEAD, AND ENGAGE IN FEEDBACK
I o er a challenge and an invitation. If you have strong opinions about AI for or against I ask that you learn some fundamentals, test it, and then give us feedback.
Learn fundamentals: We o er trainings, or we are happy to suggest direction for self guided learning pathways.
Test it: Not for a few seconds, not based on one article or headline, but in meaningful, ministrycentered ways.
Start small. Ask AI to give you feedback on your fall sermon series (NOT to write it). A prompt for this could be: “Here are my notes for my sermon series. Can you provide me with feedback on clarity and communication? My priority is conveying this sermon so that the person sitting at the back, struggling with faith and Christianity, feels I am speaking directly to them with compassion and love. I want you to act as an expert in homiletics, sociology, and communications, and then give me feedback from the perspective of that participant.”
Ask the tool how it could help reduce ministry tasks to give you more time for discipleship.
Form a committee to explore the capabilities (and your concerns!) in the context of human connection. Then give us feedback:
We’re forming a ministry-focused AI survey to gather insights from ministry leaders who have experimented, tested, and reflected. We are asking them to report about how we might shape and develop future training and how we, as the church, should be responding and preparing for a future where AI is (whether you like it or not) integrated with humanity.
Click here to sign up for our mailing list, and we will keep you informed about the upcoming survey.
Click here to learn more about the training we o er.
We will o er options for learning on your own or through our training sessions. We simply ask for your feedback to come not from fear or assumption… but from experience.
THE MOMENT BEFORE US
AI isn’t coming. It’s here.
We must put on our prophetic mantles and look ahead as we explore what areas of pain, hurt, and loneliness could emerge in this next phase of human interaction with technology. The church can o er healing, hope, and discipleship through Jesus Christ alone.
Imagine.... if the church showed up:
Not chasing trends, but shaping them.
Not replacing ministry, but deepening it.
Not fearing the future, but helping to guide and redeem it.
This is our moment. Let’s not miss it.
Blake Davis is the Executive Director of Marketing & Delivery (Communications) as well as the AI O cer for Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church.
This content was developed by Discipleship Ministries sta using AI tools in alignment with our AI Usage Guidelines. In this case, AI assisted with outlining, structural organization, tone adjustments, grammar refinement, summarization, and drafting section content based on direction and ideas provided by Blake Davis. All final text was written, reviewed, edited, and approved by human contributors.
