Two out of three Protestant pastors use AI to prepare sermons: these and other revelations from a new study

(ZENIT News / Rome, 12.19.2025).- The use of artificial intelligence has moved from the margins of church administration to the center of pastoral practice, marking a turning point in how many Protestant communities prepare and communicate their faith. What once sounded like a speculative debate about technology and theology has become a concrete reality: a clear majority of pastors now rely on AI tools as part of their regular ministerial workflow, including the preparation of sermons.

According to the 2025 State of AI in the Church Survey, produced by AiForChurchLeaders.com in collaboration with Exponential AI NEXT, nearly two-thirds of pastors report using artificial intelligence on a weekly or even daily basis. This represents a sharp increase from the previous year and confirms that AI adoption in church leadership is accelerating rather than stabilizing. For roughly one in four pastors, interaction with AI tools has become a daily habit.

At the center of this shift stands ChatGPT, now the most widely used generative AI platform among church leaders. About a quarter of respondents say they employ it for tasks ranging from sermon outlines and biblical research to drafting newsletters and internal communications. Other tools play more specialized roles: Grammarly is commonly used to refine written communication, Microsoft Copilot assists with research, Google Gemini supports content generation, and Canva’s AI-powered design suite has become a favored option for visual materials such as social media posts and event flyers.

The survey’s findings suggest that AI is no longer viewed merely as a technical convenience but as a strategic aid in ministry. Pastors describe these tools as helping them manage growing workloads, generate ideas more efficiently, and streamline repetitive tasks. In congregations with limited staff or resources, AI appears to function as a form of digital assistance that frees time for pastoral care, preaching, and community engagement.

Yet this rapid adoption is accompanied by persistent unease. Sermon preparation, in particular, remains a sensitive area. Many pastors express concern that preaching, which lies at the heart of Christian ministry, could lose its spiritual authenticity if overly shaped by algorithmic output. The fear is not simply that sermons might sound generic, but that reliance on AI could weaken the preacher’s personal discernment, prayerful reflection, and theological responsibility.

Survey respondents repeatedly identified misinformation and doctrinal accuracy as major risks. AI-generated content, while fluent and persuasive, does not inherently distinguish between orthodox theology, contested interpretations, or outright error. For pastors accountable to their congregations, this raises questions about trust, transparency, and the limits of delegation. There are also broader anxieties about data privacy, the erosion of human relationships within church life, and the temptation to replace personal pastoral presence with technological efficiency.

Despite these concerns, resistance is not the dominant mood. On the contrary, the overwhelming majority of church leaders say they are willing to invest in formal training on AI use. Nearly nine out of ten pastors expressed openness to education that would help them use these tools responsibly and ethically. Rather than rejecting AI, many appear determined to master it on their own terms, framing it as an instrument that must remain subordinate to human judgment and spiritual authority.

The data also reveal that interest in AI spans churches of all sizes, from small congregations to megachurches, and cuts across leadership roles and generations. While younger leaders may be more comfortable experimenting with new technologies, the overall picture is one of broad institutional engagement rather than niche enthusiasm. This suggests that debates about AI in ministry are likely to intensify, not fade, as adoption becomes normalized.

Other surveys reinforce this trajectory. Research conducted earlier this year by Pushpay, drawing on responses from thousands of church leaders, indicates that AI use across ministries has risen dramatically, though often for narrowly defined purposes. Even so, a consistent pattern emerges: while pastors readily use AI for communication and administrative tasks, they remain cautious about allowing it to shape devotional or pastoral content directly.

What is taking shape, then, is not a technocratic church run by algorithms, but a hybrid model in which digital tools are woven into ministerial practice under close human supervision. The challenge ahead lies in defining clear boundaries: determining what AI may assist with, what it must never replace, and how its use can be communicated honestly to congregations.

As churches navigate this new terrain, artificial intelligence is forcing an old theological question into a new context: how to use the tools of the age without surrendering the soul of the message. The answer, it seems, will not be found in rejecting technology outright, but in learning how to integrate it without allowing it to speak in place of the pastor’s own voice.

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