When ChatGPT appeared on the scene in late 2022, few understood just how transformative a moment we were living in. We asked it to write a haiku, or to tell us a joke, but it seemed like a novelty more than a tool that would change our lives.
Since then, generative AI has worked its way into virtually every aspect of our daily routine, from your Gmail inbox to the McDonalds drive thru.
With a few clicks, one can generate a compelling story, a realistic looking image or video, a voiceover that sounds just like a famous celebrity, or a song that sounds like it was produced in a Nashville recording studio.
On one hand, this presents us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform how we work, how we play, and how we interact with one another. On the other hand, that opportunity comes with a lot of uncertainty and more than a few concerns about its negative impacts on society.
Regardless, generative AI is here to stay. As future leaders in the church, it will be your job to not only learn to use the technology with biblical wisdom yourselves, but to help your small group, your congregation, and your volunteers navigate it, too.
To do so, let’s start at the beginning.
What is Generative AI?
“Generative AI” is a broad term that is still evolving as you read this. Generally speaking, we use the term to refer to machine learning models that create (or “generate”) something from something else.
You’re probably familiar with ChatGPT—a language model, designed to generate text. Maybe you’ve encountered image models such as Midjourney, that create images from text prompts and other inputs. Or perhaps you’ve heard speech, music, or sound effects created with audio models such as ElevenLabs.
At the end of the day, we can sum up generative AI as follows:
Generative AI is a category of tools that we can use to help us do the work of ministry.
Let’s break each one of those points down.
Generative AI is a tool.
Generative AI is a tool in your creative and/or productivity toolbox, just like Photoshop, PowerPoint, or Google Docs.
Like any tool, it is most effective when applied to accomplish a specific task by a skilled practitioner. Just like a hammer can’t build a house on its own—it takes a skilled carpenter to build a sturdy house—AI requires a knowledgeable user to harness its full potential.
So, while generative AI models can be a powerful addition to your toolkit, remember that AI still operates under your guidance, tailored to the unique needs and contours of your ministry, and it works best when you approach it as a tool.
Generative AI can help us.
Generative AI can help us do the work of ministry. It cannot do the work of ministry for us. My friend and colleague, Jason Moore, author of AI and the Church: A Clear Guide for the Curious and Courageous, says, “AI is more of a ‘do it with you’ than a ‘do it for you.’”
“AI is more of a ‘do it with you’ than a ‘do it for you.’”
While AI might excel in automating mundane tasks like sorting through emails, compiling data, or even suggesting sermon topics, it lacks the creativity, emotional intelligence, and ethical judgment that only a human can provide.
Generative AI helps us do the work of ministry.
“The work of ministry” here means whatever work that you do in your ministry context that helps to bring the kingdom of God closer to earth and to take care of the saints that are in our church.
That could be sermon preparation, administration, or creative work. AI can assist you in ways that help you become more efficient, more precise, and more creative in your ministry role.
Using Generative AI wisely.
Father John Culkin, a Professor of Communication at Fordham University in New York, wrote in the Saturday Review way back in 1967:
“We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.”
As a gardener wields a shovel to turn the earth, the handle of the shovel will inevitably leave an indelible mark on the gardener—calluses on his hands, a hunched posture.
In the same way, generative AI will shape you. How you choose to use it will determine the impact that it has on your life and your ministry. My hope is that you will use it wisely, using it to become more productive and more creative to lean into the ministry that God has called you to.
[1] Culkin, J.M. (1967, March 18). A schoolman’s guide to Marshall McLuhan. Saturday Review, pp. 51-53, 71-72
Join us at our next Worship Exchange Forum to meet Rob and hear him talk about AI and the Church. Lunch and discussion taking place on September 10 from 11:30-1:00 in the Regions Room at Samford. Don’t miss your chance to dive deep into the issues surrounding being a worshipful Christian in the world of AI.
Rob Laughter is the Director of Summit Online at The Summit Church in Raleigh, NC, co-host of the AI Creative Podcast, and founder of The AI Collaborative—a community of AI enthusiasts. In addition to being an active user of AI tools, Rob is passionate about teaching others how to use them to be more creative and more productive in the roles that God has called them to. Rob and his wife, Cassie, have three girls, ages 12, 10, and 6. In his free time, Rob serves on his campus worship team and produces photo and video content for clients in the bluegrass and roots music industries.
