The Ministry Tool You’re Probably Not Using ... Yet

Let’s just call it: Most pastors haven’t touched AI, the newest ministry tool, with a ten-foot shepherd’s staff.

And I get it. It sounds intimidating – like it’s something only coders in hoodies or tech bros in Palo Alto are supposed to understand. Artificial Intelligence? In the church? It feels like we’ve crossed into some theological twilight zone.

Some pastors are afraid AI’s too technical. Others believe it’s too worldly. And then there are those who quietly wonder if it’s even appropriate for ministry. Like it’s somehow unfaithful to the calling to use a tool that wasn’t divinely coded in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, or King James English.

But here’s the reality: most of the resistance to AI in ministry isn’t theological … it’s psychological. It’s fear. It’s the assumption that it’s “beyond me,” “too advanced,” or “not spiritual enough.” And while pastors are sitting on their hands, trying to avoid what feels like science fiction, their hours are getting devoured by sermon prep, admin overload, emails, curriculum writing, and the 1,001 things that eat up the average week (AKA Pastor Fetch).

Let me ask you a question. What if you could cut your prep time in half? What if you could crank out a full Bible study series in an afternoon – or in fifteen minutes? What if you could finally stay on top of your inbox, your bulletin, your schedule, and your sermon slides without needing a volunteer staff of ten?

And what if I told you that using AI as a ministry tool is not only capable of helping you do that … but it doesn’t require you to be a computer geek, a seminary professor, or a Silicon Valley early adopter? (Okay, if you’re not using AI every day already, then you’re already past the “early adopter” designation.)

I’m not here to sell you a gadget. I’m here to tell you that you’re probably working twice as hard as you need to … and getting half the results. And that’s a stewardship issue – one that’s keeping you so busy with “church work” that you have little to no time for the mission-critical.

So, et’s talk about why AI just might be the most powerful ministry tool you’ve never used.

AI Can Be a Technophobe’s Friend

Let’s kill the myth right now: you don’t need to be tech-savvy to use AI.

If you can type, you can use AI. Period.

You don’t need a course in coding. You don’t need a degree in data science. And you sure don’t need a manual the size of your grandmother’s family Bible. The beauty of AI as a ministry tool – especially tools like ChatGPT – is that it speaks your language. Natural language. The same way you’d talk to a staff member or volunteer is the same way you communicate with AI.

That’s the secret no one’s talking about.

• You want help writing a sermon description for the newsletter? Just say, “Write me a 250-word description for a sermon on Luke 15 with a focus on grace.”
• Want to brainstorm small group questions? Ask, “Give me seven discussion questions for John 3:1–17 that would work for new believers.”
• Need a quick social media post that ties into your sermon? Try, “Create a Facebook post to promote Sunday’s message on forgiveness. Make it engaging and under 100 words.”

That’s it. No code. No special keywords. Just your words.

And here’s the kicker – AI will actually help you get better at using it as a ministry tool. Ask it, “Help me write a better prompt for this task,” and it will show you how to give clearer instructions to get sharper results. It’s like hiring a research assistant who also tutors you on how to be a better manager.

The more you use it, the better it gets. You’ll start learning what kinds of questions get the best responses, how to be specific without being complicated, and how to guide the conversation so it actually sounds like you.

AI isn’t just a ministry tool for the tech-savvy … it’s a breakthrough for the busy and the burnt-out. And if you’ve ever said, “I wish I had someone to help with this,” you already understand the value.

You don’t need to master the tech. You just need to be willing to ask it a question.

AI Is More Widely Read Than You Are

Now, don’t get defensive here.

You’ve read a lot. You’ve got shelves lined with commentaries. Maybe you’ve even cracked open Barth, Brueggemann, and Bonhoeffer. But let’s be honest: no matter how many seminary classes you took or how many dusty tomes you’ve marked up over the years … you’re not going to out-read a large language model trained on billions of words.

Yeah, billions.

Tools like ChatGPT-4 have been trained on over a trillion tokens of text (a token is just a short word or word piece), including content from thousands of theological sources, historical documents, and scholarly works … public domain or licensed … spanning church history, Bible translations, commentaries, sermons, liturgies, and spiritual classics (like the whole Church Father’s library that CBD othat was always way more than I could afford!).

Now, does that mean AI always gets it right? No. You still need to show up. Your discernment, scriptural grounding, and a healthy dose of fact-checking are still requirements. AI sometimes get weird, or just flat-out wrong. But when you’re prepping a sermon, designing a Bible study, or researching a topic for spiritual formation, it’s like having the world’s biggest theological toolbox at your fingertips.

And here’s the best part: you don’t need to know the exact book, scholar, or page number. You just ask the question. Naturally.

“What are three theological interpretations of the parable of the laborers in Matthew 20?”
“Summarize Calvin’s view on sanctification in plain language.”
“Give me contrasting perspectives on women in leadership using both evangelical and mainline sources.”

It’s research, minus the library hours. It’s theological exploration, minus the footnote rabbit trails.

You’re not handing off your convictions to a robot. You’re using a tool to access centuries of Christian thought in a fraction of the time. That’s not cheating. That’s just being wise with your time.

Let AI do the reading. You do the preaching.

The Time-Saving Power of AI

If there’s one thing pastors never seem to have enough of, it’s time.

You’ve got sermons to write, meetings to lead, newsletters to produce, emails to answer, curriculum to design, people to visit, calls to return, social media to manage … and somewhere in there, you’re supposed to pray, prep, visit, and maybe even rest.

It’s no wonder you’re running on fumes!

AI isn’t going to eliminate your to-do list, but it can take a chainsaw to the parts of it that are eating your week alive. So, let me help you out. Here are five time-saving ways pastors are already using AI as a ministry tool to reclaim their time, their energy, and maybe even their sanity.

1. Sermon Prep Assistance
Need a sermon outline? Want to compare commentaries? Looking for illustrations that don’t sound like they were lifted from a 1972 youth rally? AI can help you brainstorm structure, supply background information, offer cross-references, and even give you fresh analogies in seconds. You bring the Spirit and the conviction. Let AI help with the scaffolding – as a ministry tool, it excels here.

2. Bible Study and Curriculum Development
Instead of spending hours crafting study guides from scratch, AI can help you build small group questions, devotional reflections, and lesson plans for kids, youth, or adults. You give it the passage and the audience; it gives you a framework to build on. And if you’re not happy with the first result? Just ask it to regenerate, revise, or focus in. One pastor in the Growing Church Network feeds his sermon into AI and has it create a complete, one-hour children’s ministry time complete with storytelling, crafts, and all the rest, every week. He told me he’s saving hundreds of dollars every year on curriculum, and it’s all based on his sermon, so the kids and the parents are getting the same message.

3. Communication Support
Struggling to write your church newsletter or a difficult pastoral letter? Want a social media post that doesn’t sound like it was written by the 1993 bulletin committee? AI is the ministry tool that can help you generate content in your voice, tailored to your audience, with the tone you choose: compassionate, bold, encouraging, you name it. No more staring at a blinking cursor for forty-five minutes.

4. Time Management and Scheduling
This is new, and it’s a game-changer. ChatGPT now includes built-in scheduling tools through its Pro version, allowing you to block out tasks, plan your week, and get reminders … all without toggling between five different apps. Need help prioritizing your time? You can say, “Help me build a weekly schedule that includes sermon prep, admin, hospital visits, and Sabbath time,” and it will actually do it.

5. Project Planning and Administrative Help
Planning a mission trip? Organizing a conference? Setting up a community outreach event? AI can help draft timelines, generate checklists, identify needed supplies, and even write follow-up communication. Think of it as an assistant who never forgets a task and never needs coffee.

Let’s be honest. Ministry isn’t slowing down. The work is real. The harvest is still plentiful. And the laborers are still few. If you can offload 5–10 hours of work each week without sacrificing quality, or worse, your calling … why wouldn’t you?

AI doesn’t replace your ministry. It gives you time to do your ministry.

Want to Learn More? Let’s Talk About April 10

You don’t need to become an AI expert. You don’t need to abandon your theology. And you sure don’t need to apologize for wanting to be more effective, more efficient, and more present for the people God’s called you to serve.

You just need to be open.

AI isn’t the future of ministry … it’s a ministry tool that’s already here. The only real question is whether you’re going to keep burning yourself out trying to do everything the hard way, or whether you’re ready to start working smarter.

On April 10, best-selling author Jason Moore and I are hosting a powerful live AI training event:
AI and the Church: A Masterclass for the Curious and the Courageous
This isn’t tech-for-tech’s sake. This is practical, hands-on training for real pastors doing real ministry in the real world.

• We’ll walk through the tools.
• We’ll show you the use cases.
• We’ll talk about the theology.
• And we’ll help you leave with a clear strategy for how to make AI your new ministry assistant.

If you’ve got questions, bring them.

If you’ve got concerns, air them.

If you’ve been skeptical, good. Show up and test the waters.

But don’t keep ignoring a tool that could radically improve your ministry, your time, and your impact.

You can register right now at https://go.effectivechurch.com/2504-ai-masterclass

Bring your curiosity. Bring your courage.
We’ll bring the training.