5 Strategic Ways Churches Can Implement AI Today

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, many churches find themselves in what can only be described as the “Wild West” of artificial intelligence. Staff members experiment with various AI tools independently, there’s no cohesive strategy in place, and questions about ethical use remain unanswered. Sound familiar?

According to Pushpay’s recent State of Church Tech 2025 report, while AI usage has jumped a remarkable 80% compared to last year, there’s still significant hesitancy in when and how to use it effectively. The report reveals that 45% of churches now use AI tools, yet less than a quarter of these churches apply AI to core ministry functions like sermon development or pastoral care.

As AI continues to transform how organizations operate, churches stand at a crossroads: embrace these powerful tools strategically or risk falling behind in both operational efficiency and ministry effectiveness. The good news? You don’t need to be a tech expert to implement AI in ways that enhance your church’s mission rather than complicate it.

Here are five strategic ways your church can implement AI today—with purpose, alignment, and clear boundaries.

1. Start With a Church-Wide AI Policy

Before diving into specific tools, establish clear guidelines for AI use that reflect your church’s values and mission. An effective AI policy:

• Defines appropriate use cases for AI within your church context
• Addresses data privacy concerns and ethical boundaries
• Establishes protocols for introducing new AI tools
• Provides clarity on content ownership and attribution when using AI-generated materials

Creating this foundation first prevents the “everyone doing their own thing” syndrome that leads to redundancies, security risks, and potential ethical dilemmas. Your policy doesn’t need to be complicated—just clear. Start with a simple document that can evolve as your AI implementation matures.

Pro Tip: Involve key stakeholders from different ministry areas in policy development to ensure buy-in and comprehensive coverage of various use cases.

2. Conduct an AI & Tech Stack Audit

Many churches are surprised to discover just how many AI tools are already being used across their staff, often with overlapping functions and unnecessary costs. Before adding more tools:

• Survey all staff about which digital platforms and AI tools they currently use
• Identify redundancies where multiple tools serve similar functions
• Assess the security and privacy settings of current tools
• Evaluate which tools are delivering actual value versus “shiny object” additions

This audit often reveals opportunities to consolidate subscriptions, standardize around best-performing tools, and identify gaps where new AI solutions could make the biggest impact.

Pro Tip: Create a shared document where staff can record all digital tools they use, including frequency, specific use cases, and perceived value. This visibility alone can spark productive conversations about streamlining.

3. Implement AI for Administrative Relief First

The quickest wins with AI often come from automating routine administrative tasks that consume staff time without directly advancing the ministry. The Pushpay report confirms this approach, showing that 40% of churches currently using AI do so primarily for enhancing communication processes, followed by event planning (15%), managing forms and registrations (15%), and reporting (11%).

Consider implementing AI for:

• Email management and response drafting for common inquiries
• Calendar scheduling and meeting coordination
• Document organization and searchability
• Volunteer coordination and automated follow-up
• Basic financial reporting and pattern recognition

Starting with these behind-the-scenes applications builds confidence in AI’s value while freeing staff to focus on relationship-building and ministry priorities that machines simply can’t replicate.

Pro Tip: Identify your church’s most time-consuming administrative processes first. Challenge staff to estimate how many hours per week they spend on repetitive tasks, then prioritize AI implementation for those areas with the highest time cost.

4. Enhance (Don’t Replace) Creative Ministry Functions

Where many churches go wrong is jumping straight to using AI for sermon writing, worship planning, or other core creative functions without first establishing boundaries. The State of Church Tech 2025 report confirms this hesitation is widespread – only 18% of churches using AI apply it to sermon development, and just 15% use it for pastoral care ideas.

Instead, use AI to enhance these areas while preserving authentic human connection:

• Research assistance and topic exploration for sermon preparation
• Generating visual elements for services and social media
• Transcribing and categorizing past sermons for searchable archives
• Brainstorming creative outreach ideas based on community demographics
• Translating content for multilingual ministry needs

The key distinction: AI should function as a thought partner and efficiency tool, not a replacement for the spiritual discernment and personal touch that make ministry effective. This approach aligns with how most church leaders are already using AI, with the report showing 51% of churches using AI for creating written content and 47% for generating images/graphics.

Pro Tip: Create clear guidelines for when AI-generated content needs human review and refinement. For example, establish a policy that all AI-generated responses to congregants must be reviewed and personalized by staff before sending.

5. Invest in Strategic AI Training

Rather than letting staff figure out AI on their own, invest in targeted training that aligns with your church’s specific ministry needs. This approach addresses one of the top concerns identified in the Pushpay report – the challenge of onboarding and training staff on new technology, which saw a 24% increase in importance compared to the previous year.

Effective AI training for churches:

• Focuses on practical applications relevant to ministry contexts
• Includes ethical considerations specific to pastoral and congregational settings
• Develops prompt engineering skills for getting better results from AI tools
• Builds confidence through hands-on demonstrations and practice
• Addresses fears and misconceptions about AI replacing human elements of ministry

When staff receive proper training, they’re more likely to use AI as an intentional ministry tool rather than either avoiding it entirely or becoming overly dependent on it.

Pro Tip: Consider hosting an “AI discovery day” where staff can share how they’re already using AI successfully, learn new applications, and collaboratively develop best practices specific to your church culture.

Conclusion: From Wild West to Wise Stewardship

Implementing AI in your church doesn’t have to feel like navigating uncharted territory without a map. By starting with clear policies, conducting a thorough audit, focusing on administrative relief, enhancing (not replacing) creative functions, and investing in strategic training, your church can harness AI’s power while maintaining your unique ministry voice and values.

The State of Church Tech 2025 report shows that churches are increasingly viewing technology not just as a tool but as a strategic partner, with 94% of church leaders stating that technology plays an important role in achieving their mission. The most effective church AI implementations aren’t about having the latest technological bells and whistles. They’re about thoughtfully integrating tools that amplify your mission, free your staff from administrative burden, and create more space for what truly matters: authentic human connection and spiritual formation.

Ready to move from the Wild West of AI to wise stewardship of these powerful tools? Start with just one of these strategies this month, then build from there. Your staff—and ultimately your congregation—will thank you for bringing order to the chaos and purpose to your digital transformation journey.

DISCLAIMER: this content has been generated, at least in part, by artificial intelligence.