Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the world of reasoning and communication. Anthony Levandowski even created the first Church of Artificial Intelligence called Way of the Future. “What is going to be created will effectively be a god,” he said in an interview.[1] Not only are machines now able to mimic human thought, but generative AI is also creating original content with sometimes catastrophic results. ChatGPT influenced sixteen-year-old Adam Raine to commit suicide.[2] OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, said, “You and I are living through this once-in-human-history transition where humans go from being the smartest thing on planet Earth to not the smartest thing on planet Earth.”[3]

As I’ve watched the explosive growth of AI, I’ve wondered, how will chatbots change our sermon prep? We, pastors, are busy people with many time demands. Chatbots could certainly reduce our sermon prep time so we can fulfill our other pastoral responsibilities. It seems like a good use of a new technological tool.

Why not use AI as a tool to make us more efficient and productive preachers?

I know that I already use AI for many tasks. My writing and editing software give me regular suggestions to improve my literary communications, including this blog! AI can efficiently summarize long articles and online research. It is helpful for marketing and promotional materials, internet research, and correspondence. Chatbots are valuable tools in our work as preachers. Why not use them to write sermons?

Perhaps chatbots should come with warning labels regarding sermon prep. Here are some warning labels that I have been mulling over lately.

BEWARE: Sermon preparation is not merely information transmission.

If a sermon consists of gathering data and organizing the data into a coherent form of communication, then AI will transmit information more efficiently than I can. But that is not what a sermon is! A sermon is not a batch of information put down on paper. Preaching takes place in the moment of delivery. That is why reading printed sermons never has the same power as hearing a preacher preach. Preaching is a live person delivering content of eternal consequence to people who are listening. Hershael York says that the reason a chatbot sermon will always be inferior to an incarnated sermon is that “It lacks soul–I don’t know how else to say it.”[4]

BEWARE: Sermon preparation requires the transformation of the preacher.

I love how William Quayle defined preaching. “Preaching is the art of making a sermon and delivering it? Why, no, that is not preaching. Preaching is the art of making a preacher and delivering that!”[5] AI may be efficient at producing a sermon, but efficiency is not what sermon prep is about. God is less interested in efficiency and more interested in making me Christlike. He wants to shape me first and then, through me, shape the people. If I never wrestle with the text and cry out in prayer, I won’t be changed by the Spirit in the process. Prayerful wrestling with God’s Word is hardly efficient, but I am transformed through that process, and only then will my listeners be transformed. If the message does not grab me, it won’t grab them.

BEWARE: AI changes how we process information, which alters how we relate to people.

There is no substitute for authenticity. When I read a sentence that my software has rewritten, I often think, “That doesn’t sound like me.” Yes, it is very well written, with excellent grammar and usually less verbose than I would say it. But it isn’t how I talk. It isn’t me. A Chatbot can pump out words, but in the end, as Nicholas Carr writes, “what it steals from us is our own ability to make sense of the world and express understanding of the world. The ultimate effect is the flattening of humanity.”[6] Our people need to hear us, not our chatbots.

BEWARE: A personal encounter with God involves more than a data transfer.

We live in a result-oriented world that tempts us to process information rapidly. Life today seduces us to think that success is all about efficient data transfer. God is not about efficient data transfer. He revealed His Word through many different people, in many different ways over many years (Heb. 1:1). God values relationships, and relationships are terribly inefficient. In a sermon, God cares more about a personal encounter with Him than the transfer of data. God wants to cultivate inefficient aspects of our lives like worship, love, gratitude, and holiness. The goal of preaching is that both the preacher and the listener meet God, never to be the same again.

BEWARE: There are ethical implications for our use of AI.

The profitability of AI is founded on massive copyright infringement practices. Computer programmers design the algorithms of AI to collect data from anywhere and everywhere on the internet. The chatbot delivers reams of research to the preacher with no source attribution. Defenders of AI argue that it falls under the fair use doctrine, a vast grey area with limited legal guidance. However, for the preacher, this raises serious ethical questions. How do we know what we are saying in a sermon is not stolen from another author or speaker? How do we give credit to our sources? Do we say, “What I am about to say comes from a chatbot?” As preachers, God calls us to do our best to give credit to content creators when they are the source of our ideas. It is the honest way to function as preachers before our congregations.

BEWARE: AI may produce inaccurate and even false information.

Did you know that chatbots hallucinate? Hallucinating is the term that AI critics use when chatbots fabricate convincing but misleading responses. Why? It could be because the algorithm is faulty, or it could be because programmers intentionally encoded the software to give us false information for their own purposes. We don’t know why, but it should make us skeptical of any information we receive from AI. Preachers should exercise discernment when using AI and verify the information they receive to ensure accuracy. Use but verify! We can Google the information to check it. We can ask the chatbot for references. Perhaps we could even look it up in a book! Why? Truth matters. Our congregations need to trust us to speak truth when we preach. It is the least we can do as preachers.[7]

Preaching is like giving birth, and while conception might take place in our study, the moment of delivery takes place in the community of faith. Preaching is communication between the authentic and transparent soul of the preacher and the eager and welcoming souls of the listeners by the power of God’s Spirit. Don’t let a chatbot abort the birth.

 

[1] “Anthony Levandowski Reboots Church of Artificial Intelligence,” Bloomberg (11-23-23); Mark Harris, “The First Church of Artificial Intelligence,” Wired (11-15-17)

[2] https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/teen-suicide-chatgpt-open-ai-lawsuit-adam-raine-rcna228048

[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/silicon-valley-using-religious-language-talk-ai-rcna227987

[4] https://www.preachingtoday.com/skills/2023/ai-and-sermon-prep.html

[5] https://www.preachingtoday.com/skills/2023/ai-and-sermon-prep.html

[6] Russell Moore, “Guest Appearances,” Christianity Today, July/August, 2025, 25.

[7] https://www.preachingtoday.com/skills/2023/ai-and-sermon-prep.html