Churchgoers Divided Over AI in Sermon Preparation
Artificial intelligence is here to stay – and also, apparently, the debate about its proper role in Christianity. Sixty percent of Protestant churchgoers in the United States worry about its impact on Christianity, a new study by Lifeway Research found.
“Caution is an instinctive reaction to new things, and pastors and churchgoers share some concerns around AI,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “The majority of younger churchgoers would welcome hearing biblical principles applied to AI in a sermon to help them shape their perspective on it.”
About 44 percent of churchgoers see nothing wrong with pastors using AI to prepare sermons, while 43 percent are opposed, including 24 percent who disagreed strongly. A further 13 percent were undecided. Less-frequent attendees (48 percent) were more open to AI-assisted sermon preparation than those who attend weekly (42 percent), as were churchgoers without evangelical beliefs (49 percent).
“Churchgoers are evenly split on whether it is right or wrong to use AI in sermon preparation,” McConnell said. “While only a quarter strongly reject this use, more than five in six have some pause on whether pastors should have a free pass on its use. The caution may be from a desire to limit its use to certain activities or from not yet giving its morality much thought.”
Presbyterian and Reformed churchgoers registered the highest levels of concern about AI at 64 percent, followed by Baptists at 62 percent, while Methodists were the least worried at 48 percent. Men were more likely than women to say they had no concerns about AI’s influence on Christianity (31 percent to 25 percent). Churchgoers who attend services one to three times a month (31 percent) also were more likely than regular weekly attendees to say they were unconcerned (26 percent).
Opinion was similarly divided on whether AI should be the subject of a sermon. Although 42 percent said they would find value in a sermon applying biblical principles to artificial intelligence, 43 percent were opposed, with 25 percent disagreeing strongly. Younger churchgoers were more receptive to the idea.
One in 10 Protestant pastors is a regular AI user, and one-third say they are experimenting with the technology. A further 18 percent are waiting to see more convincing examples of how AI might help before committing. At the same time, 18 percent are actively avoiding AI, and 20 percent are simply ignoring it.
“AI is embedded in many tools we use every day, so some pastors may be using AI technology without even knowing they are,” McConnell said. “Pastors’ use of AI for ministry reflects a typical spread of technology adoption with a few avid users and plenty testing it out in different ways.”
–Alan Goforth
