Poll: Practicing Christians Use AI

Practicing Christians use artificial intelligence more frequently than the general public, both at home and at work, according to a Barna Group survey. Nearly half also said they would trust AI with their spiritual growth, even as many want their pastors to help them navigate the technology.

Forty-four percent of practicing Christians said they use AI “often” or “very often” in their personal lives, compared with 31 percent of U.S. adults overall and 29 percent of non-practicing Christians. At work, 39 percent of practicing Christians reported using AI often or very often, compared with 26 percent of U.S. adults.

The findings came from two surveys: one of 1,514 U.S. adults conducted in November 2025 and another of 442 Protestant pastors conducted the following month.

Pastors reported less frequent use. Sixteen percent said they use AI often in their personal lives, while 45 percent said they use it “not very much” or “not at all.” For work, 24 percent of pastors said they use AI often or very often. An earlier survey found about half of pastors use it in sermon preparation.

READ: Pastors and AI in sermons

“Ask people yes-or-no whether they use AI, and the average pastor and the average American look about the same,” Daniel Copeland, Barna’s vice president of research, told The Christian Post. “It’s frequency of use where the difference actually shows up.”

Copeland said pastors may not realize how routinely some congregants use the technology. “For most practicing Christians, AI isn’t for occasional use,” he said. “It’s already woven into how they work, learn and make decisions.” www.barna.com

The most common uses are practical: looking up information, learning how to do something, getting advice about a decision, following the news and improving writing. Bible questions and spiritual guidance rank lower. About one-third of practicing Christians said they had used AI for spiritual guidance or Bible-related questions in the previous month. One-third also said they want their pastor’s guidance on using AI, though only 12 percent of pastors said they felt ready to provide it.

The results point to a tension in Christians’ views of AI. Nearly half said they would trust it with their spiritual growth. A separate Barna study found that 34 percent of practicing Christians consider AI’s spiritual advice as trustworthy as a pastor’s. But follow-up research found that 83 percent of practicing Christians were concerned AI could misinterpret Scripture. That concern was shared by 94 percent of pastors.

Copeland said pastors generally want AI to help people explore Scripture rather than settle disagreements for them. “Their approach points to using AI as a tool to aid their learning, not to tell them what to think,” he said.

–Alan Goforth

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