Pastors Say Churches Need AI Guidelines. Few Have Them.

Nearly all pastors (94%) say a church should have guidelines for responsible AI use. They are nearly evenly divided on what form those guidelines should take: 45 percent say a formal policy, and 49 percent say informal guidance only. Just 6 percent say a church needs neither.

In practice, only 4 percent of pastors say their own church has a formal policy, and 17 percent say it has informal guidance. The other 79 percent have neither.

The research doesn’t explain the wide gap between pastors’ belief that AI guidelines are needed and how few have them at their own church. Barna’s related research on faith and AI, produced in partnership with Gloo as part of the State of the Church initiative, offers context on how pastors use AI and where they hesitate.

Where Pastors Welcome AI, and Where They Don’t

Most pastors already use AI. Only 13 percent say they don’t use it at all. Half (50%) use it to brainstorm or generate ideas. About a third use it to research biblical or theological topics (36%) or to generate small group questions and handle administrative tasks (34%), and nearly a quarter (24%) use it to write or edit sermons.

“Pastors are predominantly using AI for behind-the-scenes work—for studying, research and administrative tasks,” says Daniel Copeland, Barna’s vice president of research. “They’re using it to prepare for ministry, not to replace what happens when they’re actually with people.”

Pastors’ views on specific uses show where they are more and less comfortable. They are most positive about AI creating programs such as curriculum for small groups or Bible studies (64%). Far fewer feel positive about AI writing prayers (37%) or worship songs (33%), interpreting scripture (29%) or writing a sermon (27%). Just 10 percent feel positive about AI providing spiritual counseling.

What Guidelines Might Cover

Sermon writing and scripture interpretation are among the uses pastors feel least positive about, and both are central to pastoral work. A policy or set of guidelines could spell out expectations for Christian leaders in those areas.

Sharon Hodde Miller, co-lead pastor of Bright City Church in Raleigh-Durham, said at Barna’s Preaching in the Age of AI CoLab, a virtual learning event, that it can be easy to reason that how a sermon gets done doesn’t matter as long as it is accurate and people are edified. “As Christians, we believe our integrity matters just as much as, if not more than, the outcome,” she said. Miller urges pastors to cite sources and name influences for their sermons as a point of integrity and humility. 

In a podcast interview for Barna’s Faith & Culture Report, Carey Nieuwhof, bestselling author, podcaster and founder of the Art of Leadership Academy, offered practical advice for sermon preparation: “One of the best things that you can do is write the first draft yourself. Do the heavy lifting, stare at the blank page, stare at the cursor, pray, wrestle, fret. That’s where all great art, all great work comes from. Don’t lose that discipline. And then maybe go to AI in your second draft.”

Nieuwhof also offers a litmus test for pastors: “I think if you are uncomfortable disclosing how you use AI, you are overusing it.” 

Hard to Write, Still Worth Discussing

Writing an AI policy raises practical questions: Who drafts it? Who monitors it? What happens when it isn’t followed? AI also changes quickly, so a policy may need frequent updates.

Still, a leadership team that decides how it will and won’t use AI in ministry may see benefits for leaders and congregants alike. Guidelines could help ministry teams stay aligned on AI use, and they could bring transparency and build trust with congregants. 

For leaders, AI offers a quick way to ease the Sunday-to-Sunday work of preparing sermons, planning worship and handling administration. Drafting a policy is one way for a leadership team to slow down and decide where AI fits.

Barna’s Faith & AI research explores how AI is shaping people’s faith today. Produced in partnership with Gloo, this research is part of our multi-year State of the Church initiative.