Issue 14:3 November 2025 Overview

AI and the Great Commission
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant prospect, it is already reshaping how people live, learn, and connect. From search algorithms to translation tools, from automated communication to pastoral applications, AI is quickly becoming embedded in the everyday realities of ministry. For the global church, and for all who labor toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission, this presents both unprecedented opportunity and profound responsibility.
"AI is neither savior nor threat in itself; rather, its value depends on how it is discerned, governed, and deployed by God’s people."

• AI Ethical Framework
  In evangelical circles, responses to artificial intelligence (AI) range from outright resistance to enthusiastic adoption. Some see it as a tool of the enemy; others regard it as a providential gift for our time—an ‘idolatrous threat’, a ‘divine tool’, or something in between. Modern AI tools are designed to be intuitive and easily adopted, yet uncritical use without ethical grounding can lead to unintended and harmful consequences. Conversely, fear and misunderstanding may prevent engagement, even when biblically responsible use could offer tangible benefits. Regardless of one’s initial posture, AI’s influence and impact will only continue to grow in the decades ahead.
  "The use of AI within churches and mission organizations brings with it . . . theological and ethical considerations that require careful, prayerful discernment."
  • An Ethical Framework for AI in Missions
  • Christian Ethical Framework & Key Alignments
    • Commission Alignment
    • Relational Alignment
      "AI must not be allowed to interfere with . . . our communion with God [n]or our connection with others. Rather, it should be leveraged to strengthen authentic human connection."
    • Utility & Equity Alignment
    • Moral Alignment
      "As beings morally accountable to God, we can never assign moral agency to machines. Ultimately, we must take responsibility for the technologies we use and share with others."
• AI in Bible Translation
  It seems artificial Intelligence (AI) has touched or is in the process of impacting most everything in our lives these days, from medical procedures to note-taking, from investing to information gathering, and more. As I’m writing, I think of the Scripture in Luke 16:8, ‘For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.’ (NIV) Missionally, it behooves us to consider how technological innovation can assist us in reaching our world for Christ. We need to be shrewd and wise in applying technology to accomplishing foundational missional work, such as Bible translation.
  ‘Bible translation is both an exhilarating and fulfilling endeavor, and can also be time-consuming and tedious-the use of AI in Bible translation can help with this.’
  "Our efforts should help us better address ways in which we can collaborate with communities to facilitate spiritual transformation, growth in Christ, and help the emerging church grow and mature."
• AI and Discipleship
  For centuries, the church has embraced new tools to fulfill the Great Commission. The printing press put Scripture into the hands of everyday people. Radio and television broadcast the gospel across nations. The internet connected believers and seekers worldwide. Each technological leap reshaped discipleship, bringing both opportunities and risks.
  "As with the printing press or the smartphone, the question before us is not if AI will influence discipleship, but how we will steward it."
  • From Printing Press to Predictive Text
  • Introducing AI and Discipleship
  • Practical Ways AI Can Enhance Discipleship
  • Key Ethical Questions for Leaders to Ask
    The church’s calling is not efficiency but formation, and tools must be evaluated through that lens.
  • How DiscipleIQ Is Engaging This Challenge
  • Moving Forward with Wisdom and Faith
    ‘AI will not wait for the church to catch up. The choice before us is whether to engage [the tools] thoughtfully or risk missing opportunities for kingdom impact.’
• Navigating AI for Biblical Engagement
  Many AI-enabled tools are now marketed to Christians to study Scripture and grow in spiritual maturity. These tools claim that users can ‘create customized study plans tailored to your needs’,1 ‘engage with an AI-powered friendly theological professor’2 or even ‘conduct advanced research on complex biblical topics’.3 How should Christians be viewing AI-enabled tools for biblical engagement? In this piece, we break these tools into three categories. We consider the drawbacks of using such tools for spiritual growth and offer recommendations to congregants and clergy encountering these tools.
  • Categories of AI Tools
    • Retrieval-Based Tools
    • Pre-generated Textual Tools
    • Conversational Chatbots
  • Possible Benefits, Drawbacks, and Recommendations
    • Enriching Bible Study
      "If used alongside other reliable sources, RAG-enabled LLMs have the potential to enable a Christian to grow in their understanding by [introducing them to and] exploring perspectives that differ from their own."
    • Limiting the Hermeneutical Cycle
    • Cultural Bias
      When conversing with an LLM. Biases across cultural and social dimensions, as well as doctrinal dimensions, are difficult to gauge and may reinforce one’s existing proclivities.
    • Anthropomorphizing
    • Human Discernment
      "The work of biblical scholarship, interpretation, teaching, and learning is the work of the body of Christ, and cannot be responsibly performed by a machine."
• The Use of AI in Proclamation Evangelism
  Proclamation evangelism, a core missional strategy in Christian theology, invites people into a relationship with Jesus Christ via the public declaration of the gospel. Advocates of this strategy cite the Great Commission of Jesus as the scriptural mandate for Christian witness on a global scale: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’
  "the gospel remains unchanged. Biblical commands transcend technological innovation and demand faithful proclamation, regardless of medium.">br />"in an increasingly artificial and disembodied world, it is the authentic and embodied human that brings the tangible love of Christ to the lost and lonely. Our presence says we cared enough to show up in person"
  "While AI may augment, it must always serve, not supplant, the spirit-filled human herald in proclaiming the good news and fulfilling the Great Commission."<
• AI Use in the Church<
  Various forms of artificial intelligence have shaped commerce and communication for decades. When a Google search surfaces a product or a social?media feed suggests a song, machine?learning algorithms are already at work. Yet the public release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022 thrust AI into daily consciousness and accelerated innovation. That acceleration has awakened pastors and mission leaders to fresh questions: How might these tools aid the church’s participation in God’s mission? Where do they press against its core convictions? What kind of community might we become if we do not discern carefully?
  • Christian Perspectives on AI in the Church
  • Ethical Dilemmas for the Church in the Age of AI
    • Bias and Inclusion
      "church leaders must wrestle with how to account for the imperfect nature of insights and recommendations gained by these tools and how trends and recommendations may overlook those who may be underrepresented in the data"
    • The Idolatry of Utilitarianism and Pragmatism
      Church leaders must assess both what is gained as well as what is lost in AI adoption, prioritizing those benefits that promote congregational flourishing and communion with God.
    • The Paradox of Toil
  • AI and the Mission of God
    In an age of AI, the local church can become a beacon of stability and hope, demonstrating what it means to love God and neighbor with heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• Communicating Wisely with a New Thought Partner
  Christian thought and expression are some of God’s chosen channels of revelation. For millennia God and his creation have talked together, and his creation (people) have documented the result in the form of story, poetry, oratory, and intellectual discourse. The Scriptures (and other communications) have served as the North Star for Christ followers.
  For the first time in human history, there is a new voice created by humans interjected into this dialogue: Artificial intelligence (AI). Content development of all kinds is being assisted and generated by AI; with a recent study of 900,000 new websites showing that 74% included some level of AI content.1 In a recent survey across 20 countries and 52 ministries in Africa, 50% of respondents said they were using AI for content creation.2 Countless Christian songs, articles, poems, books, and sermons have this new partner in the mix; invited by humans who are seeking to use AI as they connect with God.
  ‘Globally, growing AI . . . use [is] a matter of personal convenience and economic gain more than a desire to better communicate truth.’
  • Three Ethical Issues in the use of AI for Content Development
    • Inspiration
    • Honesty
    • Human Responsibility
      ‘. . . between a machine and a human, only the human can be sufficiently self-aware to the point of listening and following the voice of conscience, discerning with prudence, and seeking the good that is possible in every situation.’ - The Catholic Church
  Implications for Global Mission
  "The integration of AI-generated and assisted content will require Christians to be proficient at contextualizing content to address needs in the appropriate languages as they are identified through local outreach."
• Governing AI in God’s House
  The growing number of AI-enabled Church Management Systems has raised awareness and renewed concerns around the use of AI in the church, and particularly AI-powered analytics of congregants’ data.1 These concerns add fuel to the fire of polarization of perspectives on AI in the church. Some who hold that AI is an ‘idolatrous threat’ see these advancements as a confirmation of the evils of AI, while overlooking the benefits congregants have already experienced and the immense future opportunities with AI’s growing capabilities. Others who see AI as a ‘providential tool’ argue that critics exaggerate the negative and present edge-case what-if scenarios around those same opportunities. Rather than adding fuel to the fire, we at AI and Faith and the budding AI Trust and Accountability Consortium (AITAC) are seeking to promote a wise middle ground that enables the effective and biblically based ethical use of these growing AI capabilities.
  well-intentioned churches and their leaders are applying technology that has evolved into sophisticated analytic systems without the necessary level of transparency or meaningful consent from their congregants.
  • AITAC’s Response: Structured ethical frameworks, not rejection
    • Standards-based Certification (instead of Prohibition)
    • Transparency as a Core Requirement
  • Necessary Changes for Church Tech Providers
    "Data governance changes should include collecting only the data that is needed for the original purposes of the system and restricting its use to explicitly stated purposes for which consent has been provided."
  • The Balanced but Urgent Way Forward
    ‘We are advocating for urgent implementation of biblically based ethical guardrails adequate to guide the responsible use of these highly capable [AI] tools.’
  
  For more information go to Issue 14:3 November 2025 AI and the Great Commission on the Lausanne Movement website.
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