Episode Abstract:
On this thought-provoking kickoff to Season 6, Kenny Jang explores the well timed and more and more related query: Ought to pastors use AI for preaching? Drawing insights from Carey Nieuwhof’s latest YouTube deep dive, this episode examines not solely the attract of AI’s effectivity for sermon preparation but in addition the non secular, moral, and sensible prices which will include handing sermon-writing duties over to algorithms.
ChatGPT can generate a sermon manuscript sooner than you’ll be able to brew your morning espresso. However ought to it?
On this episode of the Church Tech At the moment Podcast, host Kenny Jahng breaks down Carey Nieuwhof’s latest message on the ethics of AI in ministry, and the 4 risks each pastor wants to listen to earlier than letting algorithms into the pulpit.
From stunted non secular formation to a refined type of plagiarism, Nieuwhof argues that bypassing the arduous work of sermon prep doesn’t simply shortchange your congregation—it shortchanges you.
In This Episode, You’ll Be taught:
- Why the grind of sermon prep is a function, not a bug
- The “unwritten contract” you could be breaking together with your church
- How AI-generated content material loses genuine resonance
- The long-term price to your authority as a instructor
Carey isn’t anti-tech, however he’s pro-human.
And this dialog is one each pastor utilizing AI must have. Watch Nieuwhof’s full video and browse extra at ChurchTechToday.com:https://churchtechtoday.com/4-warnings-about-ai-carey-nieuwhof-makes-to-preachers/
Key Dialogue Factors:
1. The Effectivity of AI in Ministry
- AI instruments can define sermons, summarize complicated commentaries, and even write full manuscripts in seconds.
- Nonetheless, the core query is whether or not velocity and ease are coming on the expense of real non secular formation and connection.
2. Carey Nieuwhof’s 4 Warnings About AI Preaching:
- Stops You from Wrestling with the Textual content: The arduous work of sermon prep—studying, praying, fighting scripture—is the place development occurs. Avoiding this battle can stunt non secular growth.
- Mental Dishonesty: Presenting AI-generated insights as your individual crosses moral strains into plagiarism. Congregants anticipate authenticity and private research from their pastors.
- Lack of Genuine Resonance: AI-generated sermons could also be technically sound however typically lack the depth and resonance that comes from private conviction and human expertise.
- Erosion of True Authority: Overreliance on AI can stop pastors from attaining mastery and real authority—changing into mere curators fairly than sensible cultivators.
3. Accountable Use of AI
- Carey Nieuwhof isn’t calling for all pastors to desert AI utterly.
The dialog encourages applicable boundaries: let AI help with analysis, brainstorming, and admin duties, however don’t permit it to interchange the important, soul-forming technique of sermon writing.
Assets Talked about:
- Carey Nieuwhof’s YouTube deep dive on AI and preaching (discover the complete video and accompanying article on churchtechtoday.com)
- Discover the positioning for added professionals and cons of preaching with AI
Takeaways & Reflection:
- Wrestling with scripture is crucial for each message and messenger.
- Genuine, resonant sermons come from private research and lived expertise, not simply technical perfection.
- Utilizing AI thoughtfully as a software—not instead—is essential to staying true to the pastoral calling.
Listener Name-to-Motion
Do you agree with these 4 risks? Are there different dangers or advantages you assume are price discussing? Share your ideas with Kenny Jang and the CTT Podcast group—your suggestions could affect future episodes!
Catch the following episode for extra insights, discussions, and sensible knowledge for church tech leaders!
Wish to watch the complete Carey Nieuwhof video or dive deeper? Go to churchtechtoday.com for all of the hyperlinks.
Concerning the Church Tech At the moment Podcast:
Hosted by Kenny Jahng, the CTT Podcast helps pastors, church employees, and ministry leaders navigate the intersection of religion and expertise with confidence. This useful resource for management is delivered to you by MinistryLink.com
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Kenny Jang [00:00:01]:
Whats up, people. It’s that point once more. We’re right here with the Church Tech At the moment podcast. My identify is Kenny Jiang, your host, and right now we’re going to speak about what Carrie Newhoff thinks about utilizing AI for preaching. Now, synthetic intelligence is undoubtedly the most important technological disruption the church has confronted for many years. And for pastors, I believe the attract is clear, proper? Like, AI can define a message in seconds. It might summarize complicated commentaries. It might even generate full manuscripts should you actually wished to.
Kenny Jang [00:00:34]:
However I believe the query of the day proper now could be, is that this effectivity coming at a price to your soul? Is it coming on the price to your sermon? And so there was a video that Karen, you could have put up on YouTube. And in that latest deep dive into the ethics of AI ministry, Karen Youhoff principally issued a sobering actuality examine. And I believe it’s price speaking about it right now as a result of. Nicely, initially, let’s again up. Whereas Kary isn’t anti tech, he’s professional human proper. And so on this just lately printed YouTube video, Carrie argues that whereas AI makes a improbable analysis assistant, it does make for a harmful preacher. And so should you’re a pastor who writes and preaches sermons, I believe there are 4 particular warnings that Carrie provides about letting AI take the wheel. That’s price dialogue, each noting your self, but in addition, I believe it’s an incredible, nearly like a group assembly dialogue to deliver up the hazards of AI as a preacher.
Kenny Jang [00:01:43]:
However it additionally interprets into different sides of ministry. So let’s undergo it. Listed below are 4 warnings towards utilizing AI for preaching, in line with the one and solely Carrie Newhoff. Prepared? So the primary one he talks about is it says it stops you from wrestling with the textual content. So in line with Carrie, the issue of sermon prep isn’t a bug. That’s what he’s saying. It’s truly a function. That harshness of the method, the grind, the hours spending studying, praying, watching a clean display, wrestling with God over the which means of a textual content.
Kenny Jang [00:02:20]:
Carrie is saying that that’s truly the place your non secular formation occurs. And whenever you outsource that battle to an algorithm, you would possibly get a completed product. However that’s, I believe, whenever you bypass the method that shapes you as a person or a lady of God. That is the place Carrie warns that should you skip the arduous work, you stunt your individual development. And the online of it’s the sermon could also be achieved, however the preacher is undone. In a means, the quantity two hazard towards utilizing AI for preaching he talks about is it may be intellectually dishonest. And so that is the place within the video he talks about There’s a wonderful line between analysis and theft. Yep, that’s proper.
Kenny Jang [00:03:05]:
He talks about theft, like Carrie factors out, that passing off insights generated by AI as if it had been your individual, proper, your individual aha moments, that’s truly a type of plagiarism. And he calls it out. It truly goes to take a seat unwell with a number of preachers utilizing AI lately. So principally, when a congregation sits underneath your instructing, there’s principally an unwritten social contract. And right here they assume that the phrases popping out of your mouth are the results of your research, are a results of your prayer life, and they’re out of your coronary heart. And so standing within the pulpit and delivering a message generated by AI or the machine with out disclosing it violates that belief, in line with Carey, and the best way he places it, it’s a type of theft that pastors actually need to take significantly. That’s a harsh one. The third one, the third hazard of utilizing AI for preaching is that your message will lose its genuine resonance.
Kenny Jang [00:04:10]:
So have you ever ever heard a sermon that was principally technically good and excellent even, however felt hole? And that is the place Carrie suggests AI Written content material typically suffers from this unhuman high quality. One of many causes a message lands with energy is as a result of it comes from deep throughout the preacher and it resonates as a result of it has been filtered by principally the human soul, the human life, with all its ache, its pleasure, its expertise, and an AI algorithm. It’s going to imitate emotion, however it may possibly’t really feel it. And so that is the place Kerry argues that audiences are intuitive and so they can inform the distinction between a phrase that got here from deep conviction and a script, one which was generated by predictive textual content or one thing from your individual human coronary heart. And so if the message didn’t transfer you throughout the week, it seemingly received’t transfer them on Sunday. Okay, hazard quantity 4. The hazard of utilizing AI for preaching is that you’ll by no means change into a real authority. And that is so true, proper? Like, that is most likely the long run hazard that’s best to miss.
Kenny Jang [00:05:29]:
There’s all these little issues, nitty gritty within the current tense and the instant proximity. However long run true authority, he says, comes from mastery. I like this concept. And mastery is the results of years and years of digesting concepts, studying broadly synthesizing ideas that battle that you simply do week in, week out, yr after yr. All of that’s the place your authority comes from. And should you depend on AI right now to do principally the synthesizing so that you can let you know what all of the theologians say, fairly than you studying what the theologians say, and also you wrestle with it and also you translate it into your individual context. On the finish of the day, he says that you simply principally stay a novice, you change into a curator of different entities, intelligence, however you’re not a cultivator of your individual knowledge. And so over time, there’s this erosion of research habits that forestalls you from ever changing into a real authority on the scriptures, which in case you are a preacher, that’s what you’re tasked to do, proper? And in order that’s completely a draw back.
Kenny Jang [00:06:42]:
So these are the 4 risks that he talks about. I imply, backside line is he’s not saying that it is best to delete ChatGPT your account and it is best to keep away from it in any respect prices. I do know Cary makes use of AI himself in some ways. He acknowledges AI is a robust software for analysis or administrative duties and even brainstorming. However in terms of the sacred activity of dividing the phrase of fact, of going deep into the research, that is the place he’s principally issuing the warning flag. You need to use AI to discover a quote, however don’t principally ever let it discover your complete message. You don’t need it to go. And simply predictively give you the core ideas of what you’re supposed to evangelise on on any given Sunday.
Kenny Jang [00:07:39]:
So I believe it’s a very good reminder. It’s a very good factor to underline. You wish to let the textual content do its work on you in an effort to do your work for them. Proper. So there you go. It’s an incredible video. He talks about different issues within the video. Execs and cons of preaching with AI.
Kenny Jang [00:07:57]:
It’s accessible. You’ll be able to try the complete article and rundown on churchtechtoday.com we even have his YouTube video there and you may watch it additional. Would like to know your ideas on these 4 risks. Are these the highest 4? Are there others that we ought to be interested by? Let me know and we’ll see you right here on the following episode.
