The Church's Call to Engage AI Wisely

A look at how Pinnacle Services is putting this technology to faithful use

Ten years ago, when we talked about artificial intelligence, many of us imagined automated machines and robots taking care of tasks in factories or streamlining the service industry. We had no idea it would slowly infiltrate social media, internet searches, or start writing emails on our behalf with predictive text. Yet here we stand in the floodwaters of a new technology that has become unavoidable.

Last year I posted a question in a Facebook clergy group asking who had started to engage with AI tools in their ministry. A few folks shared creative ways AI was helping craft studies and artwork for a worship series. However, many had fears and made using AI a line in the sand they would not cross in any way related to their vocation, and others commented on avoiding use a matter of ecological justice.

When I began developing Pinnacle Services, I had no idea that AI would become a tool we would lean into for helping congregations discern their futures. As we developed our Foundation360 Assessment, it has grown into a critical and powerful tool that uses AI for deep dive analysis that would typically take weeks of research and multiple professionals across a variety of areas of expertise.

If the church fails to understand and faithfully find ways to engage this new technological and social reality, it will miss a cultural shift its future is reliant on. While there are serious concerns about how this technology is impacting our environment, wholesale rejection is not a posture that will stand long term and could leave the church even further behind. Churches forced to adopt live streaming during the pandemic for example would never have considered it before that moment but now would never stop offering it. The same will likely be true for AI engagement.

If we must step into this new reality, let's be at the front of modeling useful ways to engage it ethically.

Use AI as an editor and not a creator. The pastoral vocation is marked most by sermon preparation, study, and thoughtful reflection. Using AI to sharpen, organize, and strengthen ideas that originate in your own theological formation, your knowledge of your congregation, and your discernment in prayer is a legitimate use of the technology. When a pastor submits a manuscript to an AI tool and asks it to improve clarity, that is a responsible use. The risk for clergy and faith leaders from this point forward will be the temptation to ask a chatbot to write a sermon based on a particular text and then simply deliver that to the people in their care. Congregations will be compelled to care for their leaders so that burnout does not become the reason this becomes a necessary option for clergy.

AI is only as creative as the person inputting its instructions. Like any tool available to us, it is only as good as the person using it. While I have seen AI give creative and insightful feedback, it is never without a creative, insightful, and often pointed prompt. And other times it is an utter failure. The old adage holds: garbage in, garbage out. Just because it is fast does not mean it is good. Nothing can replace your own theological formation and voice, your knowledge of your congregation, or your discernment in prayer.

When in doubt, go to a book or a verified source. An AI output may be smart, but it is not always wise. It can fabricate citations, misrepresent theological positions, and present contested claims with confidence. Any AI-generated content used in ministry should be verified against primary sources: a book, a named scholar, a denominational document, or your own theological training. Especially in an age of misinformation and the potential for AI to be used for harm, modeling faithful use as clergy will be good pastoral care and leadership.

At Pinnacle, our Foundation360 Assessment allows us to gather and analyze larger amounts of congregational data than has ever been possible in traditional church consulting. We are at the leading edge of using this technology for assessing congregational health and identifying initiatives for future growth and ministry vitality. Our AI analysis handles quantitative data in ways that would be impossible to replicate manually in a reasonable timeframe.

But we have built a firm commitment into the Foundation360 process: no more than 40 percent of any final report will be generated by AI. The other 60 percent is thoughtful, pastoral analysis formed by seminary-educated consultants who understand the interpersonal dynamics of congregational life, the polity and theological traditions of a denomination, and the movement of the Spirit that no algorithm will ever replicate.

Technology enhances our analysis.

Human discernment shapes the guidance you receive.

That distinction matters. There is a growing market of AI tools designed to help churches communicate better, write faster, and manage their digital presence more efficiently. Those tools have real value. But they are not the same as someone sitting with your congregation, listening deeply, and helping you understand where you actually are before you try to decide where God is calling you to go.

The church has rarely been at the front of adopting new technology with the printing press being the notable exception. More often it has arrived late, cautious, and sometimes resistant. AI may be the moment to change that pattern. At Pinnacle we hope to be a faithful model for how this technology can be used not just efficiently, but wisely, and in ways that genuinely serve congregations rather than replace the irreplaceable.

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If your congregation is ready to take an honest look at where you are and where God may be calling you, Foundation360 was built for that work. Reach out to us to learn more or start a conversation.