AI and Sermon Preparation: Navigating the New Frontier

Artificial intelligence is advancing at breakneck speed, touching nearly every aspect of our lives, including ministry. For pastors, one of the most intriguing—and perhaps challenging—applications is in sermon preparation.

Try This First: Experience AI Sermon Generation

Before you read any further, I want you to try something. Go to an AI platform like ChatGPT, Claude AI, or Gemini. Copy and paste the following prompt into the chat window and see what happens:

“Please write a 20-minute sermon for me about the importance of giving in the year 2025. Please use a scripture from the Old Testament and the New Testament. The sermon should have a very clear takeaway message and have a clear call to action. There should be three main points.”

Go ahead, do that now… then come back here.

So, what did you think? Were you shocked? In awe? Perhaps a little scared, surprised, or intrigued?

Ready to throw your computer out the window?

It’s incredible, isn’t it? In seconds, you likely received a well-structured sermon draft, complete with scripture references, illustrations, and application points. Don’t like the first result? Start a new chat, ask again, or even ask the AI to refine the parts you did like. For pastors facing the pressure of a Saturday night deadline with nothing prepared, this technology might seem like a godsend. A ready-made sermon… right?

Well, sort of. The critical question emerges: Should we use it?

The Ethical Dilemma: Tool vs. Crutch

I believe we should never ask AI to write our sermons in their entirety. A sermon represents something profoundly spiritual—a message born from personal communion with God, shaped by the pastor’s relationship with their specific congregation. This is something AI, by its very nature, cannot replicate.

However, this doesn’t mean we should dismiss AI outright. Like the printing press, radio, computers, books, and search engines before it, AI is simply the latest tool available to ministers. Throughout church history, pastors have adapted to and integrated new technologies into their work. The question isn’t whether to use these tools, but how to use them faithfully.

You’re Likely Already Using AI-Adjacent Tools

Think about your current sermon preparation process. You likely use your computer to access digital commentaries, search for related scriptures, read articles online, and find inspiration. Many of us have listened to other sermons, borrowed concepts from books, or incorporated ideas found in blogs. In essence, you’ve been manually connecting dots that AI can now connect automatically and at scale.

Understanding AI’s Capabilities (It’s Not Magic)

Large Language Models (LLMs) like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT are sophisticated pattern recognition and text prediction systems. They don’t “think” or “believe” in the human sense. They analyze vast amounts of existing text data (books, articles, websites) to learn patterns and predict what words should logically follow others in response to a prompt.

Think of it like this: If I wrote, “I really like to play baseball. My dad gave me my first bat and ______,” you could easily predict “glove” or “ball.” LLMs do this on an enormously complex scale, generating coherent paragraphs, identifying thematic patterns, and developing ideas based on the patterns learned from publicly available text. You’ve been using the same dots all along, AI is just connecting the dots for you now!

Ethical and Spiritual Considerations: Protecting the Core

The danger lies in letting AI bypass the essential spiritual process at the heart of pastoral ministry. We are called to listen deeply for God’s voice: “Lord, what do You want me to say to my congregation this week?”

Many pastors, even before AI, have inadvertently drifted towards replacing spiritual discernment with purely intellectual preparation. We can become so focused on getting the sermon ready that we neglect the posture of waiting on the Holy Spirit. AI technology could exacerbate this problem if we let it. Or, if used wisely, it could actually give us back precious time for the essential work of prayer, meditation, and listening.

How AI Can Ethically Support Sermon Preparation

Even this article benefited from AI assistance. I recorded my initial thoughts as a voice memo, then used AI to help organize, structure, and refine those thoughts into a coherent piece. This illustrates how AI can serve as a helpful assistant without replacing the core creative and spiritual work.

Here are some constructive ways pastors can ethically leverage AI:

• Processing and Organizing: Turn scattered notes or rough ideas into a structured outline.
• Refining Transitions: Smooth the connections between different sections of your sermon.
• Proofreading: Check for grammar, spelling mistakes, and awkward phrasing.
• Research Assistance: Quickly gather background information on historical context or specific scripture passages.
• Brainstorming Titles: Generate creative sermon title options based on your main points.
• Summarizing Research: Condense lengthy articles, commentaries, or book chapters for quick review.
• Finding Illustration Ideas: Suggest relevant stories, analogies, or metaphors to communicate your points (always verify and adapt!).
• Translation & Word Study Help: Assist with exploring original language nuances (use as a starting point, not a replacement for deeper study).

Finding the Right Relationship with AI

AI should be viewed as a tool, not a replacement or a crutch. The temptation for overworked, busy pastors is immense: let AI do the heavy lifting. But when used properly, AI handles mechanical tasks, freeing you for the irreplaceable work of prayer, biblical meditation, and listening to God’s voice.

The sermon that truly touches hearts doesn’t come from sophisticated algorithms; it comes from a pastor who has first been touched by God. AI can help refine your message, but it cannot receive the message on your behalf.

Conclusion: Wise Stewardship in the Digital Age

As ministers navigating the digital age, we face new questions about how technology shapes our calling. AI presents both an opportunity and a challenge. When used thoughtfully and ethically, it can enhance our effectiveness without compromising our integrity. The key is maintaining proper boundaries and prioritizing our spiritual disciplines.

Remember, your congregation doesn’t primarily need perfectly polished content generated in seconds. They need a pastor who has genuinely encountered God and faithfully shares what they’ve heard. They hunger for authentic spiritual leadership that technology alone cannot provide. I’m reminded of A.W. Tozer who said:

“Between the scribe who has read and the prophet who has seen there is a difference as wide as the sea. We are today overrun with orthodox scribes, but the prophets, where are they? The hard voice of the scribe sounds over evangelicalism, but the Church waits for the tender voice of the saint who has penetrated the veil and has gazed with inward eye upon the Wonder that is God. And yet, thus to penetrate, to push in sensitive living experience into the holy Presence, is a privilege open to every child of God.” ― The Pursuit of God

The scribe could be fueled by and aided by AI… but the prophet, would have no need for it. AI can come and go, the prophet would only continue to do the work of God.

Here are some practical guidelines for ethical AI use in sermon preparation as a start and will need to be refined:

• Start with Prayer and Scripture: Always begin your preparation with personal prayer and time in God’s Word before turning to any technological assistance.
• Let Your Voice Remain Dominant: Ensure the final sermon reflects your personal theology, your communication style, and your unique relationship with your congregation. Adapt, rewrite, and make it your own. AI has a tone - it is overly positive, authoritative and lacks nuance. Don’t get drowned out.
• Consider Transparency: You might occasionally share with your congregation (appropriately) how you use technological tools to enhance your preparation process. This would likely be a scary step for some pastors.
• Set Clear Boundaries: Decide beforehand which tasks are appropriate for AI assistance and which remain exclusively your spiritual responsibility (e.g., core message discernment, personal application).
• Use for Enhancement, Not Replacement: Let AI handle administrative or refining tasks while you focus on the spiritual heart of your message—listening to God and connecting with His people.

The future of ministry will likely belong to those who neither blindly reject technological innovation nor uncritically surrender to it, but instead learn to use it wisely and faithfully in service of their divine calling. AI can help refine how we communicate God’s word, but it can never replace the irreplaceable: a pastor who listens to God’s voice and faithfully shares what they’ve heard with God’s people.

This is and will be an ongoing issue for pastors, and the discussion is only beginning. I wonder if we need to start developing a “AI Oath” that we sign to help us as pastors stay grounded and to stay transparent how we will engage with and use this technology. Feel free to reach out and contact me with your ideas.