AI Resilience Report forClergy

Right now, AI in ministry looks a lot more like a helpful assistant than a replacement. New research from Barna Group and Gloo finds that only 13% of pastors say they don't use AI at all, with most turning to it for brainstorming, biblical research, and graphic design. Pastors are mostly using it for behind-the-scenes prep work: brainstorming or idea generation (50%), graphic design (37%), biblical or theological research (36%), generating small group discussion questions (34%), and administrative tasks like scheduling, emails and document preparation (34%).

Sermon writing is a more sensitive area — Barna notes that AI-assisted sermon work jumped from roughly 12% of pastors in early 2024 to about 24% in 2026 ^[1], but usually only for outlines and commentary rather than the message itself. Scholars at the American Academy of Religion's 2025 AI and Religion panel ^[2] similarly explored how retrieval-augmented tools can support religious study while stressing human oversight. Person-to-person work — counseling, sacraments, and spiritual authority — is being largely left to humans, and the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab has hosted ongoing conversations about the ethics of AI in spiritual care ^[3].

Adoption is happening fast on the administrative side because tools like ChatGPT are cheap, easy, and save pastors hours on emails, scheduling, and sermon research — ChurchTechToday reports that 93% of pastors are now engaging with AI in some way ^[4]. But adoption is intentionally slow for pastoral care. Barna found the top emotional response chosen by pastors was "cautious" (71%), coupled with feeling conflicted (40%) and skeptical (40%).

Trust is the big issue: The Christian Post reports pastors worry AI could replace their guidance in pews ^[5], and The Living Church notes over 150 preachers have signed a pledge not to use AI for sermons, arguing it undermines the communal and sacramental nature of preaching ^[6]. The good news for anyone considering this path: the deeply human parts of clergy work — showing up in a hospital room, sitting with grief, offering moral courage — are exactly what congregations still want a real person to do.