Mostly Resilient
Last Update: 6/19/2026
AI Resilience Score for Clergy:
59.7%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
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Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Med
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Med
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
There are a reasonable number of sources for this result, but there is some disagreement between them.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forClergy
$60,820 median salary•23,000 annual openings•SOC Code: 21-2011.00
Clergy are somewhat more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 7 sources.
Clergy work is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because the heart of the job, including offering spiritual care, building genuine community, and providing comfort during life's hardest moments, requires a deeply human presence that AI simply cannot replicate. AI is already helping pastors with tasks like sermon preparation, translation, and administrative work, so some parts of the job are shifting toward a more tech-assisted approach.
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Clergy work is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because the heart of the job, including offering spiritual care, building genuine community, and providing comfort during life's hardest moments, requires a deeply human presence that AI simply cannot replicate. AI is already helping pastors with tasks like sermon preparation, translation, and administrative work, so some parts of the job are shifting toward a more tech-assisted approach.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Clergy
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Clergy jobs?
Right now, AI in ministry looks more like helpful augmentation than full automation — but adoption is growing fast. According to a Lifeway Research survey reported by Christianity Today, 10% of U.S. Protestant pastors are regular AI users and another 32% are experimenting [1], with younger, urban, and more formally educated pastors leading the way. Most use it for behind-the-scenes work.
Barna Group found that a strong majority of pastors (77%) believe God can use AI, and many ministries already rely on it for marketing, attendance tracking, and communication while remaining cautious about sermon writing or counseling [2]. The National Association of Evangelicals describes the moment plainly: tools like sermon-clip generators, discipleship chatbots, AI translation, and automated transcription are already shaping ministry, with the recommendation that churches stay "AI-Enhanced, Not AI-Dependent" [3]. Pastoral care — the deeply human work clergy do — is much harder to automate.
A chaplain writing in the Journal of Lutheran Ethics describes how a research project planning to use AI chaplain avatars for trauma nurses was suspended after chaplains raised concerns that AI lacked the presence, tradition, and discernment real spiritual care requires [4].
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Clergy?
Adoption will likely stay moderate and selective. Sermon-prep tools, chatbots, and admin software are cheap, widely available, and save time, so smaller churches with tight budgets find them attractive. But trust is a real brake: Lifeway's data show 84% of pastors worry AI content contains errors, 76% worry about bias, and 55% say God shares His Word through people, not machines [5].
The good news for anyone considering this career: the parts that matter most — presence, empathy, moral wisdom, building community — are exactly what AI can't replicate.
Sources
Will AI replace Clergy?
No. We don't think AI will replace Clergy, though we do expect the job to change.
Our 59.7% AI Resilience Score reflects a role that holds up well, but not one that stays untouched. Right now, AI is showing up mostly in the background: sermon-prep tools, discipleship chatbots, attendance tracking, and automated transcription are already part of ministry life [3]. About 10% of U.S. Protestant pastors use AI regularly and another 32% are experimenting with it [1]. That adoption is real, and it will keep growing.
What AI cannot do is the core of this job. Presence, moral wisdom, grief, community, and spiritual care require a human being. When researchers planned to use AI chaplain avatars for trauma nurses, chaplains pushed back hard, and the project was suspended because AI simply lacked the presence and discernment real spiritual care demands [4]. That concern runs wide: 55% of pastors say God shares His Word through people, not machines [5].
The honest picture is that clergy who lean into AI for admin and prep work will likely have more time for the human work that actually matters. The job shifts, but the heart of it stays human.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Clergy
These articles highlight the growing intersection of AI and clergy careers, revealing both challenges and opportunities. For instance, many pastors are using AI tools despite concerns about their impact on spiritual guidance, as noted in the Barna Group research. Additionally, the Pope's prohibition on AI for sermon preparation emphasizes the importance of personal connection in ministry. As students prepare for their careers, cultivating AI resilience will be essential, allowing them to balance technology with the authentic human touch that defines spiritual leadership.
Majority of Pastors Use AI in Ministry Amid Concerns and Caution, New Research Finds
www.businesswire.com • 6/17/2026
New research from Barna Group, in partnership with Gloo, reveals that most pastors are already using AI in ministry — only 13% say they...
Pastors use AI but fear impact on spiritual guidance, study finds
premierchristian.news • 4/6/2026
Pastors use AI but fear impact on spiritual guidance, study finds ... A new study has found that pastors who use artificial intelligence (AI) are...
Pope Forbids Priests from Using Artificial Intelligence for Sermon Preparation
unn.ua • 2/25/2026
УНН Society ✎ Pope Leo XIV urged priests not to use artificial intelligence for sermon preparation, emphasizing the importance of personal...
AI is Becoming a Spiritual Authority in Americans’ Lives, New Research Reveals
www.businesswire.com • 2/19/2026
Nearly one in three U.S. adults say spiritual advice from AI is as trustworthy as advice from a pastor. NASHVILLE, Tenn.
How Christian Leaders Are Challenging the AI Boom
time.com • 12/23/2025
Christian leaders are speaking out against AI accelerationism and putting pressure on lawmakers to impose guardrails.
More Career Info
Career: Clergy
They lead religious services, offer spiritual guidance, and support people in their faith and personal challenges.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$60,820
Jobs (2024)
262,000
Growth (2024-34)
+1.0%
Annual Openings
23,000
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Train leaders of church, community, or youth groups.
2
Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions.
3
Pray and promote spirituality.
4
Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching.
5
Respond to requests for assistance during emergencies or crises.
6
Devise ways in which congregational membership can be expanded.
7
Organize and lead regular religious services.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
