A New Tool for Ministry
Issue One
Exploring Generative AI
Ministry life can be busy, demanding, and full of unexpected twists. Between sermon prep, pastoral care, meetings, and the countless emails that fill our inboxes, there never seems to be enough time in the day.
But what if there was a tool that could help?
Let’s explore something that’s new for many of us—Generative AI—and how it can support the work of the church without replacing the personal, pastoral heart of ministry.
Let’s start with the basics.
What Is Generative AI?
At its core, Generative AI is a tool that creates content—whether that’s text, images, music, or even video—based on the instructions (or “prompts”) you give it.
Unlike traditional AI, which is designed to process and analyze data, generative AI responds in a natural, conversational way—almost like a helpful assistant sitting beside you, offering ideas, summaries, or drafts of what you need.
Here are some of the most widely used AI tools today:
ChatGPT (by OpenAI)
– Great for writing, research, brainstorming, and problem-solving.
Google Gemini
– Integrated with Google Docs, Gmail, and Search, making it useful for collaboration.
Microsoft Copilot
– Built into Microsoft Office apps like Word and Outlook to assist with admin tasks.
Claude (by Anthropic)
– Known for thoughtful, well-structured responses and ethical AI use.
But AI is not just about efficiency—it’s about freeing up time for what truly matters.
Why Should Your Parish Care About AI?
Church ministry is deeply relational. It’s about people, presence, and discipleship. And yet, so much of what we do behind the scenes—emails, admin, planning—can pull us away from the very people we’re called to serve.
Generative AI is not here to replace human connection. Instead, it can help lighten the load, giving us more space for pastoral care, deep conversations, and meaningful ministry.
Here’s how it can help in practical, everyday ways:
Writing & Editing
– Draft weekly emails, study guides, newsletter articles, and more.
Summarizing & Research
– Condense long theological articles, meeting notes, or resources into clear takeaways.
Productivity & Administration
– Draft emails, format meeting minutes, organize schedules, and manage workflows.
Creative Brainstorming
– Get fresh ideas for outreach events, sermon series, and youth ministry programmes.
Communications & Social Media – Quickly generate post ideas, announcements, and engaging content for your parish.
AI won’t replace the Holy Spirit’s leading, our prayerful discernment, or the wisdom that comes from years of ministry. But when used wisely, it can be a helpful companion—one that supports the practical side of church life so we can focus on the people God has placed in our care.
Use Case: News Stories
For the past 18 months, we’ve used ChatGPT format the copy we receive into what you see on screen.
Every week, we receive stories from parishes across the Diocese—testimonies of God at work in our communities. Our role is to shape these stories into engaging articles for our website and newsletters.
To help with this process, we’ve used ChatGPT to format and structure content more efficiently, making sure every story is clear, readable, and true to our Movement’s voice. We’ve developed prompts (instructions we give to ChatGPT) to describe the style and format we what the article to follow, how quotes and attribution are formatted, the word length and the intended audience.
Our human touch remains essential—we refine, edit, and prayerfully ensure that what we publish reflects our values and mission.
One key lesson? AI works best when guided by human wisdom. It’s a tool, not an answer in itself. It can assist in drafting ideas, but the final word always belongs to us.
