Get S.M.A.R.T.E.R. About AI

The journey from awareness to effective implementation of AI demands a proactive, thoughtful approach. It’s not enough to simply avoid mistakes—church leaders must engage in strategic planning and continuous learning to harness AI’s potential responsibly and effectively. 

This S.M.A.R.T.E.R framework for AI integration can help pastors navigate the complexities of AI integration. 

Strategically Assess Needs and Opportunities.

Pastors should engage with their staff, volunteers and congregation to identify areas AI can significantly impact, such as administrative efficiencies, enhanced learning experiences for youth, or more personalized pastoral care. Leaders must know where to focus initial awareness, education, training and integration efforts to be productive and helpful to everyone together.

Map Out Realistic Goals.

Because unrealistic goals can lead to disappointment and frustration and even derail the implementation process altogether, church staff should identify areas where AI can be most beneficial, such as streamlining administrative tasks, enhancing content production, or improving communication and messaging. They should then set measurable goals and establish a timeline for achieving them.

Adopt an Ethical Framework.

As AI technologies are harnessed, developing an ethical framework that guides decision-making and usage is imperative. This framework should address privacy, data security, bias and other issues to ensure that AI applications uphold the church’s values and ethical standards. Regularly revisiting and updating the ethical framework in light of new developments or insights is also crucial.

Raise Digital Literacy.

Pastors and their teams must cultivate digital literacy and a foundational understanding of AI to leverage its potential fully. Investing in education and training can demystify AI and empower team members and volunteers to subscribe to training platforms, attend workshops, and foster a culture of innovation, which is crucial in raising literacy among staff and essential volunteers.

Test and Adapt Implementation.

The implementation of AI should be approached with flexibility, allowing for adjustments based on real-world feedback and evolving needs. Establishing a feedback loop to test AI results with the congregation and ministry teams will enable continuous improvement and ensure AI applications remain effective and aligned with the church’s goals.

Evaluate Regularly.

Evaluating AI initiatives against the set goals and objectives on a regular basis is vital. This should involve quantitative metrics and qualitative insights into how AI impacts the church community, pastoral care and ministry outreach. Reflection on these evaluations can inform future strategies and adjustments.

Reinforce a Culture of Continuous Learning.

AI technology and its applications in ministry are constantly evolving. Embracing a culture of continuous learning and curiosity will position pastors and their churches to adapt to new opportunities and challenges as they arise, ensuring their ministry’s ongoing relevance and impact in an increasingly digital world. Lunch and learns, scholarships for continuing education, and other mechanisms can help reinforce this cultural dynamic.

AI Resources for Church Leaders

Maybe you are just starting out with AI and want to explore what tools are available and see what current research says. Or it could be you would rather participate in webinars, take courses or read books on AI. Perhaps you would benefit from joining a community of other Christ followers who want to share what they are learning about AI implementation and the church. If so, here are a few websites to get you started. 

* AIForChurchLeaders.com
This membership-based site hosts practical workshops and training on how to use AI for ministry. They also offer the peer community AI for Church Leaders Facebook Group (Facebook.com/groups/aiforchurchleaders), which has more than 5,000 pastors and staff members.

* AI-For-Churches.com/ai-cohorts/
This site has a six-session cohort, a podcast on AI, and evaluations of such AI tools as Magai, Jasper, Munch, Canva, GrammarlyGo and more.

* Church.tech
The official AI partner of Carey Nieuwhof, Church.tech includes AI tools for sermon prep, church communication and more.

* ChurchTechToday.com
This site offers many practical tools, including AI Pulse Check for Church Teams (available at Assessment.ChurchTechToday.com), which identifies core areas of alignment and gaps across various cornerstone topics.

* FaithTech.com
FaithTech is dedicated to bridging the gap between faith and technology by helping people involved in tech find community and steward their skills to glorify God.

* Gloo.us/ai
Through the AI and the Church Initiative, Gloo pledges to connect and serve the global church by convening diverse subject matter experts and faith representatives to provide sound, thoughtful and confident leadership in the realm of AI. Barna, in partnership with Gloo, is continuing to explore thoughts and feelings about AI and the wide-reaching implications of the technology. Read more at Barna.com/topic/technology/. [Editor’s Note: Outreach is owned by Gloo.]

Kenny Jahng
Kenny Jahnghttps://kennyjahng.com/

Kenny Jahng is editor-in-chief at ChurchTechToday.com, and founder of both AIForChurchLeaders.com and Big Click Syndicate, a strategic marketing advisory firm.