Churches, including in Austin, turn to AI
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A new digital awakening is unfolding in churches, including in Austin, where pastors and prayer apps are turning to artificial intelligence to reach worshippers, personalize sermons, and power chatbots that resemble God.
Why it matters: AI is helping some churches stay relevant in the face of shrinking staff, empty pews and growing online audiences. But the practice raises new questions about who, or what, is guiding the flock.
- New AI-powered apps allow you to "text with Jesus" or "talk to the Bible."
- Other apps can create personalized prayers, take confession or offer religious advice.
- "What could go wrong?" Robert P. Jones, CEO of the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute, sarcastically asks.
State of play: The U.S. could see an unprecedented 15,000 churches shut their doors this year as a record number of Americans (29%) now are identifying as religiously unaffiliated.
- Megachurches are consolidating the remaining faithful, but even the most charismatic pastors struggle to offer private counseling with such large congregations.
Zoom in: Pastor Jay Cooper at Violet Crown City Church, a United Methodist congregation in Crestview, garnered headlines in 2023 after he used ChatGPT to write an entire service — from the opening prayer to an original song.
- The consensus from his congregation was that ChatGPT's service "felt like meeting a very socially awkward stranger for the first time," Cooper tells Axios.
- "We've decided that if it has to do with a spiritually-related issue — prayers needed, pastoral care needed, any interaction with the Bible — we do not use it," Cooper said. But he's found it helpful in many other ways, especially for marketing and while running a capital campaign.
The bottom line: When it comes to AI, "we are not encouraging its use for sermons," Camille Garcia, director of communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin, tells Axios. "Catholic teachings, theology and the sharing of our faith is a journey that should not be replaced with pure technology."