Meet chatbot Jesus: How Philly-area churches tap AI to save souls

• New AI-powered apps allow you to "text with Jesus" or "talk to the Bible," giving the impression you are communicating with a deity or angel.
• Other apps can create personalized prayers, let you confess your sins or offer religious advice on life's decisions.

The big picture: Some Philly-area clergy joke the digital awakening could one day mean "Roomba priests" at in-person services or "drone-drops of communion" for homebound parishioners, St. Mark's Church parish administrator Daniel Russell tells Axios.

• That's still a ways off, as most congregations here are experimenting cautiously — using AI sparingly while weighing its ethical limits.

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.

• The vast majority of Philadelphia-area adults identify as Christian or Catholic, but more than half say they never or rarely attend church or religious services.
• Megachurches are consolidating followers, but even the most charismatic pastors struggle to offer private counseling with such large congregations.

Zoom in: At St. Mark's Church in Center City, staffers use AI for mundane administrative tasks — like alphabetizing names for memorial services. But clergy, many of whom are older, are reluctant to tap it for pastoral work in the 500-member parish.

• "We very much experience the generational divide," Russell says.

At La Mott A.M.E. Church in Elkins Park, pastor Louis Attles is more open. He created a chatbot named "Faith" to help him conduct research for his sermons — and even trained it to mimic his writing style.

• "You feed it scripture and understand it's going to only give you what you give it," he says.

Zoom out: Elsewhere, churches have been deploying chatbots to answer frequently asked questions such as service times and event details, and even to share scripture.

• EpiscoBot, a chatbot developed by the TryTank Research Institute for the Episcopal Church, responds to spiritual or faith-related queries, drawing on church resources.
• Other AI apps analyze congregational data (attendance and engagement) to tailor outreach and communications.

Yes, but: Philly's faith leaders agree AI is a creative force — not a replacement for the Creator.

What they're saying: "You can't outsource your morality," Attles says. "It can't keep a covenant for you."

• Russell adds some uses would be impractical — even tone-deaf — like having a chatbot hear confessions or comfort grieving families.

"How do you put a computer between you and God?" he says. "It's like 2,000 years of church tradition."

• "That's why the church will end up being one of the last places where connection trumps convenience."

Reality check: The AI uses getting the most attention (and scrutiny) are those that create the feeling that users are talking to a divine power or clergy.

• The Text With Jesus app allows users to "embark on a spiritual journey and engage in enlightening conversations with Jesus Christ," according to the app's website.
• The app also gives users the option to "talk" with other Biblical characters, including Mary, Joseph, Judas Iscariot, and even Satan.
• Catholic apps One Day Confess and Confession - Catholic help users with confession and spiritual reflection, providing AI-guided responses based on biblical texts.

Between the lines: It's unclear which translations of the Bible the apps are using, if they are texts from early church fathers or ideological materials from strictly conservative groups, said Robert Jones, CEO of the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.

• Mark Graves, research director at AI and Faith, a nonprofit focused on engaging religions with AI, tells Axios that the apps are in their early phases and are likely using publicly available material for their datasets.
• "I think the incentives are to get it out quickly and just see what happens. The risks are very high," Graves said.