Church AI Use Policy

Adopted by [Church Name] | Effective Date: [Date]

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Our Approach

Artificial intelligence is a useful tool for ministry work — sermon research, drafting communications, organizing volunteer schedules, and more. This policy is not about fear or restriction. It is about using AI with wisdom, humility, and care for the people you serve.

AI can assist your work. It cannot replace pastoral presence, spiritual discernment, or the relationships at the heart of ministry. Tools that make us faster must never become substitutes for prayer, counsel, or human connection — and must never take the place we reserve for God alone.

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Who This Policy Covers

This policy applies to everyone who serves [Church Name] in any capacity, including:

• Members of the Board, Elders, Deacons, and other governing bodies
• All paid staff, including full-time, part-time, and contract employees
• All volunteers, including ministry leaders, youth workers, and administrative helpers
• Anyone acting on behalf of the church in an official or public role

Throughout this policy, these individuals are referred to as “covered persons.”

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Approved Tools

Before using any AI tool for church work, covered persons must use only tools approved by church leadership.

Approved AI tools for [Church Name]:

[List approved tools here — e.g., ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, or “none at this time.” Include whether personal accounts, church-provided accounts, or both are permitted.]

If you are unsure whether a tool is approved, ask your supervisor or a member of the pastoral staff before entering church-related information into any AI system.

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Permitted Uses

When using approved tools, covered persons may use AI to:

• Draft or edit church communications, newsletters, and announcements (with human review before sending)
• Research sermon topics, scripture cross-references, and background material (with pastoral review of theological content)
• Summarize meeting notes, volunteer instructions, or internal documents
• Generate ideas for events, curriculum outlines, or administrative workflows
• Improve clarity and grammar in documents you have already written

AI output is a starting point, not a finished product. Always review, edit, and take responsibility for anything you publish or send.

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Human Review Requirements

All AI-assisted content must be reviewed by a human before it is shared externally or used in ministry.

• General communications: Reviewed by the person sending it or their supervisor
• Theologically sensitive content (sermons, teaching materials, statements of belief): Reviewed by a pastor or designated theological reviewer
• Content involving minors: Reviewed by the ministry leader and a second adult, following your child protection policy
• Anything published in the church’s name: Reviewed by authorized leadership

Do not publish AI-generated content without reading every word and confirming it aligns with your church’s theology, tone, and facts.

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Restricted Uses

The following uses of AI are not permitted:

• Entering confidential pastoral care conversations, counseling notes, prayer requests, or personnel matters into any AI tool
• Using AI to respond directly to someone in crisis, grief, or spiritual distress without immediate human involvement
• Generating content that presents AI output as lived personal testimony, pastoral experience, or a direct word from God
• Uploading member directories, giving records, children’s information, or other sensitive church data into unapproved tools
• Relying on AI for final decisions about discipline, employment, benevolence, or membership matters

When in doubt, do not enter the information. Ask first.

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Pastoral Ministry & Spiritual Care

Pastoral ministry requires human presence. AI may help you prepare, but it must not stand in for the pastor, elder, or counselor in the room.

Covered persons must not:

• Use AI as the primary responder in pastoral care, counseling, or crisis situations
• Send AI-drafted pastoral messages without personal review and appropriate human follow-up
• Present AI-generated teaching or counsel as if it came from personal study, prayer, or discernment alone

We recognize a spiritual risk in any tool that answers quickly and confidently: the temptation to trust the tool more than Scripture, community, or the Spirit’s leading. AI is a servant, not a shepherd. It must never become an object of dependence that displaces prayer, scripture, or the living body of Christ.

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Confidentiality

Covered persons may have access to sensitive information about members, staff, and church operations. All covered persons must:

• Never enter member, staff, or donor information into AI tools unless leadership has explicitly approved that tool for that purpose
• Treat anything entered into an AI system as potentially non-confidential
• Follow existing confidentiality expectations in staff handbooks, volunteer agreements, and child protection policies

Assume that information you enter into an AI tool could be retained, processed, or exposed outside your control.

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Transparency

[Church Name] values honesty with our congregation. When AI plays a meaningful role in content shared publicly, covered persons should be transparent as directed by leadership.

Leadership will determine when and how to disclose AI assistance — for example, in church communications, marketing materials, or teaching notes. Follow the disclosure standard your church sets here:

[Describe your church’s disclosure practice — e.g., “No disclosure required for minor editing assistance” or “AI-assisted graphics and text will include a brief note in the footer.”]

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Expectations by Role

Everyone covered by this policy is responsible for using AI wisely. Specific roles carry additional expectations:

Board, Elders, and Deacons are responsible for approving this policy, reviewing it annually, and modeling careful use of AI in governance and communications.

Staff must follow approved-tool and review requirements in daily work, especially in communications, pastoral support, and any role involving access to sensitive information.

Volunteers must use AI only for church work that leadership has authorized, follow all confidentiality and child safety rules, and ask their ministry leader before using AI tools with group communications or curriculum.

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When Something Goes Wrong

If AI-generated content causes confusion, offense, a factual error, or a confidentiality concern:

1. Notify your supervisor or a pastor immediately
2. Correct or retract the content as quickly as possible
3. Do not continue using the same prompt or tool until leadership has reviewed what happened

Good-faith mistakes handled promptly are learning opportunities. Concealing a problem or repeating it is not.

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Questions?

If you are unsure whether a tool, use case, or piece of content is appropriate, ask before you proceed. Leadership would rather answer a question than manage a crisis.

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Annual Review & Acknowledgment

This policy will be reviewed at least once per year by [designated leader/committee]. All covered persons must acknowledge this policy when they begin serving and again after each annual review.

By signing, I confirm that I have received, read, and understand [Church Name]‘s AI Use Policy. I agree to comply with its provisions and understand that violations may result in removal from ministry or employment.

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This policy applies to all board members, staff, and volunteers serving [Church Name]. It will be reviewed annually and updated as needed.