Should pastors use AI to prepare sermons?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Sermon preparation begins with personal holiness and a heart devoted to God (Proverbs 4:23). A pastor should diligently study Scripture and handle it accurately (2 Timothy 2:15). In the Old Testament, Ezra is a good example of this in his study of God's word to share with God's people (Ezra 7:10). Pastors should depend on the Holy Spirit, so that the congregation's faith rests on God's power (1 Corinthians 2:4-5), and not on human eloquence or artificial intelligence (AI).

Sermon preparation is hard work. While AI short cuts can save time for busy pastors, there is also significant risk a pastor cheats his own sanctification, thus undermining his role as shepherd (1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 2:15). The process of sermon preparation shapes the preacher as much as the final message shapes the congregation.

Other practical concerns are bias in AI. AI may generate a sermon that contains social biases that satisfy "itching ears" but don't proclaim God's word accurately (2 Timothy 4:3).

AI should enhance, not replace, that journey.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• We should guard our hearts, because everything we do flows from the heart (Proverbs 4:23). Not everything that appears good or useful is beneficial for spiritual health.
• Ezra is an example of one who studied God's word to share it accurately with God's people. Though he is described as "a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses" (Ezra 7:6), he still "devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord" for the purpose of "teaching its decrees and laws in Israel" (Ezra 7:10). Any pastor should do the same.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Jesus makes a truth claim when He says "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). AI does not understand or evaluate truth—it reconstructs word patterns from its training data that sound plausible but may be misleading. You can trust Jesus, but not AI.
• Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power" (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Some pastors may think that that AI sermon "sounds better," but the power of the sermon isn't in its eloquence; it is in the Spirit's work through the pastor.
• A pastor should exercise his spiritual gifting, being committed to Scripture and ministry, and avoiding distractions (1 Timothy 4:11-16).
• Paul exhorts Timothy, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). A pastor using AI to generate a sermon is not handling "the word of truth" at all but outsourcing it to AI.
• Paul also warns against seeking only what "itching ears" want to hear, a caution relevant to AI-generated content that may reinforce biases or misinformation. (2 Timothy 4:3).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Would you use a hammer or a toothbrush to cut down a tree? Of course not. Sometimes, a tool is useful—but not for how it is being used. This is the case with using AI for sermons. Teaching God’s Word is primarily a spiritual discipline and only secondarily an academic one. A pastor should wrestle with God through His Word in dependence on His Spirit. The goal isn’t merely an insightful analysis but a word from the Lord for His people. An AI can assist with parts of the academic task, but it cannot contribute in the Spirit-dependent process.

Even using AI search tools for academic research requires discernment. Some AI search tools can be restricted to specified libraries. However, most internet AI search tools lack discernment. Internet AI tools are often biased, reflecting embedded, non-biblical worldviews.

When using AI, pay attention to the small print at the bottom of every response: "AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts." God’s people don’t need a generated response; they need God's Word.

UNDERSTAND

• Sermon preparation should be dependent on the Holy Spirit, not driven by AI algorithms .
• AI can assist in academic research, administration and other tasks, but AI cannot replace the Spirit-led components of sermon preparation and delivery.
• LLM algorithms do not understand or reason but simply generate word sequences based on their training, which may resort in biased responses.

REFLECT

• How would it impact you if you knew your pastor or other church leader was using AI-generated content?
• How do you think AI can be used in the Christians sphere?
• How can you ensure that you do not neglect or outsource your relationship with God?

ENGAGE

• What is formed in a pastor during the hard work of sermon preparation, and what might be lost if that process is outsourced to AI?
  
• What are some areas in the Christian life where AI might be useful?
• How can believers learn to distinguish between Spirit-dependent sermons and AI sermons?