Nick Skytland, Vice President of AI Research at GLOO, has been tracking how pastors use AI for a year through a joint research initiative with Barna. The headline finding will surprise people: 87% of pastors are using AI in some form. Only 13% say they do not use it at all. But how they are using it — and where the cautions lie — is where the conversation gets important.

Brainstorming, biblical research, and the Friday sermon temptation: Nick walks through the data, including the 24% of pastors who now use AI to write or edit sermons, double last year's number, and why he believes the biggest risk is not that pastors are using it but that they stop thinking critically about what it gives back. AI is biased, not theologically neutral, and trained on secular pluralistic information — using it for spiritual formation without pastoral judgment, he says, is like turning to Reddit for marriage advice. He also shares what GLOO is building to address that gap and why he believes the church's mandate for human formation has never mattered more than it does in the age of AI.

Highlights
Why 87% of pastors are now using AI in some form and what that actually looks like in practice
The top uses: brainstorming, idea generation, biblical research, small group questions, and administrative tasks
Why 79% of pastors worry about AI replacing God and 63% worry about it replacing spiritual leaders entirely
Why AI is not theologically neutral and defaults to secular pluralistic responses unless specifically prompted otherwise
The Friday sermon temptation and why tired pastors need to be most on guard against outsourcing their judgment
Why the church's core calling is formation, not information, and why friction in human relationships matters
What GLOO is building to make AI values-aligned for faith communities and where to find the full research

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 GLOO Flourishing AI research: https://gloo.com
🌐 Barna State of the Church research: https://www.barna.com/stateofthechurch
🌐 Nick Skytland Twitter: https://x.com/skytland
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Nick Skytland, Vice President of AI Research at GLOO, has been tracking how pastors use AI for a year through a joint research initiative with Barna. The headline finding will surprise people: 87% of pastors are using AI in some form. Only 13% say they do not use it at all. But how they are using it &mdash; and where the cautions lie &mdash; is where the conversation gets important.
Brainstorming, biblical research, and the Friday sermon temptation: Nick walks through the data, including the 24% of pastors who now use AI to write or edit sermons, double last year's number, and why he believes the biggest risk is not that pastors are using it but that they stop thinking critically about what it gives back. AI is biased, not theologically neutral, and trained on secular pluralistic information &mdash; using it for spiritual formation without pastoral judgment, he says, is like turning to Reddit for marriage advice. He also shares what GLOO is building to address that gap and why he believes the church's mandate for human formation has never mattered more than it does in the age of AI.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Why 87% of pastors are now using AI in some form and what that actually looks like in practice</li>
<li>The top uses: brainstorming, idea generation, biblical research, small group questions, and administrative tasks</li>
<li>Why 79% of pastors worry about AI replacing God and 63% worry about it replacing spiritual leaders entirely</li>
<li>Why AI is not theologically neutral and defaults to secular pluralistic responses unless specifically prompted otherwise</li>
<li>The Friday sermon temptation and why tired pastors need to be most on guard against outsourcing their judgment</li>
<li>Why the church's core calling is formation, not information, and why friction in human relationships matters</li>
<li>What GLOO is building to make AI values-aligned for faith communities and where to find the full research</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 GLOO Flourishing AI research: <a href="https://gloo.com/flourishing-hub/research">https://gloo.com</a></li>
<li>🌐 Barna State of the Church research: <a href="https://www.barna.com/stateofthechurch/">https://www.barna.com/stateofthechurch</a></li>
<li>🌐 Nick Skytland Twitter: <a href="https://x.com/skytland?lang=en">https://x.com/skytland</a></li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>

Join us each week on Crosswalk Talk where we interview your favorite Christian celebrities. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment.

Some of our favorite interviews include:

⭐️ Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins Discuss Their Heartwarming Children's Book on Prayer

⭐️ Patricia Heaton and David Hunt Talk Faith, Life and Their Adoption Film Unexpected

⭐️ Willie and Korie Robertson Open Up About The Blind and the Generational Impact of Faith

⭐️ Phil Wickham Talks New Album, Songwriting, and the Deconstruction Movement

Let us know what famous Christian celebrities you want us to interview for the show!

Join us each week on Crosswalk Talk where we interview your favorite Christian celebrities. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment.
Some of our favorite interviews include:
⭐️ Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins Discuss Their Heartwarming Children's Book on Prayer
⭐️ Patricia Heaton and David Hunt Talk Faith, Life and Their Adoption Film Unexpected
⭐️ Willie and Korie Robertson Open Up About The Blind and the Generational Impact of Faith
⭐️ Phil Wickham Talks New Album, Songwriting, and the Deconstruction Movement
Let us know what famous Christian celebrities you want us to interview for the show!

Join us each week on Crosswalk Talk where we interview your favorite Christian celebrities. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment.

Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Join us each week on Crosswalk Talk where we interview your favorite Christian celebrities. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment.
Some of our favorite interviews include:
⭐️ Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins Discuss Their Heartwarming Children's Book on Prayer
⭐️ Patricia Heaton and David Hunt Talk Faith, Life and Their Adoption Film Unexpected
⭐️ Willie and Korie Robertson Open Up About The Blind and the Generational Impact of Faith
⭐️ Phil Wickham Talks New Album, Songwriting, and the Deconstruction Movement
Let us know what famous Christian celebrities you want us to interview for the show!

What the Data Says About Pastors and AI in the Church Today

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/db53d219-ad15-4e35-9ed1-b4a901313d0e/transcript