As AI reshapes nearly every part of our lives, church leaders are facing a fundamental question: How does the local church remain relevant and resilient in an increasingly synthetic world?

While much of the cultural conversation around AI focuses on efficiency and sermon tools, the deeper shift is relational. Authentic human connection has become the new scarcity… 

and pastors and church leaders need to be paying attention.

Community Is the New Scarcity

For decades, access to teaching and content drove much of church engagement. 

Today, anyone can stream world-class teaching on demand from anywhere. Your sermon is no longer what keeps people engaged.

Instead, your people are.

In an increasingly digital culture, young adults are navigating elevated stress, anxiety, uncertainty and social isolation. At the same time, most young people believe their generation spends too much time on screens, even as phones have become central to connection, identity and relationships.

People are searching for genuine, embodied presence. 

And the local church is sitting on a storehouse of relational connection that no algorithm can replicate.

This Shift Isn’t Happening Without Guidance

At the forefront of this conversation is Carey Nieuwhof, who has been closely following this monumental shift. With experience and data in hand, Carey has written “AI and the Future Church,” now officially available as of September 15th, 2026.

Carey’s research provides a pastoral, highly practical roadmap showing why this technological shift might actually spark one of the greatest growth eras the church has ever seen; that is, if leaders choose to lead through it with clarity.

His book walks through three guiding principles:

1. Make Sundays Non-Downloadable: Focus Sunday experiences on authentic, relational community and presence that cannot be experienced through a screen.
   
   

2. Build Shock Absorbers Now: Prepare proactive support systems for the financial shifts and mental health demands facing your congregation.
   
   

3. Fortify Your Integrity: Lead from deep character and wisdom so your church remains a trusted beacon of truth amid synthetic media and deepfakes.

The churches that thrive in this season will not be those that simply adopt the newest technology, but those that use clarity to anchor their ministry in what technology cannot replace.

Make It Personal by Showing Up in Person

Carey, alongside Gloo, invites you to join the conversation at the Connected Leaders Tour.

Drawing on key principles Carey has written about, this gathering will equip leaders to build the very “non-downloadable” community Carey so strongly recommends.

You’ll leave with actionable strategies, a clearer framework for discernment, and a trusted peer community walking through these questions alongside you. Bring your team, invite fellow ministry leaders, and lean into the conversation with your local church community. Registration opens soon!

A Two-Thousand-Year-Old Playbook

AI’s impact on our lives will be profound, but the impact of human connection is unparalleled. We believe relationships catalyze growth, and while the rest of culture scrambles to figure out what real connection means in an automated age, the Church has been living the answer for two thousand years. We’re committed to shaping AI for good so that people can flourish and communities can thrive.