Volunteers, lay leaders, and congregations are adopting these tools at surprising rates.
For twenty years or more, the story has been that the Church is behind on technology. Antiquated software. Programs that don't connect. Databases that can't talk to each other. Ministries are doing manually what other sectors automated a decade ago.
That reputation is earned. And it's created an assumption that Christians would be the last to engage with AI
The State of the Church research Gloo and Barna released this month says otherwise.
Being Behind on Software Is Not the Same as Being Behind on Readiness
Christians are already using AI. Volunteers, lay leaders, and congregations are adopting these tools at rates that surprised even us: 44% of practicing Christians use AI often/very often personally, compared with 31% of U.S. adults overall. That is far higher than the broader conversation would suggest, and far faster than the 'Christians are behind' narrative would predict.
They're not experimenting cautiously. They're already moving. They're not waiting for a green light from a church, denomination, or a conference. They're figuring it out because the need is real and the tools are there.
The years-long reputation was about software. This moment is about something different. And Christians are not behind on it.
The Real Gap Isn't Readiness. It's Representation.
Here's what separate data also shows: the AI being built right now doesn't understand the people using it.
In recent evaluations, major AI models scored an average of 17 points lower on Christian flourishing criteria, and 31 points lower on faith and spirituality specifically. These models weren't trained on bad data. They were trained without faith-based perspectives in the room. The result is AI that hedges on theology, defaults to generic therapeutic language, and misses what people in faith communities are actually asking for.
That is not a technology failure. It's a who's-in-the-room failure. And it means the most important gap in AI right now isn't technical. It's human.
Your Mission Is the Blueprint
This is the part every ministry leader needs to sit with: you have a voice and the power to change this, and you don't need to write a single line of code.
The pastor who knows the nuanced questions their congregation carries–the real ones, not the polished Sunday version– holds knowledge no AI lab possesses. The ministry leader who understands what human flourishing actually looks like in their context, their theology, their community, has a blueprint that developers need and can't access without them. This is the whole premise behind Building Together: humans hold the mission, agentic AI extends the reach.
In 2026, Everyone Is a Builder
The 'everyone-is-a-builder' mindset is a structural reality of how AI applications are built today. The most valuable inputs come from the people who understand the community being built for, who can name the problem clearly, define what good looks like, and push back when the output misses. That is building. It doesn't require a GitHub account or an understanding of Vercel. Everyone with a problem worth solving can create a solution. Everyone is a builder
While not everyone codes, everyone with domain knowledge, lived experience, and a problem worth solving has something essential to contribute. In 2026, that's every pastor, every nonprofit leader, every creator, and every Christian who understands their community better than any model ever will.
The Tools Are Ready. Are You?
In October, we are coming together to build and shape AI as a force for good: pastors, nonprofit leaders, ministries, and developers. The place is ready, the tools are there; the question is: will you be a part of shaping the next generation of technology for good? Will you join the conversation to steward this technology in a way that helps your people flourish?
You are exactly who this moment is looking for.
Author(s)
Brianne Shaw
Director, Corporate Marketing
