Most Protestant pastors in the United States are using artificial intelligence (AI), but most of their churches have yet to establish policies or guidelines governing its use, according to research from Barna Group.
The findings form part of Barna’s wider ‘Faith & AI’ research, conducted in partnership with Gloo through its multi-year ‘State of the Church’ initiative, which examines how emerging technologies are influencing religious life and ministry.
They reveal a significant divide between church leaders’ recognition of the need for responsible AI practices and the measures currently in place within their congregations.
In an online survey of 442 Protestant pastors across the United States conducted in December 2025, 94% agreed that churches should provide some form of guidance on the use of AI.
However, 79% acknowledged that their own churches had neither written policies nor informal guidelines addressing the technology.
Only 4% reported having an official AI policy, while a further 17% said their churches offered informal guidance.
Opinions were almost equally divided over how such guidance should be introduced.
Some 45% favoured a formal written policy, while 49% considered informal guidelines sufficient. Only 6% believed churches did not need either.
The research suggests that AI is already a familiar tool for many church leaders, particularly when preparing teaching materials and managing administrative responsibilities.
Just 13% of pastors reported not using AI at all.
Half reported using the technology to explore ideas, while 36% used it for research into biblical and theological subjects.
Around a third used AI to develop questions for small group discussions or assist with administrative work, at 34% each.
Nearly a quarter (24%) said they had used it when drafting or revising sermons.
Barna’s vice president of research, Daniel Copeland, said: “Pastors are predominantly using AI for behind-the-scenes work—for studying, research and administrative tasks. They’re using it to prepare for ministry, not to replace what happens when they’re actually with people.”
However, pastors were considerably more cautious about allowing AI to perform tasks traditionally associated with spiritual leadership.
While 64% felt positive about using AI to develop programmes for Bible studies and small groups, the proportions were substantially lower for other religious activities.
Only 37% felt positive about AI writing prayers, while 33% felt positive about its use in composing worship songs.
Fewer than three in ten felt positive about AI interpreting Scripture (29%) or writing sermons (27%).
The greatest reluctance concerned spiritual counselling, with just 10% expressing a positive view of AI being used for this purpose.
Separate findings from Barna’s research suggest that practising Christians are generally more open than pastors to the technology being used for certain religious activities.
Among practising Christians surveyed, 58% expressed positive views about AI writing sermons and the same proportion about it interpreting Scripture, while 47% viewed its use in spiritual counselling favourably and 73% responded positively to it creating church programmes.
As AI becomes more widely available, Christian leaders are considering how its use might affect the authenticity of preaching and the responsibilities of those delivering spiritual teaching.
During Barna’s ‘Preaching in the Age of AI CoLab’, an online learning event, Sharon Hodde Miller, co-lead pastor of Bright City Church in Raleigh-Durham, emphasised: “As Christians, we believe our integrity matters just as much as, if not more than, the outcome.”
She cautioned against judging the use of AI solely by whether the resulting sermon is accurate or beneficial to listeners.
Miller encouraged pastors to acknowledge the sources and influences behind their sermons, highlighting transparency and humility as important aspects of ministerial integrity.
Carey Nieuwhof, an author and founder of the Art of Leadership Academy, similarly urged church leaders not to rely too heavily on technology during the creative and spiritual process of sermon preparation.
Speaking on Barna’s ‘Faith & Culture Report’ podcast, he recommended that pastors undertake the initial work of writing sermons themselves before considering AI as an additional resource.
“One of the best things that you can do is write the first draft yourself,” he said.
He added: “I think if you are uncomfortable disclosing how you use AI, you are overusing it.”
Despite considerable agreement among pastors that guidance is necessary, Barna acknowledged that introducing policies could present practical difficulties for churches.
Among the questions facing church leadership teams highlighted by the research organisation are who should determine acceptable uses of AI, how compliance should be assessed and how guidelines can remain relevant as the technology develops.
Barna also noted that its research does not establish why so many congregations have yet to introduce policies or guidelines, despite the strong support for providing guidance among pastors.
Nevertheless, the organisation suggested that the findings highlight the need for churches to consider how AI should be incorporated into ministry, particularly in areas such as preaching, biblical interpretation and spiritual care.
“Guidelines could help ministry teams stay aligned on AI use, and they could bring transparency and build trust with congregants,” Barna concluded.
It continued: “For leaders, AI offers a quick way to ease the Sunday-to-Sunday work of preparing sermons, planning worship and handling administration. Drafting a policy is one way for a leadership team to slow down and decide where AI fits.”
