Embracing Human Connection in an Age of Algorithms
Why some churches must readdress their priorities in a rapidly changing world.
You might not see it yet, but artificial intelligence is in the process of transforming the global Church. Things are changing, and fast.
What do we do?
In the first of seven guidelines for church leaders in an age of AI, we’re diving into a vital exploration of why, in a world increasingly reliant on algorithms, automation and screens over sanctuaries, nurturing authentic human connections in your church is not just important—but essential.
Guideline #1: In an AI-Driven World, Church Leaders Must Prioritize Relationship, Community, and Pastoral Care.
Ministry is, first and foremost, an issue of relationship. Ultimately, this is an insurmountable hurdle for AI.
The Limitations of AI in Church Ministry
Let’s be clear: in 2023, AI demonstrated remarkable potential to enhance church life in various ways. The benefits are broad, affecting everything from preaching to pastoral care, event coordination, advertising, administration and even evangelism. When used well—as a support rather than a substitute—AI is proving to be an excellent sidekick to those pursuing the Great Commission.
However, there are limitations to AI in the Church.
Look at AI without the reddish mist of either rose-tinted or apocalyptic lenses, and we can see that AI is neither as good nor bad as some of us like to think. It is a tool, and like every other, it has limitations.
Why?
AI’s Facts Don’t Care About Your Feelings
First, AI doesn’t have feelings, no matter how cleverly it mimics them.
Logically, this is where the conversation should end.
But herein lies a quintessentially human problem: we are simply too quick to deceive ourselves into thinking that AI really does see and feel.
It’s the reason a woman made headlines earlier this year for “marrying” an AI and the reason social media influencer Caryn Marjorie (at the time of writing) has almost 20,000 people waiting to connect with CarynAI, an AI chatbot that “replicates her voice, mannerisms and personality” for an eye-watering $1 a minute.
It’s a sad indictment of our culture’s threadbare and soiled social fabric.
Extremes like CarynAI and “bio-nary” marriages (to coin a term) reveal the deeper social issues plaguing society—the sort that AI can’t solve because it will always lack the ability to truly feel.
The digital world is cannibalizing the physical one.
The umbrella issue in which AI nestles is this: we are dangerously addicted to the digital world. And, as I wrote in a previous article, AI is simply making things worse.
We socialize online.
We date online.
We learn online.
In public spaces, cafes, libraries, trains, buses, and lunch breaks, we retreat to online “safe zones” to hide from the perceived dangers of the real world. But in truth, the digital world is like the sugary cottage of the witch in Hansel and Gretel: enticing but menacious.
According to Johann Hari in his excellent book Lost Connections, a typical Westerner in the twenty-first century checks their phone once every six and a half minutes.1 He then makes a poignant observation:
The Internet was born into a world where many people had already lost their sense of connection to each other. The collapse had already been taking place for decades by then. The web arrived offering them a kind of parody of what they were losing—Facebook friends in place of neighbors, video games in place of meaningful work, status updates in place of status in the world.2
Ironically, the more we are digitally connected, the less we are socially connected in any meaningful sense.
We are already seeing diminishing trust and the disastrous effects of social media on adolescents, and increasing evidence suggests it is the root cause of a mental health epidemic that began in 2012.
According to a survey by Singles Reports, “nearly 4 in 5 people ages 18-54 experience some degree of emotional fatigue or burnout when online dating.”
A 2017 study from Simon Fraser University showed that Canadian females between 12 and 29 who spent more than 20 hours a week online “reported body dissatisfaction at three times the rate of those connected for less than one hour per week.”
On top of all of this, we are stepping into the early days of what some people have dubbed the “information apocalypse,” where the proliferation of fake news, deepfakes and information overload is leaving people with less security in the truth than ever before.
These are not good signs. Our digital presence is cannibalizing our physical and emotional ones, and AI can only exacerbate these issues in the long term.
AI will never be able to fully replace the intricacies and genuineness of human relationships.
Because ministry is, first and foremost, an issue of relationship, AI will never be able to provide the sort of meaningful community or pastoral care that can be found in the Church.
The Necessity of Meaningful Church Relationships
No organization, institution, or community can rival the Church when fully outworking its relational calling.
When the Church fulfills its mission, we see a community of believers who:
…“encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thess. 5:11),
…“consider one another in order to provoke love and good works” (Heb. 10:24),
…faithfully gathers together (Heb. 10:25),
…is devoted to fellowship and shares with those who have need (Acts 2:42-47),
…outdoes one another in showing honour (Rom. 12:10),
…maintains constant love for one another and is hospitable without complaining (1 Pet. 4:8-10),
…is clothed with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another” (Col. 3:12-14).
…reveal our status as disciples of Jesus in our love for one another (John 13:34-35).
Isn’t this a glorious picture of the Church?!
Too often, the Western Church distracts itself with the shimmering allure of intellectualism, performance, entertainment, and savvy marketing. Pastors carry their title in name but are often secularized CEOs in action. Ironically, AI can do a pretty good job of influencing these things.
But artificial intelligence will never be self-sacrificial.
It will never display genuine love.
It will never replicate the frazzled mom of toddlers who somehow carves time out of the chaos to prepare a meal to drop off at a sick friend’s house that evening.
It will never be able to hold the hand of that faithful saint on his deathbed as his body succumbs to the ravages of cancer.
AI will never rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn (Rom. 12:15), even if it arranges ones and zeroes in a way that gives the impression of it.
It will never share a genuine smile, or shed a genuine tear, or pray a genuine prayer.
In a world hopelessly bereft of authentic human connection, the Church can fill the void with meaningful relationships in a way that AI never will.
As such, we must focus on building and nurturing authentic relationships within our congregations. This involves creating environments where meaningful interactions can occur beyond AI and technology: Prioritise small group meetings, social gatherings, and community outreach programs. Don’t let worship gatherings become an “entertainment event” or a spectator sport because this is not what people will need as the relational debt catches up with society.
The Vital Role of Personal Pastoral Care
Church leaders: make sure that the core of your ministry remains focused on personal, face-to-face interactions. Reclaim your status as a shepherd, not a CEO!
Consider restoring the lost art of pastoral visitation in a world where the congregation thirsts for meaningful connection. This is ground that AI cannot claim.
Let me be vulnerable here. As an introvert, this is challenging for me. I find enormous joy in hiding in my basement and strategizing, sermonizing, and studying for the Lord.
But I’m convinced of the value of face-to-face human connection in an increasingly digital world.
The world needs relationships—perhaps more than ever. The Church can fulfil those horizontal needs in a way no other organization can, but let’s remember that it can also lead people to a vertical relationship with the Father, bought by the blood of his Son. There is nothing better.
Ministry is, first and foremost, an issue of relationship.
…And the world is crying out for it.
To paraphrase Eugene Peterson in his outstanding book The Contemplative Pastor, we are ultimately called as leaders to care for souls, not to “run” churches. Perhaps its time for us to reassess our focus as leaders and get back to the biblical callings that matter.
Conclusion: Navigating Digital Shifts with Human Hearts
AI will continue to play a growing—but ultimately limited—role in our lives and churches. There is simply no escaping this fact.
Church leaders must remember that the heart of their ministry lies in personal relationships, pastoral care and community building. We can let technology aid our ministry, but it must always be subservient to the biblical call to genuine connection and spiritual care. Here are some reminders of how you can move from theory to action today:
Evaluate Your Use of Technology: Regularly assess how your church uses AI and digital tools. Ensure they enhance, rather than overshadow, personal interactions and community building.
Foster Face-to-Face Connections: Create more opportunities for in-person connection and pastoral care. Encourage small group gatherings, community outreach, and personal visitations to strengthen the bonds within your congregation.
Educate: Stay informed about AI and its implications for church life. Share this knowledge with your team and congregation, highlighting both the benefits and the limitations. Subscribe to Church and AI, and perhaps even share this article with someone who needs to hear it!
Reflect and Pray: Continuously reflect on the impact of technology on your ministry. Pray for wisdom to use these tools in alignment with God’s calling.
Lead by Example: Show your commitment to personal relationships in your pastoral work. Let your actions inspire others in your community to prioritize genuine connections in an increasingly digital world.
As we navigate the novelties of this AI-driven era, prioritizing human connection is essential to maintaining a vibrant and engaged church community.
I pray we—the body of Christ—will never lose sight of that!
READ MORE: UNPACKING THE SEVEN GUIDELINES FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN AN INCREASINGLY AI-DRIVEN WORLD:
Prioritize relationship, community, and pastoral care. [You are here]
Build adaptability into church structures.
Embrace positive technological developments.
Stay informed in a rapidly changing environment.
Proactively pray for God-given wisdom.
Keep an undistracted focus on the mission of the church.
Johann Hari, Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions (New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018), 87.
Ibid., 89.