12 church jobs that AI will replace in 2025 (and what you should do about it)

Bob Whitesel April 28, 2025

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What church jobs will AI replace?" Because I study "leadership foresight," this is a question I often get from church leaders and doctoral students.

I created a list for church leaders based on what researchers see as the tasks most likely to be replaced by AI.

But I have a warning! Be sure to read the last few paragraphs.

AI is replacing church volunteers and staff who undertake:

• Scheduling appointments
• Arranging travel
• Bookkeeping
• Data entry
• Sermon/teaching slides
• Curriculum, both small group and Sunday School
• Communicating via newsletters, email, social media, etc.
• Following-up with newcomers
• Matching people to small groups
• Technical support

And more controversially, AI can replace volunteers and staff who:

• Create liturgies, the order of worship, and worship song selection
• Answer questions about the church, denomination, and/or Christianity
• Help with sermon and teaching research
• Evaluate church ministries and programs

But I said there would be a warning.

People in our churches usually work for less pay or volunteer their time. And they do this because, through their volunteerism, they contribute to the mission of the church. Paul reminds us, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other" (1 Cor. 12:7 NIV). Therefore, all of the tasks listed above may be currently undertaken by people gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve others.

Paul continues:

"To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have." (1 Cor. 12:8-11, NLT)

And not only does serving help others, but God designed our service to help us mature.

We grow in the fruit of the Spirit as we service others, where "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Gal 5:22-23, NIV).

Though church jobs can be replicated by artificial intelligence, we need to keep in mind that humans mature spiritually and relationally when using their gifts.

Therefore, when considering replacing a volunteer's efforts with AI, you must move slowly, utilizing at least two steps.

Step 1:Talk to the people who currently undertake these responsibilities.

Find out if they enjoy their task or if they'd like to do something else. If they enjoy doing it, consider asking them to be a human lens through which to evaluate what AI creates. Artificial intelligence is susceptible to creating falsehoods, sometimes called hallucinations. Subsequently, humans need to carefully check all results of AI.

Step 2: If the person doesn't enjoy what they're doing, consider redirecting them towards another task where they can still use their gifts and mature in their involvement.

Work with them to find a direction that honors God as well as the gifts He has given them.

A church's mission should be centered on deepening connections between one another and God.

Our fellowships are places where God's people contribute to the mission, to the common good, and to their spiritual maturity. Don't let the ease or popularity of AI replace people God has sent you to serve and grow.

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Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More »

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