Join a growing community of church practitioners who are learning to use AI both strategically and tactically for real ministry results. Learn proven methods to apply AI tools that grow engagement, strengthen teams, and produce tangible impact.
AI NEXT is a focused practice area of Exponential NEXT, created to guide pastors and ministry teams through this new frontier with wisdom, faith, and practical know-how.
Key Areas of Exploration & Education:
When it comes to AI, we believe there is value in openly discussing current realities and future possibilities.
We want to hear from you. Here are some of the topics we are exploring…
When you take our survey, you are helping the church collective. Together, we can shape recommendations to empower churches to leverage AI thoughtfully.
Churches nationwide are exploring how AI can support ministry. This exclusive study by Exponential AI NEXT includes insights from the latest nationwide study.
Inside the Report:
AI is already in your church — your staff, your volunteers, and your congregation are using it every day. The only question is whether you’ll lead this conversation or let someone else define it for you.
Natchi Lazarus breaks down agentic AI in plain language for church leaders who want practical solutions, not complicated tech jargon.
Discover how AI agents work 24/7 on your behalf—creating content, posting to social media, and tracking results while you focus on people. You’ll learn the four essential components of AI agent systems, when to use agents versus simple AI tools, and the SONG framework for implementation.
Get step-by-step guidance to deploy your first AI agents with no-code tools, understand multi-agent workflows, and set up proper guardrails. Whether you’re tech-savvy or a complete beginner, this episode shows you how to transform AI from a confusing buzzword into a practical tool that multiplies your ministry’s gospel impact without requiring coding skills or technical expertise.
This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.
AI just removed the technology barrier that’s been killing your best ministry ideas.
You’ve had this idea for months. A better way to equip parents. A simple volunteer system. A tool that helps your people apply Scripture to daily life. You can see it clearly. You know it would work.
But then: “That would cost thousands.” “We’d need a developer.” Another God-given vision shelved.
Kenny Jahng shows pastors how churches are using AI to create custom ministry solutions by simply describing what they need. No programming. No developers. No massive budget. Just you, having a conversation with AI—and watching it build exactly what you need.
The prayer system your recovery ministry needs. The family discussion tool. The coordination system that fits YOUR church. AI builds it while you focus on ministry.
You’ll see concrete examples, get a simple roadmap, and discover how your pastoral instincts guide AI to serve your vision.
Use AI to build what your people actually need. You already know what’s needed. Now AI makes it possible.
This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.
Chad Williams, CEO of FiveQ agency, provides a comprehensive biblical framework for evaluating AI and technology in ministry. Drawing from Scripture, he traces technology through creation, fall, and redemption to help church leaders make wise decisions about emerging tools.
In this episode, Chad addresses the questions your congregation is already asking about AI. He explains why technology reflects God’s creative nature, how sin corrupts its purposes, and how redemption transforms even the most dangerous tools for kingdom impact.
You’ll learn four practical evaluation questions for any technology decision:
• Can I trust the source?
• Is it communicating truth or spreading lies?
• Does it amplify or replace human work?
• Am I creating or just consuming?
Chad demonstrates these principles across five ministry contexts: sermon preparation, administrative tasks, discipleship and pastoral care, outreach and communications, and volunteer training. Each example shows the “human sandwich approach” where human judgment bookends AI processing.
Whether you’re responding to concerned congregation members or evaluating AI tools for your team, you’ll gain theological grounding and practical wisdom for stewarding technology in ministry.
This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.
AI is a “force multiplier” for the Kingdom, but instead of being a friend or an enemy, you should make AI your frenemy. In this episode, Jason Morris introduces the “Art of AI Jiu-Jitsu”, teaching pastors how to use AI as an “adversarial network” to leverage its power while avoiding its weaknesses.
Since the average church cannot afford to “own the compute” or “own the model,” the speaker argues that the greatest opportunity for pastors to use AI without becoming a commodity is to own the data.
Some of the critical issues to discuss internally with church leadership are:
• Own the Prompts: The question of “who owns the prompts” is becoming more valuable than ever, and pastors should reuse and share them among staff to create efficiency and save time.
• Build Contextual Equity: Create a knowledge base of best practices around prompts to help onboard new staff and volunteers quickly.
• Leverage Context: Since “content is no longer the king… context is”, your unique human context with your church is your “superpower” that AI will never have.
• Focus on the Human Element: AI is designed for “dopamine, not truth” and excels at “sycophancy”. Pastors should prioritize relationships, care, and speaking the “cold hard truth”, actions AI cannot produce.
Jason leads the conversation by showing how AI can be used to handle the “grunt work” like administration and research, freeing you to focus on the relationships and community that only humans can provide.
This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.
Jay Owen, Chief of Ministry Staff at Church of Eleven22, shares how his team builds custom ministry apps in hours using AI-powered tools. His church now creates software solutions for under $3 that used to cost tens of thousands of dollars and take weeks to develop.
In this practical episode, Jay walks through real examples including:
• A personalized wallpaper creator built in 45 minutes the night before a major presentation
• A baptism registration system that served nearly 2,000 people
• A sermon search tool that indexes 890 hours of content
• Landing pages created for $0.50 in 2 minutes
You’ll learn about vibe coding with tools like Replit, where ideas become working applications through simple descriptions. Jay walks through actual builds, shows troubleshooting in real time, and explains which projects work best for this approach.
Whether you’re tech-savvy or someone who barely likes being on the computer, you’ll discover specific tools and workflows that reduce costs, improve user experience, and create stronger discipleship pathways.
This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.
As a church leader, you don’t have to be a techie to leverage AI; it’s more about embracing a culture of learning and adaptability. And AI NEXT is here to help.
In this conversation Kenny and Carrie explore the key results and discuss next steps for those interested in leveraging AI for ministry work. Learn more about the implications for your team and explore how you can harness the power of AI while navigating the ethical considerations and practical challenges
Don’t get left behind in the AI revolution. Prepare your church to leverage powerful tools for greater impact and efficiency in your mission. Download the FREE 2024 State of AI in the Church Survey Report.
Kenny Jahng is the creator of ChatGPTforChurches.com, the go-to course to master ChatGPT in a day for beginning users, and editor-in-chief at ChurchTechToday.com.
In addition to serving as director of Exponential AI NEXT, Kenny is founder of the AI For Church Leaders & Pastors Facebook Group with over 6,100 members in the community.
Kenny is passionate about helping ministry leaders use technology to scale personal relationships for the Gospel. He is a Certified StoryBrand Guide and the founder of Big Click Syndicate, a strategic marketing advisory firm — focused on helping Christian leaders build marketing plans that nurture raving fans for their mission. His past experience includes serving as church online and innovation pastor for one of Outreach Magazine’s fastest-growing churches in America. Kenny earned his M. Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary and MBA at Columbia Business School. You can connect with Kenny on LinkedIn and Instagram or inside the AI for Church Leaders Facebook Group.
