For centuries, the church has embraced new tools to fulfill the Great Commission. The printing press put Scripture into the hands of everyday people. Radio and television broadcast the gospel across nations. The internet connected believers and seekers worldwide. Each technological leap reshaped discipleship, bringing both opportunities and risks.
As with the printing press or the smartphone, the question before us is not if AI will influence discipleship, but how we will steward it.
Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents the latest shift in this story. Like past technologies, AI is neither inherently good nor evil; its impact depends on the wisdom, discernment, and ethics of those who use it. As with the printing press or the smartphone, the question before us is not if AI will influence discipleship, but how we will steward it.
From Printing Press to Predictive Text
We’ve already seen AI prompting timely, relational action in everyday life. During a recent workout, a friend’s phone suggested, unsolicited, that he send an encouraging message to someone recovering from surgery. Within seconds, he texted an encouraging message. Technology helped him more effectively love his brother.
This simple example hints at AI’s potential to help believers act in ways that reflect Christ’s love. In the same way that past technology booms transformed church life, the AI revolution could enhance discipleship, particularly in forming personal relationships, education, and training, which are each at the heart of helping someone become more like Jesus.1
Introducing AI and Discipleship
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the way people learn, communicate, and make decisions; and the church is not immune to its influence. Just as past innovations like the printing press and the internet transformed discipleship, AI now presents both fresh opportunities and serious questions for how believers grow in Christ. At its core, discipleship is relational and Spirit-led; the challenge before us is discerning how to use these new tools wisely so they serve, rather than distort, the call to follow Jesus.
Practical Ways AI Can Enhance Discipleship
Drawing from our work in church technology and our roles as founders of DiscipleIQ,2 we see several AI-enabled opportunities that align with the ethical framework provided in this volume’s introduction article. These include, but are not limited to:
- Creating Learner Profiles—AI can help leaders understand those they disciple by building accurate, permission-based learner profiles. Insights into learning styles, personality, and needs allow for more effective teaching and mentoring.
- Matching Mentors with Mentees—AI-powered matching can connect people with mentors or teachers most likely to foster growth, similar to compatibility-based systems in other industries.
- Customizing Learning Journeys—Rather than delivering the same curriculum to everyone, AI can help tailor discipleship pathways to an individual’s needs, competencies, and stage of faith.
- Timing Guidance and Feedback—Predictive AI can prompt leaders to reach out with encouragement or correction at moments when it will have the most impact, echoing Spirit-led discernment.
Each of these applications comes with ethical considerations, requiring us to design with privacy, consent, and relational health in mind.
Key Ethical Questions for Leaders to Ask
Before adopting AI-driven discipleship tools, leaders should carefully examine whether the technology strengthens or weakens the very heart of discipleship: authentic relationships. The church’s calling is not efficiency but formation, and tools must be evaluated through that lens. Some questions worth asking include:
- Does this application align with biblical values and reinforce human dignity?
AI must never reduce people to data points. Every feature should reflect the truth that we are made in God’s image and called into relationship with him and one another. - Will it strengthen or weaken authentic relationships within the church?
Discipleship cannot be outsourced to algorithms. Leaders should ask if the tool frees them to spend more time in meaningful presence with people, or if it risks replacing that presence with automated interactions. - Are privacy, consent, and transparency built into its design and use?
Trust is foundational to authentic relationships. When people know their data is safe and their participation is voluntary, they are more willing to engage deeply in community. - Who retains ultimate responsibility and oversight for decisions made with AI support?
- AI can suggest connections or resources, but it cannot discern the heart. Human leaders must prayerfully review and approve recommendations, ensuring that decisions remain rooted in pastoral wisdom and personal care.
The church’s calling is not efficiency but formation, and tools must be evaluated through that lens.
Asking these questions keeps technology in its proper place, a servant of ministry rather than its master. When guided by such discernment, AI can help remove barriers to authentic relationships, giving leaders more time to know, love, and walk alongside those they disciple.
How DiscipleIQ Is Engaging This Challenge
At DiscipleIQ, our mission is to help churches connect people more personally and disciple more effectively. We see AI as a tool to enhance Spirit-led relationships, not replace them.
Our platform uses AI-assisted matching to connect people based on location, personality, life stage, career, language, cultural background, and spiritual gifts. Leaders retain full control, reviewing every recommendation before action. Privacy is safeguarded, consent is explicit, and the end goal is always deeper relationship, not automation.
For example:
- Member profiles help leaders know the people they serve.
- Matching systems form mentoring relationships with the greatest potential for growth.
- Content recommendations support personalized learning journeys.
- Prompts and reminders ensure care happens at the right time.
All of these are anchored in trust, transparency, and theological integrity.
Moving Forward with Wisdom and Faith
AI will not wait for the church to catch up. The tools are already here. The choice before us is whether to engage them thoughtfully or risk missing opportunities for kingdom impact.
‘AI will not wait for the church to catch up.
The choice before us is whether to engage [the tools] thoughtfully or risk missing opportunities for kingdom impact.’
We believe the way forward requires both imagination and caution; imagination to explore how AI can multiply disciple-making efforts, and caution to ensure every application remains faithful to Scripture, centered on Christ, and focused on authentic, personal relationships.
History shows the church has always adapted to new technologies. The AI era will be no different, if we approach it with biblical conviction, relational focus, and a commitment to stewarding these tools for God’s glory.
Endnotes
- Thomas Osborn, “AI Can Help Christians Make Better Disciples,” AI & Faith, June 6, 2024, aiandfaith.org/insights/ai-can-help-christians-make-better-disciples/.
- DiscipleIQ. Accessed August 9, 2025. discipleiq.com.