Churches Turn to AI Chatbots as Digital Faith Tools Emerge Amid Religious Decline

Atlanta churches using AI to save souls -- and time

Why it matters: AI is helping some churches stay relevant in the face of shrinking staff, empty pews and growing online audiences. But the practice raises new questions about who, or what, is guiding the flock. * New AI-powered apps allow you to "text with Jesus" or "talk to the Bible," giving the impression you are communicating with a deity or angel. * Other apps can create personalized prayers, let you confess your sins or offer religious advice on life's decisions. * "What could go wrong?" Robert P. Jones, CEO of the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute, sarcastically asks. Zoom in: Michael Youssef, pastor at The Church of the Apostles in Buckhead and founder and president of his multimedia platform Leading the Way, told the Christian Post last month that believers can "redeem and reclaim" artificial intelligence. * Leading the Way has developed the MY Faith Assistant, which provides users with "instant, Bible-rooted answers" backed by Youssef's sermons. * Atlanta Berean, a Seventh-Day Adventist church, has incorporated AI into at least seven sermons and a chatbot that can answer questions about those sessions, according to Pastors.AI. State of play: Religious institutions' experimentation with AI comes at a time when the U.S. could see an unprecedented 15,000 churches shut their doors this year, as a record number of Americans (29%) now are identifying as religiously unaffiliated. * In the latest Gallup Poll released Thursday, only 49% of U.S. adults say religion is essential to their daily life, down from 66% in 2015. The intrigue: The AI uses getting the most attention (and scrutiny) are those that create the feeling that users are talking to a divine power or clergy. * The Text With Jesus app allows users to "embark on a spiritual journey and engage in enlightening conversations with Jesus Christ," according to the app's website. * The app also gives users the option to "talk" with other Biblical characters, including Mary, Joseph, Judas Iscariot, and even Satan. * Catholic apps One Day Confess and Confession - Catholic help users with confession and spiritual reflection, providing AI-guided responses based on biblical texts. Between the lines: It's unclear what translations of the Bible the apps are using, if they are texts from early church fathers or ideological materials from strictly conservative groups, Jones says.

Meet chatbot Jesus: How Philly-area churches tap AI to save souls

Why it matters: AI is helping some churches stay relevant in the face of shrinking staff, empty pews and growing online audiences. But the practice raises new questions about who, or what, is guiding the flock. * New AI-powered apps allow you to "text with Jesus" or "talk to the Bible," giving the impression you are communicating with a deity or angel. * Other apps can create personalized prayers, let you confess your sins or offer religious advice on life's decisions. The big picture: Some Philly-area clergy joke the digital awakening could one day mean "Roomba priests" at in-person services or "drone-drops of communion" for homebound parishioners, St. Mark's Church parish administrator Daniel Russell tells Axios. * That's still a ways off, as most congregations here are experimenting cautiously -- using AI sparingly while weighing its ethical limits. State of play: The U.S. could see an unprecedented 15,000 churches shut their doors this year as a record number of Americans (29%) now are identifying as religiously unaffiliated. * The vast majority of Philadelphia-area adults identify as Christian or Catholic, but more than half say they never or rarely attend church or religious services. * Megachurches are consolidating followers, but even the most charismatic pastors struggle to offer private counseling with such large congregations. Zoom in: At St. Mark's Church in Center City, staffers use AI for mundane administrative tasks -- like alphabetizing names for memorial services. But clergy, many of whom are older, are reluctant to tap it for pastoral work in the 500-member parish. * "We very much experience the generational divide," Russell says. At La Mott A.M.E. Church in Elkins Park, pastor Louise Attles is more open. He created a chatbot named "Faith" to help him conduct research for his sermons -- and even trained it to mimic his writing style. * "You feed it scripture and understand it's going to only give you what you give it," he says. Zoom out: Elsewhere, churches have been deploying chatbots to answer frequently asked questions such as service times and event details, and even to share scripture. * EpiscoBot, a chatbot developed by the TryTank Research Institute for the Episcopal Church, responds to spiritual or faith-related queries, drawing on church resources. * Other AI apps analyze congregational data (attendance and engagement) to tailor outreach and communications. Yes, but: Philly's faith leaders agree AI is a creative force -- not a replacement for the Creator. What they're saying: "You can't outsource your morality," Attles says. "It can't keep a covenant for you." * Russell adds some uses would be impractical -- even tone-deaf -- like having a chatbot hear confessions or comfort grieving families. "How do you put a computer between you and God?" he says. "It's like 2,000 years of church tradition." * "That's why the church will end up being one of the last places where connection trumps convenience." Reality check: The AI uses getting the most attention (and scrutiny) are those that create the feeling that users are talking to a divine power or clergy. * The Text With Jesus app allows users to "embark on a spiritual journey and engage in enlightening conversations with Jesus Christ," according to the app's website. * The app also gives users the option to "talk" with other Biblical characters, including Mary, Joseph, Judas Iscariot, and even Satan. * Catholic apps One Day Confess and Confession - Catholic help users with confession and spiritual reflection, providing AI-guided responses based on biblical texts. Between the lines: It's unclear which translations of the Bible the apps are using, if they are texts from early church fathers or ideological materials from strictly conservative groups, said Robert Jones, CEO of the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.

KC churches explore faith in the age of AI

New AI-powered apps allow you to "text with Jesus" or "talk to the Bible," giving the impression you are communicating with a deity or angel. Zoom in: Two local congregations, Christ Community Church and Fountain City Church, are engaging AI through educational events instead of implementation. * Christ Community hosted "Navigating AI Through the Lens of Faith," where theologian and technologist John Dyer spoke about the ethical and cultural impacts of AI alongside Kansas City tech leaders. * Fountain City's recent event "Discipleship in the Age of AI" invited residents to discuss what it means to follow Jesus in a world where technology is "here to stay." Zoom out: In recent months, churches have been deploying chatbots to answer frequently asked questions such as service times and event details, and even to share scripture. * EpiscoBot, a chatbot developed by the TryTank Research Institute for the Episcopal Church, responds to spiritual or faith-related queries, drawing on church resources. State of play: The U.S. could see an unprecedented 15,000 churches shut their doors this year as a record number of Americans (29%) now are identifying as religiously unaffiliated.

People Can Text with Jesus on A Controversial New App. How Does It Work?

How Faith Apps Powered by AI Offer Spiritual Guidance to Users A new wave of apps is attempting to create a hotline to heaven for users who are interested in strengthening their religious faith. The app Text With Jesus uses artificial intelligence and chatbots to offer spiritual guidance to users who are looking to connect with a higher power. Text with Jesus is part of a rising trend of faith-based digital technologies that Axios calls a "digital awakening" and it's in good company with apps such as bible.ai and desktop options like EpiscoBot. Smartphone apps certainly offer users a convenient way to deepen their faith, but some critics have expressed concern about the convergence of religion and AI. The trend comes as nearly 30% of Americans report that they have no religious affiliation, according to the Pew Research Center. Earlier this year, former president of LifeWay Christian Resources Thom S. Rainer also told the Baptist Courier that 15,000 churches could shut down in 2025. On Nov. 13, NBC's Anne Thompson stopped by Studio 1A to share more information about the emerging trend and her experience of texting with Jesus. Here's everything she shared. Text With Jesus offers users an interactive experience with a religious deity. In other words, users can text questions to Jesus and get a response. (Premium users can also converse with Satan.) While testing the app, Thompson was curious to ask Jesus why bad things happen to good people. In response, she got the following message, which reads, in part: "Anne, my heart aches with yours when you see pain -- suffering entered the world because of brokenness and free will, not because God delights in harm." Text With Jesus regularly cites Bible verses that are related to questions users ask. While chatting with the app's developer, Stephane Peter, Thompson asked how Jesus' answers are created. "Who am I really texting with when I text with Jesus?" Thomson asked. "Well obviously you're talking to an AI chatbot," the app's creator said, adding that the bots are "pretending to be Jesus or any of the apostles." Peter said the app is still a work in progress and noted that his team is currently experimenting with voice features and hoping to add even more biblical characters. For instance, users will soon be able to chat with the Three Wise Men, just in time for Christmas. Some are concerned about the intersection of AI chats and faith. "It is a slippery slope when you're running to these AI chats more than you're consulting with the Lord," TikTok user @annamariefit said in a video posted over the summer. Religious researcher Robert P. Jones also has doubts about the technology. "The challenge, of course, is that we have no idea what's under the hood there, what's really creating the reality that then they present," he told Thompson in the TODAY segment. Pope Leo XIV has expressed concern over the increasing use of AI in society. "It must not be forgotten that artificial intelligence functions as a tool for the good of human beings, not to diminish them, not to replace them," he said recently. Rabbi Daniel Bogard said that he finds AI useful to find texts and "challenge my thinking," but he told Thompson the technology certainly has innate dangers. "I think the danger is always that we are losing sight of humanity and human connection," he said. While speaking with Thompson during the segment, several TODAY anchors shared their opinions on the Text With Jesus app and the trend in general. "It's complicated. It's very complex," Craig Melvin said. Carson Daly posed the question, "If you're texting with Jesus, then who is representing Jesus?" Thompson noted that the app's algorithm is behind the responses users receive. "Even when I texted with Jesus, some of the biblical verses were the King James versions. Some were more modern versions. And as we all know, there are verses in the Bible for almost everything, so you're still going to have arguments," she said. Savannah Guthrie also weighed in, saying, "It's capable of, as we all know, thousands of years of interpretation and then there's contradiction within it. So it's complex to think that you can feed it into a computer. But I think the flip slide is whatever brings you to and keep(s) your faith, I always say let God do the rest." Thompson said the app can be a good "gateway" to help people "be curious" but added that it's "not the end all be all" and not a "replacement" for religion. Craig agreed and said, "I would maintain that it should also perhaps be used as a supplement to a relationship with God." Carson noted that AI could be useful to help people "see the miracles (of Jesus) come to life" through visual representations. "Representing Jesus is a whole other conversation," he added.