Join me on March 13th, 2023 at the free online Small Church Rising Summit. It will be a day filled with encouragement and equipping for small church pastors. I will be presenting on the “Why” of Online Ministry, communicating a hopeful and doable vision for sustainable digital ministry in the small church. See you there!
Register at: Fishing4Truth.com
For those that missed it live, here is the lecture I did for Ambrose University minus the live Question and Answer time.
You are invited to a virtual public lecture presented by Ambrose University.
https://ambrose.edu/event/3341
Description: Many of our discipleship metaphors and understandings come from a mechanical view of the world shaped by technological advancements largely foreign to the agrarian world of the Bible and the metaphors Jesus used. If metaphors shape our world and help us understand the abstract, then how might the machine-ladened metaphors we’ve used warp our view of discipleship, and what can we do about it?
Speaker Bio: Rev. Dr. Bryce Ashlin-Mayo (DMin, George Fox University) served for twenty-five years as a pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, most recently as Lead Pastor of Westlife Church. Bryce is currently Dean of Theology and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta. Bryce has written several books on social media and digital ministry including, “Digital Mission: A Practical Guide for Ministry Online.”
***This post was written entirely by AI (I asked it to write a blog post on using AI as a pastor). It is posted intentionally without edit or comment***
As a pastor, you may be wondering how you can incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into your work to better serve your congregants and improve your ministry. In this blog post, we will explore some ways that AI can be used as a pastor, as well as some potential benefits and challenges to consider.
One way that AI can be used as a pastor is through the use of chatbots. Chatbots are computer programs that are designed to simulate conversation with human users, often through messaging applications, websites, or mobile apps. As a pastor, you could use a chatbot to provide information and resources to your congregants, answer frequently asked questions, or even provide spiritual guidance and support. For example, you could set up a chatbot on your church’s website that allows people to ask questions or share their struggles, and the chatbot could provide personalized responses based on the information it has been trained on. This could be especially helpful for people who may not feel comfortable reaching out to a pastor in person or may not have access to traditional pastoral care.
Another way that AI can be used as a pastor is through the use of natural language processing (NLP) algorithms. NLP algorithms are designed to understand and analyze human language, and they can be used to analyze texts such as sermons, Bible verses, or other spiritual writings. As a pastor, you could use NLP algorithms to help you understand the themes and patterns in your own writing and teaching, or to find relevant passages from the Bible or other spiritual texts. You could also use NLP algorithms to analyze the language and sentiments of your congregants, which could help you tailor your messages and support to their needs.
AI can also be used as a pastor through the use of virtual assistants. Virtual assistants are computer programs that are designed to perform tasks and answer questions for users. As a pastor, you could use a virtual assistant to help you manage your schedule, organize your tasks, or keep track of important information. For example, you could set up a virtual assistant to send reminders about meetings or deadlines, or to help you find relevant resources or information. This could help you save time and energy, allowing you to focus on the more important aspects of your ministry.
There are many potential benefits to using AI as a pastor. One of the main benefits is that it can help you reach more people and provide support to a larger number of congregants. For example, a chatbot or virtual assistant could be available 24/7, allowing people to access support and resources at any time of day. AI can also help you personalize your support and care to better meet the needs of your congregants. For example, a chatbot or NLP algorithm could analyze the language and sentiments of your congregants to provide more targeted and relevant responses. Finally, AI can help you save time and energy, allowing you to focus on the more important aspects of your ministry.
However, there are also some challenges to consider when using AI as a pastor. One potential challenge is that AI may not be able to fully replicate the human element of pastoral care. While AI can provide information and support, it may not be able to provide the same level of emotional support or deep understanding that a human pastor can. It is important to recognize the limitations of AI and to ensure that it is used in a way that complements, rather than replaces, human pastoral care.
Another potential challenge is that AI may raise ethical concerns or raise questions about the role of technology in ministry. It is important to consider these issues and to have open and honest conversations with your congregants about the use of AI in your ministry.
In conclusion, AI has the potential to revolutionize pastoral care and ministry in many ways.
***This post was written entirely by AI (ChatGPT) – openai.com***
In a recent meeting with national theological educators, we were musing about the reasons for decreased enrollment among young people in all our ministry training programs (across North America and theological traditions/denominations). During the conversation, I asked the intentionally provocative question:
In our rush to solve perceived problems, we often circumvent prophetic questions with pragmatic answers. I believe this is one of those times. In our rush to solve a pragmatic problem (one to which I am very committed to addressing), what if we have rushed past a much bigger question (a question worthy of deep reflection)?
Before we dive into this bigger question, let me address what the problem of decreased enrolment in undergraduate ministry training programs is not (at least not completely).
First, it is not simply a marketing problem. If this were the case, you would not see this issue across so many schools and traditions, with enrollment decline progressing at the same rates and with consistent timelines.
Second, it is not simply a distrust of academia. There is a wider societal movement of distrust toward higher education, but I am not convinced this is the only reason for the decrease in ministry training track enrollment across North America.
Third, it is not simply a case of rising tuition costs. Although an issue that must be addressed, tuition increases are seen in all sectors of higher education.
Fourth, it is not school or denomination specific. Almost all denominations and traditions are experiencing a decline in young people entering ministry training programs. Whatever is happening, it is not micro. It is macro.
Finally, the issue is probably some combination of the above with elements of the much bigger questions asked earlier.
I would like to suggest a more provocative and prophetic view of this question for us to consider. Perhaps God is calling fewer young people (directly or indirectly) for one or more of these other macro reasons…
What if we have not been faithful with the shepherds God has called and entrusted to us, the church? A quick glimpse of the pastoral health statistics will show you that being a pastor is not an easy job. Now I am not just talking about long hours and lack of pay (all of which are often true) but about unrealistic expectations they can never fulfil (preach like Steven Furtick, counsel like Henry Cloud, lead like Carey Nieuwhof, etc.). What if we have not been good stewards of the pastors God has called, so God is not entrusting us with more?
The church has long lamented the staffing ratio to church attendance/membership (if it hasn’t, it should). This has been growing consistently for years and is a sign of the increasing professionalism of ministry. We have prayed for a reversal of this trend for years and, yet, we haven’t changed our behaviour (it has only worsened). Perhaps God is forcing the church to go “cold-turkey” on its addiction to professional ministry. Perhaps God is answering our prayers by forcing more and more lay people into active ministry roles.
The church has not been known for its ability or willingness to have tough conversations about complicated social issues and address issues of justice (race, disability, environment, etc.). Often the critique of the academy is that we are too focused on these issues, but, as someone who spends time in the classroom, these are the questions young people have, and they are very passionate about them.
In our good efforts to talk about the call of God on all people with the invitation to see their vocations as equal acts of worship and ministry, perhaps the pendulum has swung too far in this direction, and we have unintentionally downplayed the call to vocational ministry. The Church must learn to do this intentionally as well as support young men and women who are exploring and pursuing that call.
The percentage of young women pursuing ministry training continues to increase. On the one hand, it is encouraging to see so many young women pursuing God’s call to vocational ministry and entering ministry training degrees and programs. On the other hand, it is very discouraging to see extremely talented young women not given the same opportunities to lead as their young male counterparts. Perhaps we have all the people we need for ministry positions; they are just not all men.
The trend of seeing fewer young men and women entering the ministry is countered by more mature adults pursuing vocational transitions into ministry.
This isn’t derogatory. Young people are taking longer to decide what to do with their lives. It is a huge investment. It is why I think Christian Universities and Bible Colleges need to design their first-year curriculum with this in mind, helping young people to discover who they are, explore their calling and discern what careers might be a good fit for them.
Perhaps God is doing something bigger than our traditional methodologies can hold. I am not saying this with resigned pessimism but with innovative optimism. As new models and methodologies are being explored, God will lead in some creative and exciting directions.
Let me know in the comments what you think might be missing here.
In the end, like most things, this issue is very complicated, and the answer is multifaceted. I think the Church needs to speak more clearly on call, learn to care for its pastors better, partner with young people in the pursuit of vocational ministry, release more ministry leadership to women, embrace new methodologies and forms of church, etc. And our theological schools need to address this in real ways by helping students to discern their call, building trust between the academy and the church, teaching students the needed competencies to serve faithfully in our complex world, and pursuing new models and methodologies for excellent theological education (if we trade excellent theological education for pragmatic expedience, the Church will suffer deeply) and ministry training that partners with and actively serves the Church. Again, the answer is complex, and it will take the Church and the academy partnering together. The problem is real, the solution(s) is complicated, and the need is now.
