Using A.I. in Church – How It Lightens My Administrative Load
10 min 54s
Is creating content to communicate about lots of different things around your ministry taking up too much energy? Do you wish you had more administrative support? If so, this podcast titled, “Using AI in Church – How It Lightens My Administrative Load,” is for you. Reverend Tom Hathaway, a solo pastor with no administrative staff support, shares his innovative use of ChatGBT to streamline church administrative tasks such as creating sermon teasers, event descriptions and Bible reading plans, thereby helping him to work more efficiently and stay focused on what he uniquely can do and does best.
As a solo pastor with no administrative support, Tom finds it inefficient to spend time on tasks like event descriptions that have limited readership;
Tom has outsourced these tasks to ChatGPT, which can generate creative and engaging content quickly and efficiently;
Practical Examples of AI Use in Church Administration;
He describes using ChatGPT to create sermon teasers, event descriptions, and Bible reading plans, which used to be time-consuming tasks;
The use of ChatGPT allows Tom to concentrate on preparing rich sermons and other meaningful church activities; Impact of AI on Church Leadership and Congregation.
Rev. Tom Hathaway is a progressive Christian pastor, designer, and creative technologist who believes that good design – whether in code or in church – can open doors to deeper connection and purpose. As co-founder of Small Steeple Web Builders, he helps small churches punch above their weight online, using modern design and creative tools like AI to tell compelling stories and strengthen community.
At Hillside Community Church, where he serves as pastor, Tom brings that same spirit to ministry, blending ancient texts with present-day questions, and always looking for ways to make faith feel real, relevant, and rooted in love. His Transforming Love blog has a readership in the thousands.
For Tom, both ministry and design are acts of translation, helping people find meaning, beauty, and belonging in a noisy and uncertain world.
- Recorded in June 2025
- Listen to more from Rev. Tom Hathaway