{"id":29993,"date":"2026-03-25T16:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T14:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/?p=29993"},"modified":"2026-04-06T18:55:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:55:53","slug":"from-aol-to-ai-calling-the-church-to-lead-in-the-age-of-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/from-aol-to-ai-calling-the-church-to-lead-in-the-age-of-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"From AOL to AI: Calling the Church to Lead in the Age of AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"936\" height=\"706\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AI-in-the-church.png?resize=936%2C706&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29995\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AI-in-the-church.png?w=936&amp;ssl=1 936w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AI-in-the-church.png?resize=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AI-in-the-church.png?resize=768%2C579&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 936px) 100vw, 936px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I still remember being 10 years old, hearing the AOL dial up modem, going online and thinking, &#8220;This is epic!&#8221; My mind raced to figure out how this tool could be harnessed for something special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had to wait a bit longer to get my answer, but God revealed a path forward at a campus ministry conference in Chicago in 2010. I was looking through the breakout classes when I noticed one class about the intersection of media and faith being taught by Roger Lamb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I will never forget that class; it lit a fire in me that never went out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I continued pursuing ministry and learning about <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4bcOWuf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turning points in church history<\/a>, I learned that in many eras, the church was at the forefront of innovation and adoption of technology. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Music: The church did not just sing. It helped shape musical notation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Timekeeping: The church wanted to have a disciplined prayer life, so they pioneered bells and timekeeping.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Printing press: The church did not invent the printing press, but it went all in on using it as an early adopter of it in spreading Scripture, prayer books, and theological learning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These examples showed me that the church has historically not only responded to culture, but has often helped shape it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>For we are God\u2019s handiwork [poiema], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.<\/em> \u2013 Ephesians 2:10<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are God&#8217;s creative artwork, sculpture, a poem to the world and meant to be read to reflect God. We are also meant to create our own kingdom poetry. We are co-creators!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fast forward to technology in 2026: The question is not whether AI will shape the future. It will. The real question is this: Will the church help shape how it is used for the glory of God? Or will we wait 10 or 20 years, only to finally engage after the culture has already defined the terms?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">All Nations App<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, every technology can be abused, and AI is no different. But when submitted to Christ, technology can become a servant rather than a master. This has been one of my goals in working with the All Nations App, now with over 22,000 downloads all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is an example of some of what we are doing on the app in the month of May \u201cEyes That See Campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PQcFkX1svh4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The All Nations app is a rallying point for disciples to access innovative tools that we believe truly serve the global fellowship. It is the beginning of a multi-lingual road where information can travel in any language, where disciples can connect, and missions initiatives can find the disciples that feel called to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This has been a beautiful effort of <a href=\"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/mission-societies-schools\/\">14 different mission societies<\/a> coming together to find faithful and creative ways to take on the task of informing, connecting and mobilizing our fellowship of all nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the innovative tools on the <a href=\"http:\/\/allnationsapp.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">All Nations App<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/revivee-all.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RevivALL.net<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/seekrapp.ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Seekrapp.ai<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/allnations.live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AllNations.Live<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/allnationsmaps.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AllNationsMaps.com<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/discipleverse.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DiscipleVerse.com<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/icoc.ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Icoc.ai<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is just the beginning, there will be setbacks and mistakes. But that has always been true of innovation. The answer is not to retreat from it. The answer is to shape it faithfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please download the <a href=\"http:\/\/allnationsapp.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">All Nations App<\/a> and check out some of these tools. You can also visit <a href=\"http:\/\/digitalministries.info\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digitalministries.info<\/a> to see more of our vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We can do more together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you for your righteous acts have been revealed. <\/em>\u2013 Revelation 15:4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The question is not whether AI will shape the future. It will. The real question is this: Will the church&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":29995,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[71],"tags":[61],"post_folder":[151],"class_list":["post-29993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-missions"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AI-in-the-church.png?fit=936%2C706&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Lai-Yan Faller","author_link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/author\/lyfaller\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phsvEw-7NL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5618,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/missions-item-8827-back-to-the-full-time-ministry-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":29993,"position":0},"title":"Back to the (Full-Time Ministry) Future","author":"dtadmin","date":"December 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Caryn and I served for 20 years in the full-time ministry, starting in 1989 as interns in the Boston Church of Christ campus ministry. Appointed in 1994 by Randy and Kay McKean, we were sent out with a small team to plant the church in Bucharest, Romania. There we witnessed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/84e459dd-5022-427a-b893-019fd32919ba.jpg?fit=600%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/84e459dd-5022-427a-b893-019fd32919ba.jpg?fit=600%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/84e459dd-5022-427a-b893-019fd32919ba.jpg?fit=600%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5417,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/redefined-what-if-everything-was-intended-for-good-2018-broward-church-womens-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":29993,"position":1},"title":"2018 Broward Church Women\u2019s Day: \u201cRedefined&quot;","author":"dtadmin","date":"April 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It seems that now, more than ever, women\u2019s issues dominate the news. Broward Church, a region in the South Florida Church of Christ, hosted a Women\u2019s Day that addressed this cultural curiosity for identity and meaning by asking the question: What if everything was intended for good?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Women's Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Women's Ministry","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/womens-ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/browardchurchwomen-sday.jpg?fit=800%2C368&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/browardchurchwomen-sday.jpg?fit=800%2C368&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/browardchurchwomen-sday.jpg?fit=800%2C368&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/browardchurchwomen-sday.jpg?fit=800%2C368&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4438,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/next-gen-rising-in-novosibirsk\/","url_meta":{"origin":29993,"position":2},"title":"Next Gen Rising in Novosibirsk","author":"dtadmin","date":"May 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The church in Novosibirsk has invested in eight next-generation young ministry interns who \"have inspired the entire youth to dream big,\" said Quinn. Those initial eight became 12 paid interns, some of whom have been sent to strengthen and inspire other smaller churches outside Novosibirsk.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Novosibirsk_Technopark.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Novosibirsk_Technopark.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Novosibirsk_Technopark.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Novosibirsk_Technopark.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Novosibirsk_Technopark.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28409,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/international-conference-of-youth-family-ministry-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":29993,"position":3},"title":"International Conference of Youth &amp; Family Ministry 2025","author":"Lai-Yan Faller","date":"July 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Join us for the 2025 ICYFM November 7-9th at Rise Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Families&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Families","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/families\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/youth-and-family-ministry-conference-2025.jpg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5640,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/missions-item-8806-new-jersey-church-appoints-first-evangelist\/","url_meta":{"origin":29993,"position":4},"title":"New Jersey Church Appoints First Evangelist","author":"dtadmin","date":"December 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Shore Points Church appoints their first evangelist and women's ministry lead.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/c00fcf5c-70d2-4f7f-9258-1a9cd7043f52.jpg?fit=549%2C366&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/c00fcf5c-70d2-4f7f-9258-1a9cd7043f52.jpg?fit=549%2C366&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/c00fcf5c-70d2-4f7f-9258-1a9cd7043f52.jpg?fit=549%2C366&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4220,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/central-jersey-appoints-an-evangelist-and-womens-ministry-leader\/","url_meta":{"origin":29993,"position":5},"title":"Central Jersey Appoints Evangelist and Women\u2019s Ministry Leader","author":"dtadmin","date":"July 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the last few years we\u2019ve seen God work through some pretty amazing ways, including the appointment of three elders and an evangelist and women\u2019s ministry leader at the Shore Points Church in 2017. To add to all of this on Sunday June 30th we were able see Paris and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/central_nj_appointment.jpg?fit=1200%2C734&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/central_nj_appointment.jpg?fit=1200%2C734&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/central_nj_appointment.jpg?fit=1200%2C734&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/central_nj_appointment.jpg?fit=1200%2C734&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/central_nj_appointment.jpg?fit=1200%2C734&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AI-in-the-church.png?fit=936%2C706&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29993"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29999,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29993\/revisions\/29999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29993"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=29993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}