As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“At its heart, preaching is not a technical task to be optimized but a Spirit-led calling to shepherd people with Biblical truth. That conviction framed a recent Bridge Fellowship gathering of pastors in Grand Rapids, where the pastors spoke honestly about AI and its place (if any) in sermon preparation and presentation.” - GARBC
“Most pastors now use AI to write messages, and the level of work AI does in that process could be troubling. The Christian Post surveyed pastors regarding AI and found the following” - P&D
“Every generation of preachers faces subtle pressure to soften their message, to impress rather than instruct, or to build a following instead of building up their congregations. However, the pulpit is not a platform for self-promotion; it is the “sacred desk” for the exposition of Christ’s Word.” - Mere Orthodoxy
In my last two blogposts (which can be found here and here), I walked the reader through the process of becoming familiar with the preaching text to the point where you should have a solid grasp upon what the preaching text says, although you still might not be sure how to preach it or organize the sermon.
“According to research from Barna in 2024, U.S. pastors have varying levels of comfort with using AI based on the task: graphic design (88 percent), marketing (78 percent), communication (58 percent), sermon research (43 percent), creating study materials (39 percent), and sermon writing (12 percent), among other tasks.” - TGC
“…this article, which corresponds to the resolution we have submitted to the Resolutions Committee for the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, is our attempt to ring the bell, as it were, for the intrusion of deceptive speech in pulpits all across America.” - Christ Over All
“When I first began teaching others how to use Bible software in the early 2000s, I actually had a stock joke that Logos was building a sermon generator that would produce both exegesis and illustrations. It wasn’t a very funny joke then; now it’s not a joke at all. AI can do this.” - Mark Ward
“Vibrant preaching begins with a preacher who is personally impacted by the message. The text must first speak to the preacher—convicting, challenging, encouraging, and transforming him. If the preacher is unmoved, how can the congregation be expected to respond?” - P&D
“I’ve given up trying to determine if a sermon is good or not. There have been too many days when I’ve ended the sermon thinking that was the best sermon I’ve ever preached, only to hear nothing back from the congregation.
“The third level of introduction is the one that not only begins and ends a sermon, but also appears throughout. It frames the sermon but also illustrates it in an ongoing way, providing a continual theme that engages the listener.” - Challies
Discussion