In the past months, the viral success of DeepSeek has allowed a vast number of users in China to experience the powerful appeal of AI, sparking a widespread trend in AI usage across the country. Tasks that once required an entire day—such as researching materials, writing content, and creating PowerPoint presentations—can now be completed with precision in less than half an hour simply by opening AI software, and inputting relevant topics and commands.
AI is shaping the way we work in unprecedented ways and may irreversibly change our lives, but there are underlying anxieties: Will I lose my job in the face of such advanced AI? What major should the next generation choose to secure their future? This wave of changes has inevitably impacted the church as well, triggering many Chinese pastors to reflect.
Pastor Wang, a millennial pastor serving in a conservative church in northern China, became curious and downloaded the much-talked-about DeepSeek to test whether it was as powerful as people claimed. After installing the software on her phone, she commanded it to write a sermon on a particular topic. To her surprise, a sermon was produced within just a few minutes, which was perfect in structure and content.
"I was really shocked at that time." She recalled, "It came to my mind whether I would just rely on AI rather than prepare sermons by myself."
One noon when she was going to deliver a short sermon, she decided to use DeepSeek again. She integrated the AI-generated content into her own sermon.
"But as I was preaching, it was totally different to preach the AI-generated contact from my own material." She said, "It felt dry, rigid—just a set of structured points, lacking vitality."
"But when it came to my own preparation, I could sense the power in the words."
This experience reinforced her belief that AI can never replace a pastor's personal sermon preparation. "A true sermon is the outpouring of the anointment by the Holy Spirit in the prayer, carrying life and appeals."
She stated, "No matter how perfect the AI-generated sermon is, it cannot reflect how perfect God is and fails to build the lives of the congregation up."
In her eyes, pastors can use AI to make one argument clearer by generating examples and materials when preparing for sermons, but a more crucial aspect is the power of the Holy Spirit.
She shared her personal story: Once, while preparing a sermon, she needed a vivid illustration, so she turned to AI. The AI-generated example seemed useful and compelling at the time. "But when I stood in the pulpit, that sense of inspiration was gone. True preaching doesn't totally align with the preparation, but follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When I preach in different churches, the Spirit gives me different inspirations. Although I prepared a lot, the dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit was more important."
She also added that this dependence results from an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, with whom we can get connected through daily prayer, reading, and meditation.
"I would particularly pray before preaching, 'Lord, please help me. When I speak in the pulpit, you speak to your people.'"
"Even though I don't feel my preaching is not good at times, some believers will share their inspirations. We need to believe that the Holy Spirit is still working despite that we may not feel it."
"Sometimes, a preacher simply says, 'Jesus loves you,' and someone in the congregation may burst into tears. Is it because the sentence is well delivered? Absolutely not, this is the work of the Holy Spirit."
Pastor Wang firmly believes that AI can't replace the sacred role of pastors. "Even though the AI-generated sermon is flawless, that may fall far away from the real needs of the congregation, nor do they comprehend the message. So AI can only serve as a supplementary research tool, not able to replace the sacred process of preparing a sermon through prayer and meditation."
The pastor remains cautious of the application of AI in church ministry, warning that if preachers rely too much on AI-generated sermons, they may lack personal reflections and this may pose a potential danger to the church itself. Moreover, for believers who overly pursue knowledge, AI might cause them to further despise their pastors.
At present, her conservative church doesn't pay much attention to AI. "But if AI becomes widespread in the church, I will preach about limiting AI's presence and correcting them. This is my pastoral responsibility."
She emphasized, "This era, full of temptations, has posed great challenges to pastors, in the face of complex external environments and the diverse spiritual phases of believers."
"We should depend more on God and maintain intimacy with Him to pray that the Holy Spirit may illuminate us so that we can understand His word more and walk forward in faith."
- Edited and translated by Mark Cui
