Responsible AI Principles for Grace Community Church
Overview
AI marks a fundamental shift in how we interact with technology and with one another. As with every major advance before it, AI can carry the hope and good news of the Gospel to ever-widening groups of people. It can also quietly erode the trust, the attention, and the human presence that ministry depends on. Which of those happens at Grace Community Church is not up to the technology.
The Principles
Our posture toward AI is balanced. AI is a normal part of staff work within clear boundaries. Staff can use approved tools freely; sensitive areas stay off-limits.
- Human-Centered: We believe AI should be used to augment human creativity and connection, not replace the unique, God-given essence of human ministry.Before adopting a tool we ask what it frees our people to do, not only what it saves.
- Transparency: We will be open about when and how AI is used in our communications and operations.We disclose AI assistance where a reasonable person would want to know, and this document is public.
- Accuracy & Truth: We will verify AI-generated content to ensure it aligns with scriptural truth and factual reality.Scripture references, quotations, and factual claims are verified against a primary source before publication.
- Bias Mitigation: We recognize that AI can reflect human biases; we will actively work to identify and mitigate these to ensure all are treated with dignity.We review AI output for who it centers and who it leaves out, especially in imagery and illustration.
- Privacy & Data Ethics: We will protect the data of our congregants and staff with the highest level of integrity.Congregant, donor, counseling, and personnel information is never entered into a consumer AI tool; only approved tools with a data-protection agreement may handle it.
- Accountability: Humans remain responsible for the outcomes and impact of AI-driven tools and decisions.Every AI-assisted output has a named staff member accountable for it.
- Inclusivity: AI should be used to make the Gospel more accessible to all, regardless of language, ability, or background.We use AI to caption, translate, and adapt our content for those our current formats exclude.
- Stewardship: We will evaluate the cost and efficiency of AI tools to ensure they are a wise use of the resources entrusted to the church.AI subscriptions are inventoried and reviewed at least annually against what they actually produce.
- Empowerment: We will provide training and resources to help our community navigate the AI era with wisdom.Staff are trained on these principles, and we offer periodic teaching to the congregation on living wisely with AI.
- Human Oversight: Critical decisions, especially those involving pastoral care or theological interpretation, must always involve human discernment.AI is never the deciding voice in pastoral care, counseling, discipline, hiring, or benevolence decisions.
- Safety: We will prioritize tools that have robust safety measures to prevent the generation of harmful or inappropriate content.We prefer vendors with published safety practices, and AI use in children's and youth ministry requires approval.
- Collaboration: We will share our learnings and best practices with the broader Body of Christ.We share what works and what fails with other churches and ministries in our network.
- Innovation for Good: We will seek out ways AI can solve complex problems and meet the needs of the vulnerable.We look for uses that serve the vulnerable, not only uses that reduce staff workload.
- Theological Reflection: We will maintain an ongoing dialogue about the intersection of faith, technology, and what it means to be made in the Image of God.Our leadership discusses the theological questions raised by our AI use at least annually.
- Continuous Improvement: These principles will evolve as technology and our understanding of its impact grow.This document is reviewed on a set schedule and versioned.
- Digital Provenance: We will strive to maintain the integrity of our brand and voice. In an era of deepfakes and subversive technology, we will explore digitally signing content to defend our authenticity.We maintain a known set of official channels and will act quickly on any impersonation of our staff or ministry.
- Legal Compliance: We will stay informed and compliant with evolving state and federal legal requirements regarding AI.We track legal developments affecting our state and seek counsel where AI touches minors, employment, or donor data.
- Environmental Stewardship: As believers committed to stewarding the Earth, we will consider and work to mitigate the environmental impact of the AI technologies we utilize.We weigh the environmental cost of AI use, particularly high-volume image and video generation.
How We Use AI Today
Our current use of AI is concentrated in the following areas. We use a collection of Software-as-a-Service products for:
- Speech-to-text transcription: Converting sermons and meetings into written records.
- Content summarization: Creating highlights and key takeaways from long-form teaching.
- Outline generation: Brainstorming structures for lessons and series.
- Copywriting: Drafting initial social media posts and newsletters.
- Research: Gathering data and summarizing complex topics for further review.
Where We Do Not Use AI
Some work belongs to people, and no efficiency gain would justify handing it over. At Grace Community Church, AI is not used for:
- Pastoral counseling or spiritual direction
- Church discipline or membership decisions
- Entering congregant, donor, or counseling data into consumer AI tools
- Synthetic voice or likeness of our staff, volunteers, or members
Approval, Disclosure, and Review
- Approval. New AI tools are approved before use by our Executive Pastor. Staff and volunteers may not adopt a tool for ministry work on their own initiative.
- Disclosure. Where AI has meaningfully shaped something we publish, we say so. Our standard disclosure reads: "Portions of this content were drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by our staff."
- Human review. No AI-assisted content reaches our congregation without a person reading it first and taking responsibility for it.
- Review. These principles, and the list of tools we use, are reviewed annually and versioned when they change.
- Questions and concerns. Anyone at Grace Community Church may raise a concern about how AI is being used, and we will answer it.
Who Owns This Document
Jordan Ellis, Executive Pastor is responsible for keeping these principles current and for answering questions about them. Responsibility for how AI is used, however, sits with each person who uses it.
Attribution & License
This document was adapted by Grace Community Church from Responsible AI Principles for Churches, which was itself inspired by the Responsible AI Manifesto for Marketing and Business by Paul Roetzer of the Marketing AI Institute.
Like the work it builds on, this document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you give appropriate credit and license your version under the same terms.
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