The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
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The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
Hiring in the Age of AI: Why Pastoral Presence Still Wins
Pastoral presence is the one thing artificial intelligence can never replace in ministry. While AI technology rapidly advances in sermon writing, administration, and spiritual formation tools, the human ability to physically show up in moments of crisis remains the true superpower of church leadership.
• AI is here to stay and becoming increasingly efficient at tasks once considered uniquely human
• Churches everywhere are using AI for administration, content creation, and spiritual formation
• The efficiency of AI creates a shadow side when we forget what algorithms can't replace
• Pastoral presence—being physically there with people—cannot be replicated by technology
• The most meaningful ministry moments happen in unscripted, messy, holy encounters
• A critical hiring question: does this person default to presence or performance when things fall apart?
• People aren't looking for pastors who can code or prompt AI—they're looking for leaders who care
Reach out anytime with questions, comments, or episode ideas at podcast@chemistrystaffing.com. If there's any way I can help you or your church, feel free to contact me.
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In an era when AI can write your sermons and plan your calendar and send nearly flawless follow-up emails, what's the one thing that it can't do? It can't show up, and in today's episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, we're going to explore why pastoral presence real, embodied, empathetic leadership still beats any AI algorithm when it comes to shepherding a church. Hi there, my name is Todd Rhodes. I'm one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom and also your host right here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast and also your host right here on the Healthy Church Staff podcast. Well, whether we like to believe it or not, ai can write a killer sermon if you want it to. It can even analyze your congregation's spiritual health in one way, shape or form. But you know what it can't do. It can't sit down in a hospital room and pray with someone whose world just absolutely fell apart. And today we're going to tackle a question that every church leader really, if you haven't thought about it, you need to start thinking about this and really start to wrestle with. And that's this what happens to ministry when artificial intelligence AI can do nearly everything? We're getting close, believe it or not. What do we do when AI can do just about everything except be human. That's what we're going to talk about today.
Speaker 1:The first thing I think that we have to realize as we start to talk about this topic is that look, ai is here. If you would have asked me three years ago what AI is and what impact it would have, I would say I would laugh at you and say nothing. I don't even know what that is, I've heard about it and say nothing. I don't even know what that is, I've heard about it, but I have no idea. Ai is here and it is not going anywhere. It has burst onto the scene quicker than any technology that I can remember and believe it or not. I remember when Al Gore invented the interweb, so that's saying something. So let's not kid ourselves and let's start right there. It's here, ai is here and it's not going to go away.
Speaker 1:And it can draft your sermon outline and it can write your small group discussion questions. It can schedule your pastoral visits. It can even sound like you if you feed it the right data, both your writing style and in a couple of years, this podcast might be AI and you wouldn't be able to tell it Today. You would be able to tell the difference, but in a couple of years, as the technology gets better, it's getting increasingly more difficult to tell what is real and what is AI, and churches everywhere, from the largest churches in America to the smallest rural parishes, are starting to use AI for administration and content creation and even some spiritual formation tools. And you know what? Here's something you might get mad at me for saying this, but you know what. It's working and it's efficient and it's smart and it's fast and it saves us a lot of time if you're using it. You know that. But that efficiency also has a shadow. It also has a shadow side, okay. So what happens when churches start hiring for skills that AI can already do and forget to hire for? The one thing that AI can never replace and that's what I want to talk about is what AI cannot do. That's the topic today.
Speaker 1:Ai does not make eye contact, it doesn't lay hands on a grieving widow and it doesn't pause mid-sermon, because the Spirit is leading in a different direction. Ai does not have presence. Let me say that again AI does not have presence. It has a lot of processing power okay, but it doesn't have presence, and presence is where the power of ministry really is.
Speaker 1:If you think about it, some of the most meaningful moments in your work as a church staff person aren't scripted and they're not strategic. They're messy and they're holy and they happen in hospital rooms and in living rooms and around circles and prayer huddles, and sometimes you don't need a more efficient spreadsheet. Ai can do that, but you need a leader who can just sit and weep. Don't need a more efficient spreadsheet. Ai can do that, but you need a leader who can just sit and weep. You need somebody who can listen. You need somebody who can just sit there and commiserate with somebody and give spiritual insight. Ai cannot do that. It cannot be there, it cannot be physical. That's your superpower. Okay, your superpower is the Holy Spirit, but you know what I'm saying, okay, so what does this mean for hiring? Because that's everything in my world, because of chemistry, staffing and being one of the co-founders, everything eventually comes down to staffing.
Speaker 1:But what does this mean for hiring in the age of AI? And here's the big mistake, I think, and it's where churches Some churches are starting to get it wrong. They hire somebody who can do it all. They prioritize communication and tech, fluency and organization, but they forget to ask can this person show up when it matters most. So here's a really simple litmus test when everything falls apart, does this person default to presence or performance? Are they pastoring with a heart or hiding behind productivity?
Speaker 1:Because ministry is not just a job, it's not just a system to optimize. Ministry is a calling to be with people and, in the age of AI, being fully present might just be the greatest thing that you can do for anybody in your church. That you can do for anybody in your church. You could say that ministry is evolving and man is it evolving fast? Ai is helpful, but don't forget, people aren't looking for pastors who can code. People aren't looking for pastors that can prompt a good LLM. If you don't know what that is, that's AI. They're looking for leaders who care.
Speaker 1:So I hope this has been challenging for you today. Maybe you're getting ready to hire somebody and you're thinking how do I hire differently? Hopefully this will help. Maybe you're just really you're frustrated that the AI just seems like it's taking over everything and how it's going to take my job. No, I don't think it's going to take your job. To take my job, no, I don't think it's going to take your job. Matter of fact, ai is going to take a lot of jobs, but I don't think it's going to take a lot of ministry jobs, particularly if you're leaning in and really ministering to people. That's something that AI is light years away from. All right, I hope this is helpful and beneficial to you.
Speaker 1:I always enjoy our talks together. I feel like I get to know everybody, but I'd love to hear from you, and you can reach out to me anytime at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Just let me know. Hey, I really liked today, or you were way off, or maybe you should do an episode on this. I would love to hear from you Again, podcast at chemistrystaffingcom, and if there's any way I can help you or your church, feel free to reach out to me anytime. All right, that's it for today. Hope you'll join me again right here tomorrow on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Have a great day.
