# A church AI policy you can adopt this month. > Most churches already use AI: in sermon prep, in the bulletin, in the software that runs giving. Few have written down the rules. This template gives your staff and volunteers plain rules for preaching, pastoral care, children, data, disclosure, and fake messages in a pastor’s name. Fill in your church’s details on the page, change anything, and adopt it through your elders or board. Canonical source: https://www.lumin.faith/church-ai-policy Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-30 Maintained by Andrew Kittridge, Founder of Lumin. Editorial standards: https://www.lumin.faith/editorial-standards.md Cite this page: “Church AI Policy Template (Free, Editable).” Lumin. Published September 22, 2026; updated September 30, 2026. https://www.lumin.faith/church-ai-policy ## Four decisions to make first - **How much do you disclose about sermons?** Section 3 offers three options. Decide as a leadership team, then say it publicly. Churchgoers are split: Lifeway Research found 44% see nothing wrong with AI-assisted sermon prep and 43% disagree. - **Which tools are approved, and who owns them?** An approved list with a named owner for each account prevents church data from ending up in a dozen personal accounts. - **Who answers questions?** Name a person. Staff will ask “can I use it for this?” every week. A policy without a person to ask gets ignored. - **How will you tell the congregation?** A short announcement and a link to the adopted policy builds more trust than discovering AI use later. ## The template Download: https://www.lumin.faith/downloads/church-ai-policy-template.md Version 1.1 (September 30, 2026) adds section 10 on impersonation, voice cloning, and giving scams, and ready-to-paste text for your bulletin and website. On the page, a short form writes your church’s name, contacts, dates, and choices into the bracketed blanks as you type, then copies, prints, or downloads the result. Nothing typed into the form leaves the browser. Under some clauses, a note links to related entries in the church statements library. Together they span every tradition in the library, and they are the same for every church. ### [Church name] Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence Adopted by [the elders / the church council / the board] on [adoption date]. Reviewed each year in [review month]. Questions go to [contact name], [contact role], at [contact email]. #### 1. Why we have this policy - Every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Our worth, and the worth of the people we serve, does not depend on what a machine can do. - We are called to put away falsehood and speak truthfully (Ephesians 4:25). How we use AI must be honest. - We love our neighbors (Mark 12:31). That includes guarding what they tell us in confidence. - AI is a tool. It may help us work. It does not preach, pastor, pray, prophesy, or carry spiritual authority. > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [Antiqua et nova (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#antiqua-et-nova-2025), [Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s addresses (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#bartholomew-2025), [Lausanne Movement report (2024)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#lausanne-2024), [Southern Baptist Convention resolution (2023)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#sbc-2023). #### 2. Who and what this covers - All staff, elders, deacons, and volunteers acting on behalf of [Church name]. - Any AI tool used for church work, including chat assistants, image and audio generators, transcription and translation services, and AI features built into software we already use. - Church accounts and devices, and personal accounts or devices when they are used for church work. #### 3. Preaching and teaching - Preachers and teachers may use AI for research, outlining, finding cross-references, checking grammar, and testing an illustration. - The preacher studies the passage personally. AI output is a starting point to verify, never a finished word for the congregation. - Every Scripture reference and quotation produced with AI help is opened and checked before it is taught. - We do not present AI-generated text as a personal prayer, testimony, prophecy, or word from God. - Disclosure: [Choose one: (a) we tell the congregation when AI drafted a substantial part of a sermon or lesson; (b) we disclose AI use on request and in this published policy; (c) describe your own practice] > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [Brentwood Statement (2026)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#brentwood-statement-2026), [Methodist Church in Britain guidance (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#methodist-church-britain-2025), [Episcopal Church resolutions and task force (2024)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#episcopal-church-2024), [Southern Baptist Convention resolution (2023)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#sbc-2023). #### 4. Pastoral care and counseling - We never enter information that identifies a person in pastoral care (names, situations, confessions, health, family details) into an AI tool. - AI is not a counselor. We do not refer people to a chatbot in place of a pastor, counselor, or doctor. - Anyone who expresses thoughts of self-harm, abuse, or danger is connected with a person right away: [pastoral care contact], a licensed professional, or emergency services (988 in the U.S.). - Condolence notes, hospital visits, and care messages come from a person. AI may help with wording; a person writes and signs them. > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [Methodist Church in Britain guidance (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#methodist-church-britain-2025), [Antiqua et nova (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#antiqua-et-nova-2025), [Lausanne Movement report (2024)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#lausanne-2024). #### 5. Children and youth - We do not upload photos, names, or information about minors to AI tools. - We do not recommend AI companion or character chatbots to children or teenagers. - When AI is used in children’s or youth teaching, parents are told how and why. - We follow the age rules of each tool and applicable law. > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [U.S. Catholic bishops’ task force (2026)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#usccb-task-force-2026), [ELCA issue paper (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#elca-issue-paper-2025), [Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s addresses (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#bartholomew-2025). #### 6. Personal data and privacy - We do not enter members’ names, contact details, prayer requests, giving records, or health information into AI tools, except in tools listed in section 9 that have a written data agreement. - Where a tool allows it, we turn off the use of our data for training. - Prayer requests are shared only with the people the requester has permitted. - If personal data is entered by mistake, tell [data contact] the same day so it can be deleted and, if needed, the person informed. > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [Brentwood Statement (2026)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#brentwood-statement-2026), [Anglican Church of Canada resolution (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#anglican-church-of-canada-2025), [Methodist Church in Britain guidance (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#methodist-church-britain-2025). #### 7. Worship, communications, and media - AI-generated images, audio, or video used in worship or church communications are labeled as AI-generated when a reasonable person could mistake them for real. - We never create AI images, voices, or quotes of real people, including church members, without their permission. - We respect copyright for lyrics, Scripture translations, and artwork, whether or not AI produced the output. - A person reviews every AI-assisted post, email, or bulletin item before it goes out under the church’s name. > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [Anglican Church of Canada resolution (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#anglican-church-of-canada-2025), [Episcopal Church resolutions and task force (2024)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#episcopal-church-2024). #### 8. Administration and decisions about people - AI may help draft documents, summarize meetings, and organize schedules. - Decisions about people are made by people: hiring, discipline, membership, benevolence, and pastoral assignments. - We do not use AI to screen, rank, or profile members, visitors, or applicants. > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [Episcopal Church resolutions and task force (2024)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#episcopal-church-2024), [Rome Call for AI Ethics (2020)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#rome-call-2020). #### 9. Approved tools - Approved for general use: [tool, account owner]. - Approved for use with personal data (written data agreement in place): [tool, account owner, date of agreement]. - To request a new tool, ask [tool approver]. Approval considers what data the tool stores, whether it trains on our data, and who can see it. > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [Methodist Church in Britain guidance (2025)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#methodist-church-britain-2025). #### 10. Impersonation, voice cloning, and giving scams Matthew 10:16 in the Lumin Translation: “Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” AI can copy a voice from a short clip posted online, and a fake account can borrow a pastor’s name and photo. These rules tell our people how the church does and does not ask for money, so a fake is easier to spot. - Our pastors, staff, and volunteers will never ask anyone by text, email, direct message, or phone call to buy gift cards, wire money, send cryptocurrency, or share a password, bank detail, or verification code. - Gifts to [Church name] are given only through [giving methods]. We never ask for a gift through a new link, a new account number, or someone’s personal account. - We do not ask for money in a hurry or in secret. A real request from the church can wait while you check it. - A familiar voice, name, or photo does not prove a message is real. To check one, do not reply or use any number or link it gives. Call the church office at [church office phone], a number you already know, or ask a pastor in person. - Our official phone numbers, email addresses, and social media accounts are listed at [church website]. We tell the congregation before we add a new one. - Report a suspected fake to the church office the same day, even if you did not answer it. We will warn the congregation and report the fake account to the platform it came from. No one who was fooled will be shamed. - If you sent money or shared account details, call your bank or card issuer right away and report it to local police. - We never use an AI copy of a leader’s voice or face to ask members for anything. #### 11. Accountability - Each of us remains responsible for anything we publish, teach, or send, however it was drafted. - Mistakes are corrected openly and quickly. - This policy is reviewed each year in [review month] by [the elders / the church council / the board], in light of Scripture, our tradition’s teaching, and what we have learned. - I have read and will follow this policy. Name: [ ] Role: [ ] Date: [ ] > Your diocese, conference, presbytery, or denomination’s policy comes first. Related in Lumin’s church statements library: [Brentwood Statement (2026)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#brentwood-statement-2026), [World Council of Churches statement (2023)](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai#wcc-2023). #### Appendix: ready-to-paste text ##### Scam warning For the bulletin, a slide, or an email. Run it again whenever a fake appears. > Watch for fake messages from “your pastor.” Scammers pretend to be church leaders. They send texts, emails, and even calls in a copied voice, asking for gift cards or a quick, quiet favor. [Church name] will never ask you by text, email, message, or phone to buy gift cards, wire money, send cryptocurrency, or share a password or code. We receive gifts only through [giving methods]. If you get a message like this, don’t reply or pay. Call the church office at [church office phone], and tell us so we can warn others. ##### How our church uses AI For your website, on the about or staff page. > How [Church name] uses AI. Our staff and volunteers sometimes use AI tools for research, drafting, scheduling, and translation. A person reviews every AI-assisted post, email, and bulletin item before it goes out. We do not put pastoral care conversations or information about children into AI tools, and members’ personal information goes only into tools we have approved with a written data agreement. Our preachers study each passage themselves, and every verse an AI tool suggests is checked before it is taught. We never present AI-generated text as a prayer, testimony, prophecy, or word from God. Our AI policy was adopted by [the elders / the church council / the board] on [adoption date]. Questions go to [contact name] at [contact email]. --- Template version 1.1 from https://www.lumin.faith/church-ai-policy. Free to copy, edit, and adopt. Not legal advice. Scripture quotation from the Lumin Translation. ## Common questions ### Does our church need an AI policy? If anyone on staff or any volunteer uses AI for church work, yes. In a September 2025 Lifeway Research survey, 42% of Protestant pastors were regular users of AI or experimenting with it. A short policy protects members’ privacy and keeps preaching and pastoral care honest. ### Can we use this template for free? Yes. Copy it, edit it, and adopt it. No attribution is required, though a link back helps other churches find it. ### Should pastors disclose AI use in sermons? Traditions differ, so the template offers options. The Southern Baptist Convention’s 2023 resolution and the Brentwood Statement both call for honesty and transparency in how Christians use AI. Whatever you choose, never present generated text as a personal word from God. ### What should never go into an AI tool? Anything that identifies a person in pastoral care, prayer requests, giving records, health information, and anything about children. The Methodist Church in Britain’s guidance and the Brentwood Statement both put data protection near the top. ### How should a church warn members about AI voice-clone scams? Tell them ahead of time exactly how the church will and will not ask for money, and give them one number to call. Scammers can copy a pastor’s voice from public sermons, so a familiar voice proves nothing. Section 10 of the template sets those rules, and the appendix has a bulletin warning you can paste. ### Does the form on this page send our information anywhere? No. The form fills in the template inside your browser. Nothing you type is sent to Lumin or saved, and the download is made on your own device. ### Is this legal advice? No. It is a pastoral and practical template. Check data protection and employment rules for your country or state, and have your church’s counsel review it if you have one. ## About Lumin Lumin is a Bible AI companion for iPhone and iPad: Ask with cited Scripture, Bible Coach beside the chapter, guided prayer, and Sermon Week. Free to start: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lumin-bible-ai-companion/id6754889412 ## Free tools from Lumin - [Bible verse checker](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-verse-checker.md): Free tool and API: does this Bible reference exist, and do the quoted words match it? - [How to choose a Christian AI](https://www.lumin.faith/christian-ai-tools.md): Six questions for evaluating any Christian AI app, with Lumin’s published answer to each. - [What churches have said about AI](https://www.lumin.faith/church-statements-on-ai.md): Library of official church and denominational statements on artificial intelligence, each dated and linked to its source. - [Faith and AI small group guide](https://www.lumin.faith/faith-and-ai-small-group.md): Free four-week small group curriculum on faith and AI with films, Lumin Translation passages, discussion questions, and leader notes. - [Kids, teens, and AI chatbots](https://www.lumin.faith/kids-and-ai.md): Guide for Christian parents on children, teens, AI companions, and faith chatbots, with current safety rules and a printable family AI plan. - [Bible study prompts](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-study-prompts.md): Copyable Bible study prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any assistant, designed to force checkable citations. - [Christian AI glossary](https://www.lumin.faith/christian-ai-glossary.md): Plain-language glossary of AI terms for Christians and churches. - [The Lumin Translation](https://www.lumin.faith/lumin-translation.md): Provenance of the Lumin Translation 2.0, the Bible text in Lumin’s reader and verse checker: drafted with AI from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek (Leningrad Codex and Nestle-Aland, via STEPBible), checked verse by verse against them, approved by Lumin, with every correction listed.