Artificial Intelligence and Church Revitalization: Reaching the Next Generation

 The local church has always lived at the intersection of God’s unchanging truth and the ever-changing culture of the world. From the moment Paul preached in Athens, using the “unknown god” as a bridge to the gospel, the church has had to interpret culture for the sake of mission. Today, we stand at another such crossroads. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not a passing trend—it is a seismic cultural shift that is shaping the worldview, habits, and expectations of Generation Z.

For churches engaged in revitalization, this reality demands urgent attention. Revitalization is about rediscovering the church’s mission, reengaging communities, and reproducing disciples. To ignore AI is to ignore the very cultural language of the next generation. To fear AI is to miss its redemptive potential. To embrace it wisely is to equip a generation to live out the gospel in a world reshaped by algorithms.

Let's explore how AI intersects with church revitalization and how we can reach Gen Z with timeless truth in a rapidly changing world.

 Gen Z and AI: A Cultural Snapshot

The Gallup-Walton Family Foundation’s 2025 report, Voices of Gen Z: Preparing the Heartland for an AI Future, offers critical insights into how young people are engaging AI. More than three-quarters (77%) of Gen Z in the Heartland states have used generative AI, and 43% use it at least weekly. Among high schoolers, that number climbs to 55%.

Yet while adoption is high, preparedness is low. Only 10% of K-12 students in the Heartland believe their teachers have prepared them to use AI in future jobs. Similarly, only 9% of Gen Z workers feel “extremely prepared” to use AI in their current roles. Most workplaces and schools lack clear policies or training. Over half of Gen Z employees say AI either “does not exist” for their work or that their employer has no clear AI policy.

This disconnect is striking: Gen Z is experimenting with AI daily, while their institutions lag behind. The result is both opportunity and anxiety. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of students express worry about how AI will affect their future. At the same time, about half (51%) of students say they would be interested in a class that taught them how to use AI. Jeff Reed from the church.digital and I had a similar conversation in 2023 about who will educate robots.

For the church, these statistics reveal a mission field that is often overlooked: a generation deeply immersed in AI, curious about its possibilities, yet longing for wisdom and guidance.

Why This Matters for Church Revitalization

Revitalization is not about chasing trends. It’s about helping churches rediscover their biblical mission and respond to the realities of their community. AI is one of those realities.

Here are three key intersections between AI and revitalization:

1. Cultural Exegesis: Understanding Gen Z’s World

Paul told the Corinthians, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). That call still applies. To reach Gen Z, we must understand their daily lives. And for many, AI is already an integral part of their daily rhythm.

The Gallup-Walton study found that more than four in ten Gen Zers in the Heartland use AI on a weekly basis. High school students are the most active adopters, with over half engaging in the activity weekly. This means that when pastors preach, when youth leaders disciple, and when churches evangelize, they are speaking to young people who are already experimenting with AI as a normal part of their lives.

Ignoring this is like ignoring the printing press in the Reformation or the internet in the 1990s. Revitalization requires cultural fluency. If AI is shaping the questions Gen Z asks, then the church must be prepared with gospel answers.

2. Discipleship in an AI Age

AI is not just a tool—it’s a worldview shaper. Young people are using it for homework, creativity, and problem-solving. Yet few have guides to navigate its ethical and spiritual implications.

Consider these discipleship questions:

• What does it mean to pray when AI can answer questions instantly?
• How do we discern truth in a world where AI “hallucinations” present falsehoods as fact?
• How do we resist the temptation to outsource wisdom to algorithms rather than the Spirit of God?

Only 10% of students say their teachers are preparing them for this reality. That leaves a discipleship gap that the church is uniquely positioned to fill. Revitalized churches can be centers of wisdom where the next generation learns how to integrate faith and technology.

3. Equipping for Mission

The study also highlights the role of role models and policies. Two-thirds (66%) of students whose schools permit AI use are weekly users, compared to 44% where schools ban or ignore it. Likewise, 73% of children whose parents use AI weekly also use it weekly.

This mirrors discipleship. Young people tend to follow the patterns set by those who lead them. What if the church became the place where Gen Z learned not just how to use AI, but why—to glorify God, serve neighbor, and share the gospel?

Revitalization is not about making the church trendy. It’s about equipping the saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:12). In an AI world, which means equipping the next generation to live faithfully in their cultural context.

Practical Pathways for Churches

So what does this look like in practice? Here are several ways churches can engage AI as part of revitalization:

1. Teach Biblical Discernment in a Digital Age

Scripture is clear that wisdom is more valuable than gold (Prov. 3:13-15). Young people are being flooded with information from AI, but they need wisdom to discern truth. Sermons, small groups, and classes can address digital discernment. Imagine a youth series titled AI, Truth, and the Gospel.

2. Equip Leaders in AI Literacy

Pastors don’t need to become AI experts, but they must understand its basics. Church leaders can take workshops or webinars to learn how AI affects communication, ethics, and discipleship. The goal is not fear but faithful stewardship.

3. Model Healthy AI Use

Churches can utilize AI transparently—for sermon research, administrative tasks, or communication purposes. Doing so with integrity models to Gen Z that technology can be stewarded, not worshiped.

4. Create Intergenerational Mentorship

Pair tech-savvy Gen Z students with older members for “reverse mentoring.” Students can teach digital skills, while older believers impart biblical wisdom. This builds unity and discipleship across generations.

5. Serve the Community as a Training Center

Just as schools are failing to prepare students for AI, the church can step into the gap. Hosting workshops on digital ethics, AI and creativity, or faith-and-tech integration could bless the community and reestablish the church as a trusted leader.

The Missional Lens

AI also raises deep missional questions. The Gallup-Walton report reveals that less than half of Gen Z workers (47%) believe AI gives employees an advantage. Many are skeptical about its value. This skepticism creates a space for the gospel: a reminder that hope and security are not found in technology but in Christ.

Paul’s words in Colossians 1:17—“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together”—remind us that no algorithm sustains the universe. Only Christ does. When young people express anxiety about AI, the church can offer the peace of the gospel.

A Call to Courageous Engagement

Church revitalization is about courage—courage to face decline honestly, courage to return to first love, and courage to engage the future with faith. AI will reshape education, work, relationships, and ministry. But it will never replace the church’s calling to make disciples of all nations.

If Gen Z is already living in an AI-shaped world, then the revitalized church must be present there too—not to conform but to transform. The opportunity is vast: to disciple a generation that longs for wisdom in a world of information, truth in a world of noise, and eternal hope in a world chasing innovation.

The local church has always been God’s plan A for reaching the world. And in this moment, AI is not a threat to that mission—it is a context for it.

The Gospel is still the power of God.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way people learn, work, and connect. For Gen Z, it is already part of daily life. The church cannot afford to ignore this. Revitalization requires us to understand the times and know what to do (1 Chron. 12:32).

The gospel is still the power of God for salvation. But the context in which we proclaim it is shifting. AI represents both a challenge and an opportunity. For revitalized churches, the choice is clear: embrace the challenge, engage the culture, and equip the next generation for faithful witness in an AI world.

If we do, we will not only reach Gen Z, but we will raise up a generation of disciple-makers who know how to live wisely and missionally in the age of algorithms.