Artificial intelligence is already changing how pastors research, write, communicate, and manage the practical demands of ministry. But does using AI necessarily make a preacher less faithful, less authentic, or less dependent upon God?
Mike Neglia speaks with pastor, theologian, and AI developer Miles DeBenedictis about the opportunities and ethical challenges that artificial intelligence presents for Christian ministry. Rather than offering either uncritical enthusiasm or fearful rejection, Miles encourages pastors to think carefully about authorship, disclosure, human responsibility, and the nature of consciousness itself.
The conversation explores practical uses of AI in sermon preparation and church administration, including research assistance, prayer-request processing, Bible translation, and tools that can preserve more time for prayer, pastoral care, and the ministry of the Word. Mike and Miles also consider the dangers of pastoral deepfakes, cloned voices, deceptive content, autonomous AI agents, and outsourcing the spiritual and intellectual work that belongs to the preacher.
At the heart of the episode is a deeper theological question: what does it mean to be human? Miles argues that the church needs a robust biblical anthropology—grounded in the image of God—if it is going to respond wisely to claims about machine intelligence and artificial consciousness.
The episode concludes with a practical look at SermonBrief, a research tool designed to assist preachers without writing their sermons for them, and a memorable reminder that AI generally amplifies the habits, convictions, and character already present in the person using it.
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About Miles DeBenedictis
Miles DeBenedictis is the senior pastor of Cross Connection Church in Escondido, California, where he has served since 2008. He has nearly three decades of pastoral and Bible-teaching experience and is pursuing doctoral studies in artificial intelligence ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Miles is also the founder and CEO of Nomion AI, which develops technology for churches, pastors, and Christian organizations. His ministry and technology work has included collaboration with Enduring Word and Blue Letter Bible.
Cross Connection Church
https://ccchurch.com/
Miles DeBenedictis on Substack
https://pastormiles.substack.com/
Nomion AI
https://nomion.ai/
Line Upon Line — Miles DeBenedictis teaching archive
https://www.lineuponline.com/
Miles DeBenedictis at Blue Letter Bible
https://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/debenedictis_miles/
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
https://www.sbts.edu/
Resources mentioned
Ministry and preaching resources
SermonBrief — AI-assisted sermon research created to support the preacher’s study without writing the sermon
https://sermonbrief.com/
Docent Group — the sermon-research service that helped inspire aspects of SermonBrief
https://www.docentgroup.com/sermon-research
Dispatch — church communication and administrative tools developed by Nomion AI
https://dispatch.church/
Enduring Word Bible Commentary
https://enduringword.com/
Blue Letter Bible
https://www.blueletterbible.org/
Line Upon Line
https://www.lineuponline.com/
Tools, Not Taskmasters: A Christian Dominion Diagnostic for AI — Miles DeBenedictis
https://pastormiles.substack.com/p/tools-not-taskmasters-a-christian
Books mentioned
The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World — Iain McGilchrist
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300245929/the-master-and-his-emissary/
The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World — Iain McGilchrist
https://channelmcgilchrist.com/matter-with-things/
Mere Christianity — C. S. Lewis
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/mere-christianity-c-s-lewis
