In recent years, the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in public discourse has increased rapidly, especially since the release of ChatGPT and similar technologies.
Introduction
These advances have not only driven technological innovation, but have also raised profound questions about ethics, humanity and the future of society. The integration of AI into different areas of life has led to discussions about data protection, automation, workplace changes and even existential questions.
However, it is also clear that AI is becoming increasingly important for companies to optimise processes and make decisions. Interestingly, churches and religious communities can also use AI to organise their work better and more efficiently. Whether it's automating administrative tasks, improving communication with parishioners or even facilitating theological studies, AI offers opportunities that can also be of great benefit to religious organisations.
The two previous paragraphs were written exclusively with ChatGPT as an example, based on a very short thematic briefing (the other elements of this text, apart from parts of the conclusion, were written entirely by the author). Ultimately, they pose the question of what significance AI already has in church contexts and could have in the future. This article aims to analyse this on the basis of a current empirical study, while also asking about the general significance of digital communication and tools for church members and employees.
Data basis
The current data in this article is based on the author's own recent survey. The chosen methodology is based on a quantitative, standardised survey. It was conducted from February to August 2023 by Macromedia University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with and with the financial support of the insurer im Raum der Kirchen (VRK). The study was aimed equally at members and employees of all Christian churches in Germany. A total of 5,365 people took part.
In order to reach this very heterogeneous target group, which does not exist anywhere as a standardised data set or sample, two approaches were used: On the one hand, links to the survey were actively distributed in cooperation with various regional churches, dioceses and other church organisations via their mailing lists and through the project partners VRK and Macromedia University's own press and media work. On the other hand, around 40,000 VRK customers were contacted.
Most respondents are female (53.7 per cent), between 50 and 59 years old (32.5 per cent) and have completed a (specialist) university degree as their highest educational qualification (52.7 per cent). 86.2 per cent are members of a Christian church in Germany (the others are mainly employees of church institutions who are not church members), of which 59.8 per cent are Protestant and 33.2 per cent Roman Catholic. Of the total number of respondents, 52.3 per cent work full-time in a church organisation, by which is meant the established church as well as Caritas or Diakonie, for example.
In the last-mentioned subsample of church employees, there is a certain male predominance (59.1 per cent), a dominance of 50 to 59-year-olds (33.1 per cent) and an even higher proportion of university graduates (54.7 per cent). The most strongly represented occupational groups are administrative staff (19.3 per cent), pastors (17.9 per cent), educators (7.9 per cent), social education workers (7.8 per cent) and nurses (6.1 per cent). Due to the approach described above, the study is not fully representative, but in view of the high number of respondents and the fact that it is only carried out within the church, it provides exciting current insights.
AI as a (non-)topic
As a sub-aspect, the study asked church employees in August 2023 to what extent artificial intelligence technologies were already in use in their respective organisations. Only 1.3 per cent of respondents stated that a whole range of corresponding solutions were already in use; however, 5.1 per cent said that this was the case for at least the very first AI tools. When looking into the future of the use of AI technologies, 2.0 per cent stated that this was currently being planned, 1.4 per cent expected this to happen within the next 12 months and 4.4 per cent within the next two to three years.
However, the statement "The use of AI technologies is not (yet) an issue for our organisation" was by far the most popular among respondents: a full 83.3 percent of the church employees surveyed agreed with this. This is somewhat shocking in that in a comparable survey conducted two years earlier, only 7.9 per cent of "normal" German companies had selected such a negative statement. The level of engagement with AI in church organisations is therefore only one tenth of what the majority of German companies are planning and doing.
If we look at the current development of church membership and, at least in the medium term, that of church organisations, not only in Germany, such an extremely reserved attitude at least seems worth discussing: AI use would offer a wide range of future-proof (partial) solutions, particularly with regard to administrative tasks (in an administration that is undergoing a reduction in personnel) or communicative challenges (in a church communication that is equipped with ever fewer resources across the board).
Demographics of AI statements
In this context, it is also interesting to look at the demographic and other characteristics of AI non-users and non-planners (i.e. those who selected "no topic") in the survey data in relation to the values for AI users and planners (i.e. all others).
AI users tend to be male (52.3 per cent), somewhat younger (18.6 to 15 per cent in the 40-49 age group), have a higher level of education (62.9 to 53.5 per cent university degree) and tend to be Protestant (61.9 to 57.9 per cent in our sample). Administrative staff (18.6 per cent), nurses (8.1 per cent) and teachers at church schools (5.5 per cent) are particularly well represented as professional groups. In terms of media, AI users are also more interested in central church media than AI non-users (e.g. the website of the regional church or the diocese with 45.2 instead of 40.8 per cent).
Among AI non-users and non-planners, the basic values are correspondingly reversed: a slightly higher proportion of women (57.7 per cent), slightly older (40.8 to 37.7 per cent in the 50-59 age group), with a slightly lower level of formal education (e.g. 18.6 to 11.8 per cent have a high school diploma as their highest qualification) and more likely to be Catholic (35.1 to 33 per cent in the sample). A particularly strong occupational group in this context are educators (9.8 per cent) and social workers (9.4 per cent). People who do not use AI also avoid further training on digital topics more frequently, even though this would be helpful in their job (e.g. operating application programmes at 31.9 to 24.2 percent).
Among pastors, on the other hand, there is a very balanced picture of supporters and sceptics with regard to AI: 20.3 percent of AI users are pastors, but almost as many as 20.6 percent of AI non-users. These results can help church organisations to perhaps carry out AI pilot tests and introductions primarily among those groups of people who tend to have a more positive attitude towards the topic.
No astonishment
Nevertheless, such a result, as outlined above for AI, may surprise all those who are generally familiar with digital communication in the church environment, possibly in its clarity, but certainly not in its very sceptical tendency. This is shown - from the same study and also surveyed among church employees - by attitudes towards the importance of social media in external communication.
If you ask about the role that social media (i.e. applications such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp etc.) play in external communication in the day-to-day work of your own organisation in a church context, the results are sobering. The largest bar is "very low" at 36.4 per cent. The two positive values "large" and "very large" (the so-called "top box"), on the other hand, together only come to 29.5 per cent.
If these results are also compared with those for companies as a whole, the church figures are roughly on a par with the company values of 2013 (at that time, 32.7 per cent formed the TopBox; in 2022, it was 64.3 per cent). To put it bluntly: The use of social media in external communication in the church sector lags almost exactly a decade behind that of private sector organisations.
Institution ≠ Person
However, as much as the church in Germany as an institution follows digital developments such as AI or social media by a wide margin in many areas (and this applies to both denominations, albeit with certain differences!), this is not the case for church members and employees as individuals.
This is shown by other general results of the study: 48.9 per cent of respondents use the internet for 1-3 hours a day, 22.5 per cent for up to five hours and 17.0 per cent for six or more hours; in contrast, 53.5 per cent no longer read the printed daily newspaper at all. It is interesting to note that the Christian clientele already prefers Instagram (58.4 per cent) to Facebook (52.6 per cent) when it comes to social media channels, ahead of the overall population. Much of this
also applies into old age.
Church members primarily use the website of their own church or parish for religious purposes (46.6 per cent); the services offered by the same organisation on social media such as Facebook, on the other hand, only attract around half as much attention (22.5 per cent). Online church services are still very popular (56.2 per cent) even after the coronavirus period. As many as one in five church members (19.6 per cent) already follow a Christian influencer - more than half of them because they perceive the person to be "authentic in their faith" (10.1 per cent).
Conclusion and outlook
Since this text was about AI and its acceptance, ChatGPT will be used again for the summary, as announced, this time with a little more editing: This empirical study shows that only a small number of employees in church organisations consider the use of AI to be a current or future topic. This reluctance contrasts with the wider corporate landscape, which is already pursuing more far-reaching plans to implement AI.
The demographic analysis of the study shows interesting differences between those who use or plan to use AI and those who consider the topic irrelevant. AI users tend to be male, younger, more highly educated and more often Protestant and from specialised professional groups. These results can help church organisations to develop targeted strategies for the introduction of AI, especially among groups of people who are more positive about the topic.
The cautious attitude of church organisations towards AI is also linked to other digital developments. The use of social media in the external communication of churches, for example, lags far behind that of other organisations. This finding illustrates that institutional reticence does not necessarily reflect the attitude of church members and employees as individuals. In fact, the study shows that church members actively use digital media, especially to access church content and community experiences.
In light of these findings, the question arises as to how church organisations can improve their digital presence and fully exploit the potential of AI and other digital technologies. A strategic approach is needed that takes into account the needs and interests of church members while reflecting on the ethical and theological dimensions of the use of AI. Through open discussion and targeted training, church organisations can empower their staff to use digital tools effectively and support the mission of the churches in an increasingly digital world.
