Learn

In an age centered around how we can get out the maximum amount of content in the shortest amount of time – where AI is taking our words and our ideas and our perspectives and making them as uniform and buttoned up and perfect as possible – people are looking for one thing: something real.

And as the Church, we know we have the realest, most authentic, truest, hope-filled message of all time. But if we can’t build trust with our audience … if our community doesn’t trust us first … then how do we share Jesus with them.

Now, please don’t misunderstand us. We’re not saying the Church shouldn’t use AI. In fact, we’re pro-AI (we’ve even written about it here, here, here and here). AI can be a supportive tool to help you get structured, stay organized and plan your communications so you can focus on your ministry.

But when it comes to writing and creating things that are meant to connect with real people, we believe there needs to be a real person on the other end of it. That’s how a bridge (a.k.a. trust) is formed: from a real person to a real person.

So unless you’re writing for a robot, it’s probably best that you write the content yourself first. And honestly, our team is still figuring this out too. It’s tempting to let AI do the work for us. But is that really what we should be doing? Does it actually connect with people? Maybe sometimes … but we believe there’s a better way. A hybrid way. A way that uses AI as a helper but still keeps humans crafting communication for humans.

Because ultimately, WE are the bridge of trust between Jesus and our communities. And that bridge is only built one way: through authenticity. 

So how do we, as the Church in a time of AI, not lose the humanness. The realness. The only thing that builds true, authentic trust with our audience?

Here are three simple but powerful ways to keep your communication human in an AI-driven world:

1. Write it How You Say it

Bottom line: Real writing sounds like real conversation.

When it’s time to write – whether it’s an email, a social post, a printed piece, a marketing campaign, website copy or anything else – start by writing it how you would say it.

Keep your quirks. Keep the natural pauses. Keep the “ums” and the “likes” and even the occasional rabbit trail (yes, those can be endearing). Sometimes I’ll even use voice-to-text because it helps me capture the most authentic version of myself. (In fact, I used voice-to-text to draft this blog post. 🙃)

At first it feels awkward, but once you get the hang of it, it feels natural - kind of like you’re talking to someone IRL. If you’re inviting someone to an event, you want it to feel like a real person is inviting them, because (spoiler) a real person is inviting them.

Once you’ve written it out, go ahead and use AI for an edit. But give it very clear instructions: “Keep my tone of voice,” “Don’t edit out these specific phrases,” or “Make it sound like I’m talking to a friend over coffee.” Then don’t just copy and paste what it spits out. Read it back through and edit it for your tone of voice. 

This may sound like a lot of steps, but once you get into the rhythm it goes quickly. And it keeps AI in its proper place – as your assistant … not you. 

2. Develop (and Use) Brand Traits

Bottom line: Brand traits give you a filter for authentic communication.

Brand traits often get stuck in a PDF or a style guide and never see the light of day. But they’re meant to be so much more than words on a page.

Brand traits empower you to understand your church’s unique identity and live it out through every piece of communication you create. In fact, just the other day we were about to send an email and someone said, “Hey, can we edit this so it feels more playful?” (Because playful is one of our brand traits.) Without that filter, the email would have gone out not feeling like us. Thank you 🤝 brand traits.

Think about it this way: if your church were a person, what kind of characteristics would it have? Once you know, put everything through that filter. 

This also makes AI way more effective and easier to use. Instead of saying, “Make this better,” you can say, “Make this sound trustworthy and encouraging.” Now AI is working within your voice instead of giving you a generic one. 

The real you = trust with real people. 

3. Use Video

Bottom line: Short, simple, authentic videos build trust easier than polished ones.

Yes, video is essential in 2025, especially on social. But we’re not talking about produced videos. We’re talking about the crazy authentic, personable videos that feel like someone is actually talking directly to you. 

What if, instead of stressing about the perfect caption, you just opened your phone camera, stood by a window, checked the sound, and started talking? No script. No production. Just you (or your pastor or another ministry leader). 

That kind of communication is crazy powerful (I wish I would’ve said something other than crazy powerful, but I’m using talk to text so I’m just gonna keep going.)

Here’s why we love these types of videos: Because there’s no question whether it’s authentic. It’s a human being talking to another human being.

So imagine this: instead of writing out a full Christmas invite, you asked your pastor to record a 45-second video saying whatever they want to say to invite someone to the event. 👀

Then you post it. As is. 

Simple. Human. Real.

Final Encouragement

To the church leader, pastor or communicator who feels overwhelmed by the pace of technology please hear this: You are the best communication asset your church has. 

Not because you always know the perfect thing to say. Not because you’ve mastered every marketing tool. But because you are called. God gave you a specific skillset and a specific nudge and placed you in your specific church & community for a reason.

And even if you don’t get it perfect, if you’re true to you – if you trust your instincts and speak from the heart – you will connect with the people on the other side of the communication asset. 

So the next time you sit down to write or create, lean into who you are. Lean into your church’s unique identity, calling and community. If you write something authentically, it will be read authentically.

If you want to have more conversations with our team about how you can communicate in ways that build trust, we’d love to chat. You can email me or fill out our contact form here. Byyyeee ✌️👋