Imagine a newer pastor sitting at a desk late in the week with a difficult biblical text open in front of them. There are notes from commentaries, a half-developed idea, and several questions that have not yet resolved themselves into a sermon. The pastor is tired. AI can turn that unfinished material into a coherent
When AI Does the Work You Need to Practice Read More »
We’ve all seen the memes about AI confidently recommending something or giving an answer that turns out to be completely false. Those of us who work with AI have experienced our own versions: a fact that does not exist, an invented source, a response that misses the question, or an explanation delivered with more confidence
You Cannot Oversee AI You Do Not Understand Read More »
For roughly the last eighteen months, I have spent a great deal of time learning how to use generative artificial intelligence well. I have used it across nearly every part of my work, from research and writing to presentations and routine administration. I have tried different systems, watched them succeed and fail, changed how I
Using AI Is Not the Ethical Question Read More »
A recent conversation about leadership and conflict turned toward a question I have learned to expect. Most of my public work is with churches, pastors, governing bodies, and ministry leaders. I write and teach in Christian language. I speak about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Scripture, Calling, stewardship, and the responsibilities of communal life. How,
What Daoist Formation Contributes to My Christian Work Read More »
My work has taken form through subjects that churches often keep in separate rooms. Calling is treated as spiritual language. Governance belongs to boards. Money belongs to finance committees. Leadership formation belongs to pastors and training programs. Stewardship, discernment, authority, institutional responsibility, and congregational change are often discussed as though each were its own field.
You are new enough to the board that you still bring the whole packet printed and clipped together. You have read the reports twice. You marked one sentence in the financial update because it seemed more careful than clear. You circled a phrase in the outreach committee’s proposal because the partnership sounds promising, but the
The Emotional Climate Beneath Church Decisions Read More »
When I was serving in judicatory leadership, I began to notice something about boundary awareness training. The curriculum focused heavily on sexual ethics. That emphasis made sense. It emerged from real harm, real investigations, and the recognition that abuse had to be addressed directly. Yet over time, it became clear that many other ethical boundaries
Why Congregational Polity Struggles with Boundaries Read More »
