Southern Baptist Leaders Release Statement on AI in Christian Ministry

Southern Baptist leaders, in an effort led by Lifeway Christian Resources, have released a new statement intended to help guide pastors and ministers in the application of artificial intelligence (AI).

The “Brentwood Statement on AI and Christian Ministry” was created in conjunction with a 2026 Lifeway Research study that showed some churchgoers are skeptical of the influence of AI in ministry. Lifeway convened a group of Southern Baptist leaders, including pastors, professors, and representatives of Southern Baptist entities, at the organization’s headquarters in Brentwood, Tenn., on April 10, 2026, to craft the statement rooted in biblical principles.

Jason Thacker, assistant professor of philosophy and ethics at Southern Seminary and Boyce College, served as the primary drafter of the statement. Thacker also serves as director of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s Research Institute and senior fellow.

“This project is designed to be a resource for the local church that equips leaders as they navigate the realities of ministry in the age of AI,” Thacker said. “Our hope is to assist churches to critically engage these tools, not uncritically embrace nor reject them. We need to cultivate wisdom to guide our engagement with these tools as we seek to prioritize the unique dignity of all people and personal nature of ministry.”

Key themes of the Brentwood statement include pursuing wisdom, championing God-given dignity, promoting truth and fidelity, cultivating trust and integrity, protecting privacy, representing and proclaiming the kingdom of God, and modeling faithful leadership.

“Since the democratization of generative AI tools to the public, pressure has increased on Christian ministries to provide wise leadership,” said Devin Maddox, publisher for B&H Publishing Group. “Lifeway’s work on the Brentwood Statement was a joint effort with pastors, Christian scholars, and ministry leaders from around the SBC to answer a call to provide disciple-makers with a biblical framework to operate in areas where AI is sure to bring disruption. This is only the beginning of a longer process to think through complex issues that anticipate inevitable change AI is sure to bring to how we do ministry.”

The “Brentwood Statement” includes in its preamble, “While the pervasiveness and complexity of AI continues to increase, it is our hope that these principles continue to assist and serve local churches as they engage their communities with the hope of the gospel and encourage the application of our faith to the entirety of the Christian life, including emerging technologies like AI.”

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