Pastors' concerns about AI
Percent of U.S. Protestant pastors who share each concern about AI, 2026 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: AI content must be edited for errors (84%). Lowest: God shares His Word through people, AI is not a person (55%).
- AI content must be edited for errors: 84%
- Hard to ensure AI uses reliable sources: 81%
- Biases may exist in AI programming: 76%
Source: Lifeway Research, Pastors, Churchgoers See AI as Concerning and Confusing · Phone survey of 1,003 Protestant pastors; 95% confidence, sampling error no more than plus or minus 3.3%. Article published 2026-04-21.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: AI content must be edited for errors (84%). Lowest: God shares His Word through people, AI is not a person (55%). AI content must be edited for errors: 84%. Hard to ensure AI uses reliable sources: 81%. Biases may exist in AI programming: 76%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2026. Source: Lifeway Research, Pastors, Churchgoers See AI as Concerning and Confusing (https://research.lifeway.com/2026/04/21/pastors-churchgoers-see-ai-as-concerning-and-confusing/).
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More Digital & AI statistics
- Americans who agree AI can assist them in understanding the Bible American Bible Society, 2026
- Christians who feel hopeful about AI's potential for good Barna Group, 2026
- Christians who see value in their church offering a digital resource hub Barna Group, 2026
- How pastors approach artificial intelligence Lifeway Research, 2026
- Most common ways pastors use AI in ministry Barna Group, via Gloo, 2026
- Pastors concerned about AI misinterpreting scripture Barna Group, via Gloo, 2026
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.