Recent research from Barna revealed something that stopped me in my tracks: 61% of practicing Christians would trust AI to help them make financial decisions. 56% would trust it for mental health advice. But here's the statistic that should concern every church leader: 48% would trust AI to guide their spiritual growth.
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Let that sink in for a moment. Nearly half of your congregation would rather ask a chatbot about their soul than another human being.
And if your congregation is moving in that direction, there's a strong likelihood your staff team is headed there too.
People aren't turning to AI because it's smarter. They're turning to it because it's safer.
Think about it:
When people prefer a machine over a person for deeply personal decisions, that's not a technology problem—that's a trust problem.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17
True spiritual growth happens in the friction and honesty of real relationships, not in the comfort of isolated interactions.
When was the last time somebody on your team was truly vulnerable in a meeting?
Not surface-level "pray for my busy week" vulnerable. I'm talking about raw, honest, messy, "I don't know if I'm cut out for this" kind of vulnerable.
If you can't answer that question—or if you can't remember—that silence might be your answer.
Here's the progression I've observed in countless church staff teams:
Five or ten years ago, we didn't have this option. If we had a dilemma and didn't want to ask someone on our team, we'd have to find a mentor or peer from another church. But now? We start with AI. And that's where everything shifts.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Your staff isn't just mirroring the culture. They're mirroring you.
If you never admit you're struggling, they won't either. If you always seem to have the right answers, they'll stop asking questions. And if you punish doubt or reward performance over honesty, you're training them to trust algorithms over people.
Because here's the deal: at least the algorithm won't fire them for being human. It won't poke fun at them. It won't use their vulnerability against them in the future.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
I'm not anti-AI. I love what AI can bring to the table. But we cannot let AI replace our relationships or our trust in the people we work with. So how do we rebuild—or protect—genuine trust on our teams?
Not by oversharing. Not by trauma-dumping. But through real, appropriate honesty about where you're growing or struggling. When leaders normalize the journey—not just the destination—teams learn it's safe to do the same.
Your meetings can't all be about tasks and timelines. Build in moments for questions like:
If you don't create space for these conversations, your staff will take them to ChatGPT instead.
This is critical. When someone risks honesty, don't immediately fix it. Don't judge it. And absolutely don't weaponize it later in a review or a meeting.
Just listen. Affirm. Validate.
Trust isn't built in a retreat or a training. It's built in a hundred small moments where someone risks honesty and doesn't get punished for it.
Jesus didn't just teach about trust—He modeled it with a ragamuffin team of doubters, deniers, and hotheads. He let Peter fail. He let Thomas question. He let James and John embarrass themselves. And He didn't replace them with a more competent algorithm.
Why? Because the goal wasn't efficiency. It was transformation. And that transformation happened through relationships.
If we're leading teams where people prefer AI over each other, we've traded the incarnational model for something safer and faster—but far less powerful.
"Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." - 1 Thessalonians 2:8
If your team trusts technology more than they trust each other, you don't have a tools problem. You have a safety problem.
The good news? Safety can be rebuilt. Trust can be restored. But it requires leaders who are willing to go first—to model vulnerability, create space for authenticity, and respond to honesty with grace.
Want to assess how healthy your church staff team really is? Take our free 2025 Church Staff Health Assessment and get personalized insights for your team.
What's your experience with this trend? I'd love to hear your thoughts—email me at podcast@chemistrystaffing.com.
About the Author: Todd Rhoades is co-founder of Chemistry Staffing and host of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, where he helps church leaders build thriving teams. With decades of experience in church ministry, Todd provides practical wisdom for the real challenges church staff face every day.