'AI can generate sermons but cannot convey a life,' Korean pastors say at AI-era preaching conference

Artificial intelligence may be able to generate polished sermons, complete with structure, illustrations and theological analysis, but it cannot embody lived faith, suffering or spiritual encounter, speakers said at a Korean church conference examining the future of preaching in the AI era.

The “Pathway Preaching Conference,” held Feb. 26 at Good Shepherd Church in Seongnam, south of Seoul, brought together pastors, associate ministers and seminary students under the theme, “In the Age of AI, How Can Preaching Survive? (Is AI a Friend or a Foe?),” according to reporting by Christian Daily Korea.

Hosted by Good Shepherd Church, the event featured four sessions combining academic analysis and pastoral reflection. Participants said the debate over AI in ministry ultimately raises a deeper question: What is the essence of preaching?

Speakers acknowledged that AI tools are already capable of drafting sermons, generating illustrations, conducting biblical exegesis and even mimicking a preacher’s tone and style. But they cautioned against allowing technology to replace what they described as the incarnational and communal dimensions of Christian proclamation.

Rev. Kim Da-wi, senior pastor of Good Shepherd Church, framed the discussion around what he called “incarnational preaching,” arguing that the heart of Christian faith lies not in information transfer but in embodiment.

“If AI is used as a supplementary tool — such as for image generation or infographic production — it can become a helpful ally,” Kim said. “But when it attempts to replace the spiritual encounter, embodiment and resonance that lie at the heart of preaching, it becomes a threat.”

Kim referenced theologian Michael Frost’s concept of the “age of excarnation,” describing a cultural shift in which people retreat behind screens and avoid physical presence. He likened this to a digital echo of early Christian Docetism, a belief rejected by the early church that denied the full humanity of Christ.

An AI-generated sermon, Kim said, may be grammatically precise and theologically coherent, but it lacks lived experience. “Unless it contains real suffering, wounds and tears, it has an inherent limitation,” he said.

He proposed what he termed a “3E holistic cyclical preaching model”: Encounter with God, Embodiment of the Word in the preacher’s life, and Echo — resonance in the congregation through the work of the Holy Spirit. In the AI era, he added, preaching may require a recovery of what he described as “slow spirituality” and “analog spirituality.”

At the same time, Kim suggested that AI could serve as a memory aid rather than a replacement for the preacher. By compiling devotional journals, testimonies and past sermons into a digital database, ministers could use AI as a “second brain” to revisit and reflect on their spiritual journeys. “The preacher is one who embraces souls beyond data,” he said.

Rev. Lee Jung-gyu of Sigwang Church focused on the communal role of the preacher. While acknowledging that AI can now construct doctrinal sermons and detailed exegesis, he argued that preaching is more than message production.

“If we define the preacher as one who leads the story at the center of the community, there is clearly a realm AI cannot replace,” Lee said. “AI can generate a message, but it cannot say it has actually experienced that message.”

Lee emphasized the importance of ethos — the preacher’s history and character — in shaping how sermons are received. Congregants, he said, experience not only the content of a sermon but also the life of the preacher who proclaims it.

“AI can provide information,” he said, “but it cannot share with the community an experience it has lived.”

Other speakers addressed the theological and practical boundaries of AI use in preaching. Prof. Shin Sung-wook of Asia United Theological University examined the issue from a homiletical perspective, outlining both the possibilities and responsibilities involved in adopting AI tools. Rev. Choi Byung-rak of Gangnam Central Baptist Church highlighted the power of testimony and human stories rooted in personal experience — elements he said cannot be replicated by machines.

Throughout the conference, participants described AI as neither inherently friend nor foe, but as a tool requiring discernment. The central concern, speakers agreed, is preserving preaching as an event grounded in lived faith, communal formation and spiritual encounter — dimensions they said no algorithm can fully reproduce.