The Internet has long provided missionaries and churches with opportunities to reach people who might never enter a church building. We are now exploring another way to extend that outreach: carefully designed artificial-intelligence chatbots placed on ministry websites.
These chatbots allow visitors to ask questions in ordinary language and receive immediate answers. Someone may want to know what the Bible says about salvation, prayer, Heaven, Christian living, or a difficult passage of Scripture. Another visitor may simply be looking for information already published on a ministry’s website. Instead of searching through menus and numerous pages, the visitor can ask a question directly.
Our purpose is not to replace pastors, missionaries, churches, or personal evangelism. Artificial intelligence cannot pray, exercise spiritual discernment, or replace the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is simply a tool—much like a website, tract, radio broadcast, or Bible-search program—that may help place biblical truth before someone at the moment he is seeking an answer.
We are developing these chatbots with firm doctrinal safeguards. Scripture quotations must come from the King James Version. Answers must reflect conservative, fundamental, Independent Baptist doctrine. The Gospel must be presented clearly: salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not through baptism, church membership, good works, or religious ceremonies. The system must also uphold Christ’s death for all, eternal security, believer’s baptism by immersion, and other foundational Bible doctrines.
Accuracy is one of our greatest concerns. Artificial-intelligence systems can sometimes provide incorrect information or confidently invent details. We are therefore giving the chatbots carefully written instructions and connecting them with approved ministry material. We are testing how well they locate that material, answer unusual questions, handle dates and schedules, and respond graciously when a visitor is upset or does not want assistance. They are also instructed never to invent facts about a church or ministry.
Privacy and stewardship are equally important. We are studying operating costs, less-expensive model options, and legitimate credit programs. However, we do not want to save money by weakening doctrinal reliability or unnecessarily sharing visitors’ conversations. Our present goal is dependable, respectful answers at a modest and controllable cost.
Early testing has already revealed both the promise and limitations of this technology. Small adjustments can greatly improve whether the chatbot finds the correct information. Stronger AI models generally follow detailed doctrinal instructions more reliably, while cheaper models may require additional testing before they can be trusted in public ministry.
This remains a developing project. We are proceeding carefully, testing each part, correcting problems, and refusing shortcuts that could undermine biblical truth. Please pray that God will give us wisdom, discernment, and the resources needed to use this new tool responsibly. Our desire is simple: to help more people find truthful answers, encounter the Word of God, and hear that salvation is available through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
