Homepage / Pivot Podcast /#157: AI and Church Leadership: A Theological Framework for Human Flourishing

#157: AI and Church Leadership: A Theological Framework for Human Flourishing

Wes Granberg-Michaelson shares insights from five decades of church leadership about why tending your inner life is essential for sustainable ministry.

AI and church leadership are colliding in ways that demand theological clarity. Dr. Paul Hoffman, author of AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep, joins hosts Terri Elton and Dwight Zscheile to offer a framework for discernment: How might artificial intelligence help or hinder human flourishing? And what does human flourishing mean when we’re created in the image of God? Paul brings both pastoral experience and academic rigor to questions many church leaders are facing: Should AI write sermons? How do we shepherd people forming relationships with chatbots? What embodied practices can help our congregations stay grounded in an increasingly digital world?

Rather than embracing technological solutions or rejecting them entirely, Paul invites church leaders into curiosity and theological reflection. He explores which ministry tasks AI can genuinely assist with and which require irreplaceable human presence. From the incarnation of Jesus to the gathered worship of Christian community, Paul helps us see what technology can never touch and why embodiment matters more than ever. Whether your congregation is already experimenting with AI or you’re just beginning these conversations, this episode offers practical wisdom for shepherding your people through this cultural shift.

Additional Resources

AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep by Paul Hoffman and Sean O'Callaghan
Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Subscribe and Review

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review anywhere you get your podcasts!🎙 Thanks for tuning in to the Pivot Podcast! See you next week!

Featuring

Paul Hoffman

Associate Professor, Director Preministerial Scholars at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama

A native of Maine, Hoffman began his ministry as an ordained church planter with the Conservative Baptist Association, now known as the Venture Church Network, in Denver, Colorado. He most recently served for 18 years as senior pastor of Evangelical Friends Church in Newport, Rhode Island. Hoffman is ordained in both the Conservative Baptist Association and the Evangelical Friends Church tradition.

He holds degrees from Gordon College, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and earned his PhD from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

An accomplished author, Hoffman has written or coauthored three books: Reconciling Places, Preaching to a Divided Nation and AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep. His academic interests include homiletics, ecclesiology, reconciliation, urban mission and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

Hoffman and his wife, Autumn, have been married for 26 years. They have two sons, Landon, 19, and Kelan, 15. In his free time, he enjoys reading, traveling, exercising, spending time with his family and following Premier League soccer.

Hosts

Dwight Zscheile

Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He is the author of Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue, Seabury Books, 2025), Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress Press 2023), Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the U.S. (with Craig Van Gelder, Eerdmans 2018), The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), People of the Way: Renewing Episcopal Identity (Morehouse Publishing, 2012) and The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation (with Craig Van Gelder, Baker Academic 2011), editor of Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation (Eerdmans, 2012), and co-editor (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) of The Starter’s Way: Leading New Contextual Christian Communities (Church Publishing, 2025).

A graduate of Stanford University (BA), Yale University (MDiv) and Luther Seminary (PhD, Congregational Mission and Leadership), Dwight previously served congregations in Minnesota, Virginia and Connecticut. Dwight’s experience growing up in a secular home in California has shaped his commitment to helping the church cultivate Christian community with neighbors in today’s changing world.

Terri Elton

Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. Terri Martinson Elton began teaching at Luther Seminary as an adjunct instructor in 2004 before becoming the director of the Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2008. In addition to her continued work with the Center, Elton accepted the position of associate professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2010 and associate professor of Leadership in 2014.

Prior to her call to Luther Seminary, Elton served as an associate to the bishop in the Saint Paul Area Synod where her responsibilities included working with congregations, leadership development, First Call theological education and youth and family ministry.

Elton holds a B.A. degree in communications from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. (1986). She earned both her M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2007) degrees in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

About Pivot Podcast

Join us on Pivot Podcast, where we journey beyond church-as-usual to discover how God is reshaping ministry for today’s world.

Each week, we dive into conversations with innovative leaders and practitioners who are navigating four game-changing pivots: shifting from quick fixes to deep listening, from membership to discipleship, from rigid models to creative ministry ecosystems, and from clergy-centered leadership to unleashing everyone’s gifts.

Whether you’re a member of the clergy seeking fresh inspiration or a volunteer stepping into new leadership territory, Pivot Podcast equips you with the insights and practical wisdom to follow Jesus into a faithful future.

Through their work with diverse cohorts of preachers, they’ve discovered that the most compelling sermons aren’t necessarily the most polished – they’re the ones where preachers have learned to listen deeply to both God and their congregations. Learn practical tools for gathering meaningful feedback, understand why vulnerability matters more than ever in preaching, and discover how shifting from evaluation to understanding can deepen your sermon’s impact. Plus, hear why reimagining God’s agency in preaching might be the key to unlocking more powerful proclamation.

Recent episodes