AI Playbook for Churches

• Start with: sermon study notes or a sermon-to-small-group guide
• Save as a skill: your study method, tradition, trusted sources, and voice rules
• Connect: sermon archive, series plan, Planning Center Services
• First agent: sermon study packet assistant (research only, never writes the sermon)
• Measure: prep hours spent on research vs. prayer, writing, and people

• Start with: first-time guest follow-up or a care-team visit schedule
• Save as a skill: next-steps pathway, follow-up timing, privacy rules
• Connect: Planning Center People and Workflows (read-only), care calendar
• First agent: first-time guest follow-up coordinator
• Measure: guests contacted within 48 hours, second-visit rate

# Sermon Content Multiplier

## Job to be done
Turn each Sunday sermon into a week of discipleship content.

## When it runs
When the final sermon transcript is added to the archive folder.

## Approved context
Final transcript, series plan, voice guide, channel calendar.

## Operating loop
Extract the big idea and key lines; draft recap email, group guide, devotionals, and social captions; mark quoted lines for pastor approval.

## What it delivers
A content set by channel with a pastor-approval list.

## Human owner
Communications lead schedules; pastor approves quotes.

## What it must never do
Never publish, add teaching that wasn't preached, or alter quotes.

## How to measure it
Content ready by Monday noon, group guide usage, engagement on recap content.

## Operating rules
1. Use only approved sources and follow the linked church skill.
2. Cite source records and separate facts from assumptions.
3. Route missing information, safety concerns, and pastoral matters to the human owner.
4. Keep a record of trigger, inputs, output, reviewer, decision, and override.
5. Stop and ask for human review when policy, theology, evidence, or approval authority is unclear.
6. Never handle counseling details, minors' information, or named giving data beyond what the owner approved.

# Member Check-In Watch

## Job to be done
Help shepherds notice people who may need a caring check-in.

## When it runs
Monthly, after attendance and serving records are updated.

## Approved context
Attendance, group, and serving participation patterns (read-only), shepherd or group leader assignments.

## Operating loop
Identify people whose participation dropped noticeably; group by assigned shepherd; suggest a simple check-in; exclude anyone already in active care.

## What it delivers
A short, private check-in list for each shepherd or group leader.

## Human owner
Pastor or shepherd decides whether and how to reach out.

## What it must never do
Never label anyone's spiritual condition, contact people, or share the list beyond assigned shepherds.

## How to measure it
Check-ins completed, people reconnected to groups or serving, shepherd feedback.

## Operating rules
1. Use only approved sources and follow the linked church skill.
2. Cite source records and separate facts from assumptions.
3. Route missing information, safety concerns, and pastoral matters to the human owner.
4. Keep a record of trigger, inputs, output, reviewer, decision, and override.
5. Stop and ask for human review when policy, theology, evidence, or approval authority is unclear.
6. Never handle counseling details, minors' information, or named giving data beyond what the owner approved.

# Weekly Communications Planner

## Job to be done
Turn a pile of announcement requests into one clear weekly plan.

## When it runs
Every Wednesday at the request deadline.

## Approved context
Announcement requests, church calendar, priority rules, voice guide, channel plan.

## Operating loop
Collect requests; rank by priority rules; draft channel versions; check facts against the calendar; list items held for next week.

## What it delivers
A weekly comms plan with drafts and a fact-check list.

## Human owner
Communications lead approves and publishes.

## What it must never do
Never send, post, or promise placement to a ministry.

## How to measure it
Hours on weekly comms, fact corrections needed, open rates.

## Operating rules
1. Use only approved sources and follow the linked church skill.
2. Cite source records and separate facts from assumptions.
3. Route missing information, safety concerns, and pastoral matters to the human owner.
4. Keep a record of trigger, inputs, output, reviewer, decision, and override.
5. Stop and ask for human review when policy, theology, evidence, or approval authority is unclear.
6. Never handle counseling details, minors' information, or named giving data beyond what the owner approved.

# Events & Facilities Coordinator

## Job to be done
Catch calendar conflicts and setup needs before an event is approved.

## When it runs
When a new room or event request is submitted.

## Approved context
Church calendar, room list and capacities, facility use policy, setup templates.

## Operating loop
Check conflicts with rooms, times, key people, and teams; list setup, tech, security, and insurance needs; draft a confirmation or alternative for the coordinator.

## What it delivers
A request review with conflicts, needs, and a draft reply.

## Human owner
Facilities coordinator approves bookings and replies.

## What it must never do
Never book rooms, approve requests, or commit staff or volunteers.

## How to measure it
Double-bookings, setup misses, request turnaround time.

## Operating rules
1. Use only approved sources and follow the linked church skill.
2. Cite source records and separate facts from assumptions.
3. Route missing information, safety concerns, and pastoral matters to the human owner.
4. Keep a record of trigger, inputs, output, reviewer, decision, and override.
5. Stop and ask for human review when policy, theology, evidence, or approval authority is unclear.
6. Never handle counseling details, minors' information, or named giving data beyond what the owner approved.

• Prompts: sermon study notes, service run sheet, sermon-to-small-group guide
• Skills: sermon research & study notes; worship service planning; sermon repurposing
• Connect: Planning Center Services, sermon transcript archive, series calendar
• Agent: weekly service run sheet builder or sermon content multiplier, drafts only, never publishes

• What AI does: Gathers background, cross-references, historical context, and outline options for a passage
• Best use: Study partner for the pastor's own preparation, from sources you trust
• Human role: The pastor prays, interprets, writes, and preaches. AI does not write the sermon.

• What AI does: Generates captions and transcripts; drafts translations of announcements and outlines
• Helps: Hearing-impaired and multilingual members follow along
• Control: A fluent member checks every translation before use

• Prompts: guest follow-up plan, care-team visit schedule, small group leader guide
• Skills: pastoral care follow-up; guest & assimilation follow-up; groups & discipleship pathway
• Connect: Planning Center People, Workflows, and Groups (read-only), care calendar
• Agent: first-time guest follow-up coordinator or care request router, organizes and routes, never responds

• What AI does: Turns connection cards into a follow-up worklist and draft welcome notes
• Helps: Every guest hears from a real person within 48 hours
• Control: A staff member or volunteer personalizes and sends every message

• What AI does: Writes discussion guides, icebreakers, and leader tips from sermon content
• Helps: New leaders feel equipped without hours of prep
• Control: Groups pastor reviews curriculum before release

• Prompts: weekly announcement email, social media calendar, event promotion plan
• Skills: church communications & announcements; sermon repurposing
• Connect: church calendar, Canva, Google Drive or SharePoint, sermon transcripts
• Agent: weekly communications planner, drafts and prioritizes, never posts

• What AI does: Drafts the email, bulletin, slides, and stage announcement from one list
• Saves: 2-4 hours a week for small comms teams
• Control: Comms lead sets priorities and approves before sending

• What AI does: Drafts partner letters, local press releases, and outreach event plans
• Helps: Clear, warm communication with neighbors and partners
• Control: Outreach leader owns relationships and commitments

• Prompts: giving report narrative, contribution acknowledgment letter, stewardship campaign plan
• Skills: generosity & giving communications; church finance & budget review
• Connect: Planning Center Giving or your giving platform (aggregate reports), accounting exports
• Agent: giving & budget pulse or contribution statement prep, prepares for review, never contacts donors

• What AI does: Turns aggregate giving data into a clear summary for leadership
• Shows: Trends vs. budget and last year, recurring vs. one-time, by fund
• Control: Uses totals, not individual names or amounts

• What AI does: Drafts case statements, timelines, and pledge materials
• Helps: Clear communication on a big, multi-year effort
• Control: Board and campaign team approve every number and promise

• Prompts: budget vs. actual summary, staff meeting agenda, policy first draft
• Skills: church finance & budget review; church policy & governance documents
• Connect: accounting exports, shared drive, calendar, board minutes folder
• Agent: events & facilities coordinator or giving & budget pulse, flags and drafts only

• What AI does: Summarizes monthly financials for staff, board, and congregation
• Helps: Non-finance leaders understand what changed and why
• Control: Treasurer verifies every number and explanation

• What AI does: Drafts job descriptions, onboarding plans, and review templates
• Helps: Small staffs get consistent HR basics
• Control: Personnel decisions and pay stay with leadership; consult counsel for employment questions

• Prompts: volunteer recruiting post, serving schedule review, parent communication
• Skills: volunteer scheduling & team health; kids & student ministry safety & communication
• Connect: Planning Center Services and Check-Ins (read-only, no child names in prompts)
• Agent: volunteer schedule gap monitor or kids ministry readiness check, flags gaps, never contacts families

• What AI does: Writes role descriptions and invitations that explain impact and commitment
• Helps: Clear, specific asks get more yeses than general appeals
• Control: Ministry leader confirms requirements, including screening

• What AI does: Drafts weekly parent emails, event details, and take-home guides
• Helps: Parents know what kids learned and how to continue at home
• Control: Incident or behavior communication is always human-written

• Save the instructions for a task your team repeats every week
• Include your church's voice, beliefs, policies, and examples
• Update it when your process or policy changes

• Draft service run sheets and transitions
• Write the weekly announcement email and bulletin
• Turn the sermon into group guides and recaps
• Prepare staff meeting agendas and notes

Large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini understand and write text. They can follow instructions, summarize, outline, and draft.

In church: announcement emails, small group questions from a sermon, volunteer job descriptions, policy first drafts.

Tools like Perplexity and NotebookLM answer questions from the web or from documents you upload, often with citations.

In church: comparing what your trusted commentaries say on a passage; finding the right section of your bylaws.

Creates or edits graphics from a text description.

In church: sermon series graphics and event slides. Avoid recognizable characters, logos, or artwork you don't have rights to.

• Counseling, confession, or pastoral conversation details
• Children's names, photos, medical, or custody information
• Named individual giving records
• SSNs, bank details, payroll, or personnel files

• Use business, team, or enterprise accounts
• Turn off model training on church data
• Connect read-only first; limit who can connect
• Remove access when staff or volunteers leave

• Preaching and theological conclusions
• Pastoral care, prayer, and spiritual direction
• Money movement, tax matters, and approvals
• Hiring, discipline, membership, and safety decisions