Brooklyn Pastor Urges Black Church Leaders to Engage and Shape Emerging Artificial Intelligence
Rev. Dr. Adolphus Lacey, senior pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn, is calling on faith leaders to actively engage with artificial intelligence tools to ensure Black congregations are not left out of technological advancements. Writing in a Black Press USA commentary, Lacey emphasized that pastors must guide the application of AI while preserving sacred pastoral care that software cannot replace.
Black church leadership must take an active role in learning, utilizing, and directing artificial intelligence tools, according to an op-ed published by Black Press USA and authored by Rev. Dr. Adolphus Lacey, senior pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.
Historically, the Black church has stood as a dependable sanctuary across eras of major social change, mobilizing communities during the civil rights movement, registering voters, feeding families in need, and supporting households in crisis. As modern artificial intelligence transforms daily life, Lacey stressed that faith leaders must step forward so underserved communities are not bypassed by technological shifts.
According to Lacey, engagement with artificial intelligence in faith spaces is already widespread among everyday congregants. In a report titled "Faith, Community & AI," researchers found that users send ChatGPT more than 70 million messages each week focused on religion. Lacey noted that nearly 22 million of those exchanges involve examining sacred texts, while roughly 16 million center on religious holy days and practices.
Clergy are also testing the tools within their work. According to a September 2025 Lifeway Research survey cited by Lacey, which polled 1,003 Protestant pastors, 42 percent reported experimenting with or using artificial intelligence in ministry work.
Lacey explained that he relies on the technology to refine his own pastoral messages without letting it replace genuine human reflection. The Brooklyn pastor writes his sermons by hand through personal prayer and study, but subsequently asks ChatGPT: "Where might this sermon become unclear or difficult to follow for someone early in their walk of faith?" Lacey explained that the exercise reveals blind spots in preparation, such as failing to provide context for historical biblical figures like the Pharisees, while ensuring that the final words and sermon adjustments remain his own.
To prevent Black institutions from being left behind, Lacey called on faith leaders to take advantage of free AI training sessions that have started in churches and community spaces nationwide. He compared the rapid rise of modern AI to his childhood introduction to the handheld calculator, which served as a practical tool for completing mathematical problems more efficiently.
Beyond classroom instruction, Lacey emphasized that community representatives must sit directly at tables where developers build these platforms. Pointing to OpenAI's recent Faith report, which stated that AI should never become an arbiter of religious truth, Lacey insisted that Black leaders must hold technology firms accountable by being present inside those discussions.
At the same time, Lacey emphasized that digital tools cannot supplant the sacred, physical duties of the pulpit. Citing an observation from a believer in Seoul, Korea included in the report, Lacey warned that turning entirely to private chat apps could isolate struggling believers from their congregations. Chatbots, he noted, cannot sit beside a grieving family or offer prayer during the darkest hours of the night.