Purpose of this Policy

Bear Valley Church exists to glorify God, make disciples, and build community. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of many tools we may use to serve that mission well. This policy explains how our church will use AI, and how it won’t, so that our work stays honest, our people stay protected, and our ministry stays human.

This policy is not primarily a technology document; it is a discipleship document. It provides guardrails for how our staff, volunteers, and leadership use AI in ministry while also equipping us to shepherd our congregation through a moment of significant cultural and spiritual change.

Guiding conviction: AI is a tool, not a teacher. It can assist human effort, but it cannot replace the Holy Spirit's work through embodied, relational community.

Scope

This policy applies to everyone who creates, communicates, or handles information on behalf of Bear Valley Church, including:

• All paid pastoral and administrative staff (full-time and part-time)

• Volunteer and ministry leaders and trustees

• Contractors or vendors acting on behalf of the church

It covers all generative AI tools (systems that create or summarize text, images, audio, video, or code), such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and similar services, whether free or paid.

Section 1: Guiding Principles

We use AI the same way we use any tool: with wisdom, integrity, and care for the people God has entrusted to us. These principles guide every decision in this policy.

• Stewardship over novelty. We adopt tools because they help us serve people better and steward our time and resources, not because they are new or impressive.

• Truthfulness and Authenticity. We will not use AI to deceive. Anything we publish in our name must be true, accurate, and something we are willing to stand behind. Our congregation trusts that what is spoken from the pulpit, written in a pastoral letter, or shared in a counseling session comes from a real person who has wrestled with God's Word and applied it through lived experience.

• Human dignity and relationship. AI supports our people. It never replaces them. The most important work of the church happens in person, between people. No AI tool can fulfill the pastoral functions of presence, prayer, or accountability.

• A person is always responsible. Every AI-assisted output has a human owner who reviews it, approves it, and answers for it. “The AI wrote it” is never an excuse.

• Confidentiality and trust. We guard the private information people share with us. Sensitive details about our congregation are never entered into AI tools without clear authorization.

• Discernment. We hold AI’s output loosely. It can be wrong, biased, or misleading. We check facts, weigh everything against Scripture and sound judgment, and reject anything that conflicts with our values. We are called to exercise collective discernment about how new tools shape our formation as followers of Jesus.

Section 2: Approved and Prohibited Uses

2.1 Approved Uses

AI tools may be used to assist with the following tasks, provided the person responsible reviews, edits, and takes ownership of all output:

Administrative & Operational: Drafting and proofreading emails, summarizing notes and meetings, building checklists, organizing schedules and documents, creating first drafts of budgets or plans, etc.

Content & Communication: Brainstorming and drafting sermon illustrations or outlines, social media posts, newsletters, and announcements; generating graphic design concepts or elements; and proof-reading written materials. Outputs are always reviewed by a person before utilizing.

Learning & Research: Gathering background information, summarizing articles and commentaries, and exploring historical or cultural context. Everything should be verified against trusted sources.

2.2 Prohibited Uses

The following uses of AI are not allowed:

• Entering any confidential or personal information into public AI tools

• Creating content intended to be deceptive, including fake images, audio, or video of real people

• Presenting AI-generated work as your own sermon, counsel, or personal design

• Letting AI make final decisions about people (hiring, discipline, benevolence, care)

• Generating content that contradicts Scripture or our beliefs and values

• Using AI to make financial decisions or generate legal documents without qualified human review

Section 3: Sermons, Teaching, and Pastoral Care

Preaching and teaching carry unique spiritual weight and congregational trust. Pastoral care is grounded in personal relationships. Thus, these specific guidelines apply.

AI may assist with research and study: gathering background, summarizing sources, brainstorming, sparking ideas, editing, proof-reading and transcription. However, preparing and preaching God’s Word, counseling individuals, and shepherding people are spiritual responsibilities that must not be outsourced to AI. The message must be the preacher’s own, prayerfully developed and delivered. We never present AI-generated content as our own spiritual or pastoral work.

The preacher or teacher should be able to affirm that a) theological convictions are his or her own and not simply what an AI model generated, b) every illustration or story presented as personal experience actually happened as such, and c) even though AI accelerated the process, it did not replace the process of preparation.

Section 4: Data Privacy & Security

4.1 General Principles

The people of Bear Valley Church trust us with sensitive parts of their lives. That trust is sacred.

We will never enter the following into public or consumer AI tools:

• Names connected to prayer requests, counseling, or confession

• Giving records and financial information

• Health information

• Member or visitor contact information

• Any information about minors

We will remove or anonymize identifying details before using AI to help draft or summarize anything sensitive. Staff and volunteers must assume that anything typed into a public AI tool may be used to train future models and could theoretically surface in another user's session. When in doubt, leave it out.

4.2 Incident Response

If a staff member or volunteer believes they have inadvertently entered sensitive congregant data into an AI tool:

1. Immediately notify a member of the pastoral staff.

2. Document what data was entered, into which tool, and when.

3. Staff will assess the risk, notify affected individuals if warranted, and determine whether the incident requires disclosure under applicable privacy laws.

Section 5: Disclosure & Transparency

We are honest about how we work. We don’t hide our use of AI, but there is no need to reference every instance.

• We disclose AI involvement whenever hiding it would mislead people. For example, an AI-generated image used as if it were a real photo, or an automated reply someone might assume is personal.

• We do not need to label routine, human-reviewed assistance (like grammar help on an email) any more than we label spell-check.

• When in doubt, we err toward honesty. A simple note such as “This image was created with AI” is enough.

Section 6: Spiritual Formation & Congregational Discipleship

The following principles should guide our congregation:

1. Never let AI be your only voice. If you ask AI a spiritual question, you are encouraged to discuss the answer with a pastor, mentor, or small group for evaluation.

2. Protect your inner life. Be cautious about sharing deeply personal spiritual struggles with AI tools. Confession and vulnerability belong in trusted human relationships.

3. Watch for the substitution effect. If you notice you're turning to AI instead of opening your Bible, praying, or calling a friend, that's a warning sign worth paying attention to.

4. Stay in community. The antidote to AI-mediated spirituality is embodied community. Prioritize being physically present with other believers.