US practicing Christians adopt AI at higher rates, half trust it for spiritual growth

A Barna Group survey of 1,514 U.S. adults (November 2025) and 442 Protestant pastors (December 2025) found that practicing Christians use artificial intelligence more frequently than the general American population. Forty‑four percent of practicing Christians report using AI "very often" or "often" in their personal lives, compared with 31 % of all U.S. adults, while only 29 % of non‑practicing Christians say the same. At work, 39 % of practicing Christians use AI often versus 26 % of the broader adult population. By contrast, pastors use AI much less: 16 % often in personal contexts and 5 % very often, with 24 % reporting frequent use at work.

Nearly half of practicing Christians said they would trust AI to support their spiritual growth, and about one‑third consider AI‑provided spiritual advice as good as that from a pastor. Only roughly 12 % of pastors feel prepared to advise congregations on AI use. Barna’s vice‑president of research, Daniel Copeland, noted, "If you ask people yes‑or‑no whether they use AI, the average pastor and the average American look about the same; the difference shows up in frequency." Advocacy group Tech Justice Law is pressing for stronger oversight and transparency in AI deployment.