Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 99

Series: Thinking Ahead: Pastors and AI

Description: Jay Owen, Chief of Ministry Staff at Church of Eleven22, shares how his team builds custom ministry apps in hours using AI-powered tools. His church now creates software solutions for under $3 that used to cost tens of thousands of dollars and take weeks to develop.

In this practical episode, Jay walks through real examples including:

• A personalized wallpaper creator built in 45 minutes the night before a major presentation
• A baptism registration system that served nearly 2,000 people
• A sermon search tool that indexes 890 hours of content
• Landing pages created for $0.50 in 2 minutes

You’ll learn about vibe coding with tools like Replit, where ideas become working applications through simple descriptions. Jay walks through actual builds, shows troubleshooting in real time, and explains which projects work best for this approach.

Whether you’re tech-savvy or someone who barely likes being on the computer, you’ll discover specific tools and workflows that reduce costs, improve user experience, and create stronger discipleship pathways.

This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.

Guest:

Jay Owen, Church of Eleven22, Chief of Ministry Staff

Category: AI NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 98

Series: Thinking Ahead: Pastors and AI

Description: AI is a “force multiplier” for the Kingdom, but instead of being a friend or an enemy, you should make AI your frenemy. In this episode, Jason Morris introduces the “Art of AI Jiu-Jitsu”, teaching pastors how to use AI as an “adversarial network” to leverage its power while avoiding its weaknesses.

Since the average church cannot afford to “own the compute” or “own the model,” the speaker argues that the greatest opportunity for pastors to use AI without becoming a commodity is to own the data.

Some of the critical issues to discuss internally with church leadership are:

1. Own the Prompts: The question of “who owns the prompts” is becoming more valuable than ever, and pastors should reuse and share them among staff to create efficiency and save time.
2. Build Contextual Equity: Create a knowledge base of best practices around prompts to help onboard new staff and volunteers quickly.
3. Leverage Context: Since “content is no longer the king… context is”, your unique human context with your church is your “superpower” that AI will never have.
4. Focus on the Human Element: AI is designed for “dopamine, not truth” and excels at “sycophancy”. Pastors should prioritize relationships, care, and speaking the “cold hard truth”, actions AI cannot produce.

Jason leads the conversation by showing how AI can be used to handle the “grunt work” like administration and research, freeing you to focus on the relationships and community that only humans can provide.

This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.

Guest:

Jason Morris, thechurch.digital, Director of Equipping & Mobilization

Category: AI NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 97

Series: Thinking Ahead: Pastors and AI

Title: Chad Williams, CEO of FiveQ agency, provides a comprehensive biblical framework for evaluating AI and technology in ministry. Drawing from Scripture, he traces technology through creation, fall, and redemption to help church leaders make wise decisions about emerging tools.

In this episode, Chad addresses the questions your congregation is already asking about AI. He explains why technology reflects God’s creative nature, how sin corrupts its purposes, and how redemption transforms even the most dangerous tools for kingdom impact.

You’ll learn four practical evaluation questions for any technology decision:

• Can I trust the source?

• Is it communicating truth or spreading lies?

• Does it amplify or replace human work?

• Am I creating or just consuming?

Chad demonstrates these principles across five ministry contexts: sermon preparation, administrative tasks, discipleship and pastoral care, outreach and communications, and volunteer training. Each example shows the “human sandwich approach” where human judgment bookends AI processing.

Whether you’re responding to concerned congregation members or evaluating AI tools for your team, you’ll gain theological grounding and practical wisdom for stewarding technology in ministry.

This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.

Guest:

Chad Williams, Five Q, CEO

Category: AI NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 96

Series: Thinking Ahead: Pastors and AI

Title: AI just removed the technology barrier that’s been killing your best ministry ideas.

You’ve had this idea for months. A better way to equip parents. A simple volunteer system. A tool that helps your people apply Scripture to daily life. You can see it clearly. You know it would work.

But then: “That would cost thousands.” “We’d need a developer.” Another God-given vision shelved.

Kenny Jahng shows pastors how churches are using AI to create custom ministry solutions by simply describing what they need. No programming. No developers. No massive budget. Just you, having a conversation with AI—and watching it build exactly what you need.

The prayer system your recovery ministry needs. The family discussion tool. The coordination system that fits YOUR church. AI builds it while you focus on ministry.

You’ll see concrete examples, get a simple roadmap, and discover how your pastoral instincts guide AI to serve your vision.

Use AI to build what your people actually need. You already know what’s needed. Now AI makes it possible.

This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.

Guest:

Kenny Jahng, AI NEXT, Director

Category: AI NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 95

Series: Thinking Ahead: Pastors and AI

Title: How to Get Started with Agentic AI for Your Church and Ministry

Natchi Lazarus breaks down agentic AI in plain language for church leaders who want practical solutions, not complicated tech jargon.

Discover how AI agents work 24/7 on your behalf—creating content, posting to social media, and tracking results while you focus on people. You’ll learn the four essential components of AI agent systems, when to use agents versus simple AI tools, and the SONG framework for implementation.

Get step-by-step guidance to deploy your first AI agents with no-code tools, understand multi-agent workflows, and set up proper guardrails. Whether you’re tech-savvy or a complete beginner, this episode shows you how to transform AI from a confusing buzzword into a practical tool that multiplies your ministry’s gospel impact without requiring coding skills or technical expertise.

This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.

Guest:

Natchi Lazarus – CC Academy, Founder/CEO

Category: AI NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 94

Series: Multiplying Healthy Multiethnic Churches

Title: Team Development in a Multiethnic Church Context

Unity matters in every church: but in a multiethnic church, cultivating a unified staff is both more challenging and more consequential. In this episode, we share transferable truths and practical insights to help leaders build effective, mission-aligned multiethnic teams.

Host:

Mark DeYmaz – Multiethnic Church NEXT, Director

Guests:

Nirup Alphonse – LIFEGATE Church, Lead Pastor
Lawrence Hicks – Mosaic Church, Executive Pastor
Paul Kroger – Vine & Village, Executive Director

Category: Multiethnic Church NEXT

—

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Disruption: Repurposing the Church to Redeem the Community

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 93

Series: Multiplying Healthy Multiethnic Churches

Title: Community Engagement: Beyond Rhetoric to Results

Pastors often say, “We’re going to take this city for Christ.” But have we ever actually seen that happen? And many churches claim to love their city—but does the city love the church back? In this episode, we’re joined by proven practitioners who share actionable insights for meeting real, empathetic needs in your community at the bridge of Christ’s humanity.

Host:

Mark DeYmaz – Multiethnic Church NEXT, Director

Guests:

Tommy “Urban D.” Kyllonen – Crossover Church, Lead Pastor
Melissa Mixon – CrossPurpose, VP of Legacy
Rodrigo Cruz – The United Methodist Church, Executive Assistant to the Bishop for the North Georgia Conference

Category: Multiethnic Church NEXT

—

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Disruption: Repurposing the Church to Redeem the Community

The Power of Asking ‘What If?’

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 92

Series: Multiplying Healthy Multiethnic Churches

Title: Theological Insights for Building a Healthy Multiethnic Church

New Testament churches were intentionally multiethnic. They were envisioned by Christ in John 17, described by Luke in Acts 11, and prescribed by the apostle Paul throughout his life and writings. In this episode, credible practitioners and scholars come together to discuss the biblical mandate for the multiethnic church.

Host:

Mark DeYmaz – Multiethnic Church NEXT, Director

Guests:

Derwin Gray – Transformation Church, Lead Pastor
Noemi Chavez – Revive Church, Lead Pastor
Dr. Dominick Hernandez – Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitics

Category: Multiethnic Church NEXT

—

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church: Mandate, Commitments, and Practices of a Diverse Congregation

The High Definition Leader: Building Multiethnic Churches in a Multiethnic World