Budgeting for AI Without Breaking Your Church
by Rev. Dr. Justin R. Lester — “That Tech Pastor”
Let’s talk about money and ministry, specifically, how to prepare your church budget for Artificial Intelligence in the coming year. Every week, pastors and administrators ask me the same question: “Doc, how do we budget for AI when we barely have enough for musicians, flyers, and coffee?” I get it. Most churches aren’t sitting on Silicon Valley funding. But here’s the truth: AI is essential. It’s a utility, as vital to ministry today as the internet once was. The key isn’t to spend more; it’s to spend smarter.
For me, AI is not about replacing staff or chasing trends. It’s about reclaiming time. That’s what budgeting for AI is really about, good stewardship.
Church budgets reveal what we value. They show where we believe ministry happens, what we consider essential, and where we expect God to meet us. Artificial Intelligence now belongs in that conversation. The next generation of thriving churches will be marked by balance: spiritual depth, financial discipline, and technological wisdom. They will plan carefully, use tools ethically, and keep their attention on people. The principle remains unchanged: “If you are faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many” (Matthew 25:21).
Here are 6 thoughts I have on AI and your Budget for 2026.
1. Stop Treating AI as a Gadget, Budget It as a Ministry Tool
“Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.” (Ephesians 5:15–16)
AI is a digital co-laborer that can multiply your ministry’s reach if you steward it right. When you budget for AI, you’re investing in your time. Time your team can now spend on care, creativity, and discipleship. Time that makes space for the Spirit.
Think of it like hiring a part-time digital assistant that works 24/7 without burnout. The difference between churches that thrive and those that stall won’t be who has the biggest staff, but who trains their staff to work with intelligent tools.
Practical Step:
Create a new line item in your budget called Digital Ministry Operations (DMO).
Under it, include tools for:
• Content creation (graphics, sermon summaries, transcription)
• Communication automation (email, text, and visitor follow-up)
• Research, grants, and administrative workflows
• Training and workshops for your staff
Start small. Track the time you save. Grow strategically.
2. AI Saves Minutes, Not Money
Let’s be honest: AI doesn’t actually save money, it saves minutes. And minutes are your most expensive resource. The church loves to save dollars but rarely thinks about the value of hours. Yet, the most powerful form of stewardship is time stewardship. If AI drafts your bulletin or sermon outline in 10 minutes, that’s effeciency. That’s 50 minutes you can spend mentoring youth, visiting members, or resting. Steward your minutes like money. Every tool you adopt should buy you back presence.
3. Small Church? Big Strategy.
“Gather the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” (John 6:12)
When I consult smaller churches, the first thing I hear is, “We don’t have the budget for AI.” My response? “If you can afford a musician, you can afford AI.”
Reallocate. Don’t panic.
Take one auxiliary or event line (a monthly stipend or fellowship expense) and repurpose a fraction of it for digital innovation. If you pay a musician $150 a week, that’s $600 a month. Redirect $200–$300 of that into AI tools and training.
That can fund:
• ChatGPT Plus or Claude for writing and admin
• Canva Pro for design automation
• Descript or Opus for video and sermon editing
• Zapier for automation
• A subscription to my That Tech Pastor training hub
The goal is redistribution. You already have what you need; you just need to make it work harder.
4. The 30–60–90 Plan for AI Adoption
Don’t build a full-year AI plan before you test it. Start with a 90-day rollout:
30 Days — Audit: List every repetitive, low-impact task. Identify two AI tools that can handle them. Assign one person to lead testing.
60 Days — Train: Host two short staff labs. Document what worked and what didn’t. Track time saved and outcomes improved.
90 Days — Adopt: Keep the tools that save time or increase engagement. Drop what doesn’t. Present data to your board to justify scaling.
When you quantify time, you clarify purpose.
5. For Larger Churches: Integrate, Don’t Experiment
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks.” (Proverbs 27:23)
Big churches, this is for you. You don’t need another “innovation committee” that meets quarterly to talk about trends. You need integration, systemwide and strategic. Allocate one to two percent of your total budget toward digital infrastructure. That covers subscriptions, custom GPTs, ethical oversight, cloud storage, and training.
Build three pillars:
1. Private Data Models: Train GPTs on your sermons, policies, and curriculum.
2. Automation Dashboards: Streamline HR, forms, scheduling, and volunteer communication.
3. AI Governance Board: Ensure accuracy, privacy, and theological integrity.
This is what maturity looks like.
6. Budget for Presence
AI should release ministry, not replace it. If it doesn’t give your pastors more time with people, it’s not worth the cost. The real miracle in the feeding of the five thousand was the management. Jesus showed that when you organize what you already have, the impossible becomes enough. Budgeting for AI is the same kind of miracle, multiplying your hours so you can pour them back into people.
How can these tools give me time to be a pastor again?
Final Word: Stewardship Over Spectacle
The next season of ministry will require steadiness more than speed. Churches that plan with prayer, clarity, and courage will find that technology becomes part of their witness. Artificial Intelligence is one more space where faithfulness must take shape through the choices we make, the time we redeem, and the people we serve.
When leaders bring AI into the rhythm of ministry, the focus returns to people. Time once lost in administration becomes space for teaching, listening, and healing. The work of planning and budgeting becomes a quiet discipline of faith. Each line in a budget carries intention. Spending reflects trust. When the Church plans with foresight and gratitude, its financial life becomes a testimony to God’s wisdom. The resources of the present are ordered for the good of the community and the endurance of its mission.
“If you are faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many.” (Matthew 25:21)
Budgeting for AI is part of that faithfulness. It allows the Church to serve with foresight, to care with greater reach, and to work with rested hearts. Every thoughtful decision about resources becomes a prayer for sustainability. When that kind of stewardship takes root, ministry grows steady and enduring.