Chatbot Ministry Examples To Try

Helpful ways to use a chatbot

In this chapter we give a whole lot of examples you could try out in your Chatbot. Each one helps you think through how you might use a Chatbot in your situation, plus tips to consider. Try the ideas as they are or adapt them to your particular ministry or work setting.

Remember: Chatbots can handle many languages, so you can write these directly into your language, to get answers in your language.

Trying out different ideas

Each idea below will contain the following:

A ministry example (a situation where AI could be useful)

Examples of a ‘prompt’ to type into your Chatbot: <this contains instructions OR suggestions for you to make your request specific to your own ministry needs>

Tips to help us develop best practice.

Contextualize Your Prompts

As you try these examples, please keep in mind the Prompting principles in the previous chapter of this AI Academy Manual. You will get better results if you write your prompts in a clear and detailed way. As you get more familiar with using a Chatbot, particularly look at these topics at the end of the Prompting chapter:

Framing Prompts
Source-based Prompts
Thematic Prompts
Applying Context

In simple terms, as you write a prompt you can tell the Chatbot your theological position, what your ministry setting is like, what version of the Bible you want to use, how many people in your program, what theme you are focused on and more.

You also copy and paste in documents that you like as examples to follow or webpage to read that you agree with.

So I could ask this:

Prompt: Give me a game for children based on the Story of David and Goliath.

Or I could ask:

Prompt: Give me a 10 minute game, based on the Story of David and Goliath, from the NIV Bible. I come from a church that believes that every Old Testament story somehow points to Jesus and that the stories reflect God’s Big Story of Salvation across the Bible. I want to connect David and Goliath with Jesus love and grace. We have no equipment and the children are 7-10 years old from a rural African setting.

It is a bit more work, but will get much better results.

Follow On Prompts

Remember you can keep asking the Chatbot “follow on” prompts to refine the answer. You don’t need to accept the first response. Here are some follow on examples:

Could you give me this in half the number of words?
I like this game idea, but the only equipment we have are rocks and sticks on the ground.
Could you give me this answer in simpler words?
Could you give me this again, but just give me the headings you wrote as bullet points?
Your answer is good, but could you add more <add something> or less <add something>?
This doesn’t sound right to me, can you explain how you got this answer?
What else does the Bible say about this? Or what other passages say something similar?
Can you list these ideas with a simple one line description of each?
Could you give me a different answer?
My people all work in a rural setting, your answer seems too complicated.
Can you redo this with more examples or real stories.

Examples to Try

The possibilities of what you could try are almost limitless. Here are just some ideas!

Shorten a piece of writing

Translate text

Prepare for programs and events

Summarize meeting notes

Create lists

Come up with new ideas and better questions

Contextualize a ministry resource

Fix and improve text

Problem-solve

Adapt something into a new form

Prepare social media posts

Adjust the tone of your text

Create a Leader Training Program

Lesson Planning & Curriculum

Communication with Kids & Parents

Behavior Management & Encouragement Ideas

Memory Verse ideas

Create a story

Summary of Meeting Notes

Grammar & written style for articles

Summarize theological books & materials

Editing a book or long-form article

Activity Ideas

Quizzes & games

Gospel Messages for different cultures

Song lyrics based on Bible passages or stories

Mathematical problems

Reading long documents and summarising

Creating tables of ideas

Scheduling a timetable

Reading documents in other languages and giving a summary in your language

Reading a legal document and explaining what it means

Create a new version of something you’ve done before

Writing scripts for a puppet play

Researching a Bible Passage to help you prepare a sermon

Create a Leader Training Program

Explaining the key Greek or Hebrew words in a passage

Looking at something from a new angle

Explaining a concept from the perspective of a particular type of person

Planning a training program for you to learn a topic over a certain amount of time

Finding connection between two very different ideas

Imagining something scaled up 1000-fold or shrunk down and what the implications would be

Budgeting and calculating costs

Demonstrating Some Ideas

Shorten a piece of writing

Ministry example: You prepared a sermon on a particular Bible passage last month and now you need to lead a short devotion about the same content.

Prompt: Can you take this sermon or talk and rewrite it in 50 words: <copy and paste in your text>

Tip: Treat the response you get from AI as a first draft. It will speed up parts of the preparation process for you, but it is not a replacement for your own editing, pastoral care or Biblical reflection.

Translate text

Ministry example: You live in a town where three main languages are spoken. You need your annual welcome letter to the parents of children in your program to be translated into these languages.

Prompt: Translate this document into <insert name of languages>: <copy and paste the text of your welcome letter>

Tip: Try using Chatbots in your own language! Chatbots can understand questions and reply in many languages. For example, as at 21st October 2024, ChatGPT can speak at least 20 languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese - Mandarin and Simplified Chinese script, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, Hindi, Indonesian, Greek, Polish, Hebrew and Thai)

Summarize meeting notes

Ministry example: You have just had a two-hour online meeting and there are four pages of notes from the call. You need to summarize these and collate the action steps.

Prompt: Summarize the following content into 250 words in bullet point form <insert your notes>. Write a 250-word list of action steps, listing the name of the person assigned to each task.

Tip: AI is your administrative assistant! Ask it to correct grammar or spelling mistakes, change the word length and organise text under headings of your choice.

Prepare for programs and events

Ministry example: You are planning a sports camp with a Bible program, and you would like to create a basic draft that can be discussed with your leaders.

Prompt: Can you write a program draft for a non-residential, three-day camp with a theme of Servant Leadership. Participants are aged from 13-17 years from a big city. The program needs to include daily fitness activities and there is an outdoor playground available. We have breakfast at 7.30am, Lunch at 1.00pm and Dinner at 7pm.

Tip: Assume everything you write into a Chatbot is public and stored. Protect your ministry members and activities by changing names, locations, or other sensitive information before adding it into a Chatbot (then you can add details back in during the editing process).

Create lists

Ministry example: You have become more aware of the challenges of your ministry space for differently abled members. You want to generate some ideas to discuss with your team.

Prompt: Write a list of safety checks on my <describe your ministry space> for children with physical disabilities.

Come up with new ideas and better questions

Ministry example: You are a children’s ministry leader, running a Bible lesson about God’s creativity in making the world. You want to come up with a new way to communicate with your group, and you want help in preparing thoughtful questions.

Prompt: Using the verse ‘the heavens and skies declare the wonder of God’, write a description of five unique artworks that a leader could produce while explaining this verse to children aged 5-10 years old.

A follow-on prompt: Taking the <artwork idea from above>, write five questions you could ask children during this activity to help them understand God’s creativity in more depth.

Tip: including an actual Bible verse in your prompt helps to generate much more useful activities. When you are not happy with the first or second response of an AI tool, try follow-on prompts. In the above example, this could be ‘now rewrite these questions so they focus on the goodness of the created world’ or ‘now rewrite the activity so that it could be used outside and only using sand and rocks’.

Ministry example: You work with children and would like to come up with some energising activities for your next program day.

Prompt: I am a Christian children’s worker with a group of 30 children in a tent in hot weather. Give me five ideas for a three-minute energizer game to use with children aged 7-9 to help them settle and focus on the coming session.

Tip: Notice the specific detail in the prompt above. This helps to ensure that AI’s responses will be relevant to you.

Fix and improve text

Ministry example: You are writing a letter to your church members about a difficult community issue. You want to include Biblical exhortation as well as some policies from your government and it is difficult to strike the right balance.

Prompt: (After you have received a response from the chatbot) Your response seems to miss the aspect of <add something>. Can you rewrite the text with this in mind?

Tip: it is very important to evaluate the response of AI to determine whether it is accurate, honest and meets your requirements. You will often need to refine your prompt many times and edit your text after this. AI tools can save you time writing drafts, so that you are free to use your time for more creative, intuitive and expansive thinking.

Problem-solve

Ministry example: You are preparing a ministry activity, and you remember that last time you ran this, some children had a hard time participating with the group.

Prompt: How do I handle a situation where a child refuses to participate in group activities? (Without giving names, you could describe some of the issues you had last time)

Tip: Expectations for participation and child behavior vary enormously from one context to another. Remember, the AI tool you are using may be drawing from material that has been written in a different context to yours. You could try asking AI to refer to authors you trust, or Bible passages, or education approaches that have been recommended. It would also be wise to consult professionals and parents within your ministry for their recommendations.

Adapt something into a new form

Ministry example: You have been asked to prepare an encouraging talk for people from a different culture. You have a talk you have used before, but your audience is from an ‘innocence / guilt’ culture (ie. a different worldview to you).

Prompt: Rewrite the following talk by using words, concepts and examples that would be more appropriate for an ‘innocence / guilt’ culture: <insert your previous talk>.

Tip: Sometimes AI will not understand technical jargon, but other times it will be a very helpful tool. Concepts that are used in well-known fields of study such as education, religion, health, law, theology, sociology and so on may be very useful for you to include.

Prepare social media posts

Ministry example: You want to create a series of scheduled posts to advertise a training on ‘Families on Mission’ that is happening soon. You have had the idea of including a different creative idea for parents in each post.

Prompt: Write 10 posts of 150 characters each for <type your preferred social media> to advertise the training called ‘Families on Mission’. In each post, include the name of the training, <add event details> and include a 50-word idea that a parent could try in their household during the week.

Tip: Be specific. Find out the limits of your particular social media and add these to your prompt. Clearly define what you want AI to write.

Adjust the tone of your text

Ministry example: When you need to write something and need help with the “tone” or style of what you are writing.

Prompt: I’m creating a brochure for a Christian holiday program. The page I am currently working on is a section outlining the benefits of attending. I would like you to write five benefits of attending – each benefit to be no more than 50 words. Your tone of voice should be approachable, friendly, reassuring and inviting. The content needs to convey integrity, trust, empathy, and compassion.

The target reader is likely to be parents of children aged 7-11. The target reader will not necessarily be familiar with the Christian faith, so your content should be clear and avoid jargon.

Tip: AI is all about words and language. Explaining who your target reader is, and what sort of tone you would like the language to have will give you a more useful response.

Create a Leader Training Program

Ministry example: You are running a trainer-of-trainers event, and you need to prepare new material. You have some trainings you have done in the past that you can use as part of the content.

Prompt: Read the following training session I have written before. Could you create a blank template of the key parts of the training and what type of activity is in each. <copy and paste in your training session>

Follow On Prompt: Could you now write a 90 minute training session based on this template for leaders aged between 20-35 years, in <describe your context>. I want to create a training based on why prayer is important in leadership, with times to discuss in the group how we will implement prayer more intentionally in our group. Include some key passages on Prayer from the Bible. John 15 and being connected to the Vine might be one, but include other options too.

Tip: An AI tool is an expert with words. You can push it to change the type of language you want it to use. Keep using words like ‘rewrite’ and adding more and more context until you are happy that it is appropriate for your audience. It is a machine; it won’t become frustrated or bored!

Create a Story

Ministry Example: You are preparing a session about faithful obedience to God and want to share a real-life story of a ‘hero of the faith’ like Eric Liddell or Hudson Taylor to inspire the participants. You need a short paragraph that emphasizes their dedication to God.

Prompt: Write a 50-word or short paragraph story about the life of <insert name of Christian hero> that highlights their faithful obedience to God.

Tip: Keep the story brief but meaningful. Ensure it captures the key essence of faithfulness, and don’t hesitate to request AI to adjust the story tone or add Bible verses if relevant.

Summarize Theological Books & Materials

Ministry Example: You have a few theological books and materials that explore the Biblical foundation of children, youth, and families, and you need to summarize these insights to share with your ministry leaders in an accessible way.

Prompt: Summarize the following theological books and materials that focus on the Biblical foundation of children, youth, and families. Ensure the summary is easy to understand and can be shared with ministry leaders. <insert the content or key points from the books>.

Tip: Ask AI to break down complex theological points into simpler language without losing the core message. You may also want to ask for a summary in bullet points for clarity and quick reference.

Quizzes & Games

Ministry Example: You are reading a Bible passage together as a family and want to create a quiz or trivia game to engage everyone in the passage and reinforce the lesson.

Prompt: Create a quiz with 10 trivia questions based on the following Bible passage: <insert Bible passage>. The questions should range from easy to challenging and help reinforce the key points of the passage.

Tip: You can adjust the difficulty level of the questions or ask for variations like true/false, multiple choice, or open-ended questions. Also, consider asking for AI-generated explanations for the answers to enhance understanding.

Song Lyrics & Memory Verses

Ministry Example: You want to write a song that summarizes the Bible talk series from your church, and also create song lyrics for a memory verse to fit a popular tune, so you can later use an AI song creator app.

Prompt: Write song lyrics that summarize the following Bible talk series: <insert Bible talk series topic>. Also, take the following memory verse <insert memory verse> and rewrite it in song lyric form to match the music style of <insert name of popular band>.

Tip: Be specific about the style or mood of the song (e.g., worshipful, upbeat, reflective). AI can help generate a first draft, but refining the lyrics for better flow and theological accuracy may still be necessary.

Customizing ChatGPT

One of the key features of ChatGPT is the ability to customize interactions in a way that makes the tool more effective and personal. By adjusting settings and ensuring that the AI remembers important details about your preferences, goals, and ministry needs, leaders can harness the power of AI to support creative and spiritual tasks in a wide range of Christian ministry settings. Below are some practical steps and key points to help you customize ChatGPT so it can better serve your work in ministry.

Key Steps to Customize ChatGPT

Set Up Initial Context: Start by explaining your ministry, core values, and goals. For example, you could mention that you focus on children's ministry, creative leadership, or theological training, so the AI can tailor responses accordingly.
Provide Important Information Regularly: Share relevant updates, like key events, ongoing projects, or any Bible passages you're focusing on. This ensures ChatGPT can provide more context-specific advice or materials.
Establish Preferred Bible Versions: Specify which Bible translations you prefer (e.g., NIV, ESV, KJV) for consistency in scriptural references, helping you align discussions with your theological framework.
Integrate Regular Themes and Language: Use consistent language or theological themes in your conversations, such as servant leadership, reformed theology, or specific parables. The AI will learn to integrate these concepts naturally into your discussions.

Create Task-Based Prompts: Design specific prompts based on regular activities in your ministry, like preparing talks, creating study materials, or generating children’s lesson plans. This helps the AI provide more targeted and relevant assistance.
Request Memory Updates: When you share new or evolving goals, ask ChatGPT to remember them for future interactions. For example, if your ministry's focus shifts to outreach or more inward focus on pastoral care, the AI can adjust its responses accordingly.

Adding Your Ideas

These ideas are just a starting point... you will have many more examples to add that will benefit others in ministry!

We would love you to add any thoughts to this chapter on Prompts for Ministry and what you have learnt in the Google Form: https://forms.gle/3egczKxGz6tqGEDu6

The best ideas will go into the updated version of the Manual at the end of the Academy!