Can the Church Survive the Age of AI? Rev. Dr. Todd Speed on Reimagining Faith in a Hyper-Technological World

In just a few short weeks of joining Decatur Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia, I found myself interested in a moment of deep history and faith,  the church’s 200th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, October 26, 2025. The sanctuary was filled to the brim , alive with members, guests, and even familiar faces from Columbia Theological Seminary, where I’m exploring practical theology and Christian education.

When Rev. Dr. Todd Speed took the pulpit to preach on “Anticipating the Church of the Future,” his words carried both reverence for the past and curiosity for what lies ahead. As he began to speak about “the future of the Church in the presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI),” something stirred within me. My mind opened, my heart was inspired, and the blogger spirit in me awakened. I knew immediately — this message must become part of my next “Practical Theology in Motion” reflection.

Rev. Speed began with a profound observation:

He reminded us that transformation was not new to the people of God. He explained that every five hundred years or so in history, the Church had made a significant turn. The last major shift, he noted, took place during the Protestant Reformation of the 1600s, when “the whole world was changing, and the Church changed along with it with the age of the Enlightenment and the invention of the printing press.”

Just as the printing press changed theology and communication in ways early reformers could not have imagined, he said we are now at another major turning point. He noted that when the printing press was invented, no one could predict its impact. Today, the world is changing quickly as we carry devices that connect us to information and people everywhere. With AI, this change is speeding up, and we still cannot fully picture how the Church will look in the future.  Then came the question that anchored his sermon: “Should we be afraid? Should we be concerned? Perhaps.” He encouraged us to look back over history and remember that the Church had always adapted to change before. “Change is inevitable,” he said. “What matters is how we adapt and respond.”

He also shared a touching story about technology’s power to connect people. He spoke of a Ukrainian student, Donya Kulik, who attends Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School. Donya talks with his mother every day on WhatsApp, even though she is thousands of miles away in western Ukraine. This story showed how technology, when used with love, can bridge distances and strengthen relationships. It offered a glimpse of how AI might help us come together rather than feel isolated.

Rev. Speed spoke about his own spiritual journey, sharing that he chose “Abide” as his spiritual word during a recent course on contemplative spirituality. For him, the greatest goal as a pastor, leader, or follower of Christ is to abide in Jesus, the true Vine. To abide, he explained, means to remain with, reside with, dwell with, and live daily with Jesus.

He recalled Jesus’ words:

Then he asked, “What will it mean for the Church to abide in Jesus Christ in an ever-changing, hyper-technological, AI world?”

His answer was both simple and profound: abiding would always mean worshipping God, attending to His Word, and serving others in Christ’s name. “To proclaim the good news to the poor, release to those who are held captive, sight to those who’ve been blinded, and freedom to those who’ve been oppressed,” he reminded us. And with conviction, he concluded, “That is the job of the Church. And it is critical that we gather together and do it and say it and live it.”

Rev. Speed acknowledged that technology would continue to shape how we worship, learn, and serve, but he reminded us that the essence of faith remains unchanged. He observed that “technology is going to lead to tremendous change. And some of that change can be really good for the Church. Another claim you’ve heard me say is that even though we have no idea what the future may look like, we know who holds the future.” 

With confidence rooted in Scripture, he recalled Jesus’ words:  “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Rev. Speed expressed hope and excitement:

And finally, he blessed the congregation:

Listening to Rev. Speed, I was reminded that AI is not beyond God’s reach. Technology may accelerate change, but it also opens new spaces for grace. The challenge is not whether the Church can keep up.  it is whether we can keep abiding.

AI will not replace our worship, compassion, or calling. Yet it will reshape the ways we live them out. In that reshaping, we are invited to see artificial intelligence not as a threat, but as a field for spiritual discernment.  a meeting ground for divine wisdom and human creativity.   This is truly Practical Theology in Motion. From one generation to the next, the Church continues. The way we gather and worship may change, but God’s Word stays the same.

While signing the Church Bicentennial Book, I wrote these words:  “This was a lifetime experience to witness DPC’s 200-year anniversary.”  Then I paused and wondered: Where will I be in the next 100 years? Where will you be? How will the Church look? How will worship be?  Whatever the form, one truth endures — the Vine still grows, and the Word still abides.