This was the result of a detailed evaluation of the cross-denominational study "Digitalization in the Space of the Churches" (DiRK, 2026).
As the head of the study, Holger Sievert (Cologne), told the Evangelical Press Service (epd), 20 percent of the AI frequently use, 42.6 percent rarely.
So far, there have been no figures for Germany.
One in five pastors has never had anything to do with AI
One in five pastors has never had to deal with AI, according to the DiRK study. 15.3 percent of respondents said they had experimented or tried it around before.
Eight percent of pastors said they couldn't imagine working with ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral or any other AI system.
Those who are supported by the AI cited the creation of the text as the most important field (62.3 percent).
According to the study, research came in second place (60.9 percent), followed by the production of translations (35.2 percent). In addition, pastors used AI tools to ask for facts, summarize texts, generate images or as an idea guide.
AI for preaching preparation?
How and to what extent AI is used for preaching preparation is not exactly apparent from the current data situation.
"However, we know from the open answers that preaching was an important area of text creation," explained the professor of the Macromedia University. In-depth evaluations of the use by pastors should follow in 2027.
In the DiRK study in 2026, a total of 7,178 Protestants and Catholics were interviewed, with a good half employed full-time in the church. 505 pastors answered the questions about generative AI.
Initial results of the study of insurers in the Church area (vrk) had already been published in April.