Guides

AI Disclosure Statement for Church: Sample Language

The short answer: say plainly how your church uses AI, and keep a person responsible for everything you publish. Many churches use AI but have never said so. In the 2026 State of AI in the Church survey, 46% of churches had not disclosed AI use to their congregation in any form (Source: ChurchTechToday, "The 2026 State Of AI In The Church"). A short, honest statement takes care of that.

How published church guidelines handle disclosure

• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): recommends "that any substantial AI-generated or AI-assisted content used in a ministry related production be clearly cited as 'AI-assisted.'" Source: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The Algorithm and the Almighty (2026)
• United Reformed Church: "When AI has meaningfully contributed to significant pieces of work, such as public communications, reports, policies, liturgical material, or sermon outlines, its use should be transparent." Source: United Reformed Church (UK), Generative AI Guidance
• World Council of Churches: a human must review all AI-generated content before it is published, and significant AI-generated content should be referenced using Chicago Manual of Style guidelines. Source: World Council of Churches, Use of AI in WCC Communications
• Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, UMC: sorts content into three categories. Work where the human contributes most of the content generally needs only blanket disclosure, collaborative drafts may need specific disclosure, and mostly AI-generated content is "generally not acceptable for official communications or theological content," with specific disclosure mandatory where it is used. Source: Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, UMC, AI Guidelines (May 2026)

Sample language you can adapt

We wrote these samples for this site. Change them to fit your church, and have your leadership approve them before you use them.

Website or bulletin (general statement)

[Church Name] sometimes uses AI tools to help with tasks like drafting announcements, editing, scheduling, translation, and graphics. A member of our staff reviews everything before it is shared, and we take full responsibility for what we publish. We do not put confidential or pastoral care information into public AI tools. Questions? Contact [name/email].

Sermon note (when AI materially shaped content)

Some research and outlining for this message was assisted by AI. The study, prayer, conclusions, and words are the preacher's own.

Image or video label

Image created with the help of AI.

Newsletter or report footer

Portions of this content were drafted with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by our staff.

Decisions to make first

1. Which content needs a label: everything AI touched, only significant content, or only images, video, and voices?
2. Who reviews AI-assisted content before it is published?
3. Where the general statement lives: website, bulletin, or both.
4. How preachers disclose AI use in sermon preparation.

The policy builder includes disclosure choices for sermons and for communications, so your statement and your policy say the same thing.

Quotes taken from linked public documents, checked October 2026. Summaries are ours. This is general information, not legal advice.