The late Christian leader Ben Merold was fond of saying, “Methods are many. Principles are few. Methods change often. Principles never do.”

That quote opens the September 2026 issue of Christian Standard magazine, whose theme is “Discipleship in a Digital Age” — a phrase that captures the central challenge facing every Christian who wants to use modern technology without being shaped by it. (source)

Published September 1, 2026, the issue arrives at a moment when 61 percent of pastors are using AI tools weekly or daily, according to recent research, yet only 6 percent of churches have established formal AI policies. The gap between adoption and discernment is wide — and Christian Standard is stepping into it with a full issue dedicated to helping churches navigate the digital landscape with biblical integrity.

Methods Change; Principles Never Do

Editor Shawn McMullen introduces the issue by acknowledging both the promise and the peril of AI. “I’m amazed when I track the advancements in digital technology that have occurred in my lifetime,” he writes. “As a young adult, I would have never imagined I would witness this degree of technological development — most recently, the refinement and popular use of artificial intelligence.” (source)

But the question the issue presses is not whether Christians can use AI. It is how — and under what principles. The magazine explores AI through multiple lenses: sermon preparation, church communications, global missions, online discipleship, children’s development, and congregational connection.

What unifies the issue is the conviction that technology serves discipleship, never the other way around.

Do You Need a Soul to Preach? Ethical AI in Sermon Preparation

One of the most practical articles in the issue addresses the question every pastor is now facing: Is it ethical to use AI in sermon preparation?

Pastor Darin Mirante, reflecting on his years of leadership with First Church in Burlington, Kentucky, wrote a guide titled “Do You Need a Soul to Preach? How to Use AI Ethically in Sermon Preparation.” His answer is nuanced: AI can assist with research, outline organization, and background study — but it must never replace the pastor’s own prayer, study, conviction, and shepherding. In his view, the difference between helpful assistance and harmful substitution comes down to a simple question: Is the tool doing the work of preparation, or is it doing the work of the pastor? (source)

The article echoes a broader framework that Christian Standard published earlier in May 2026, titled “AI and Christianity: A Biblical Framework for Discernment.” That piece laid out essential principles: AI can be useful, but it cannot bear the image of God. A machine may sound human, but pattern recognition is not personhood, and processing information is not wisdom. “The danger is not simply that AI will become too powerful,” the authors wrote. “The more immediate danger is that Christians will become too passive. We may stop wrestling with Scripture.” (source)

Using AI to Expand Your Reach — Without Losing What Matters

The issue also features a contribution from Wes Woodell, CTO for Christian Standard and founder of Connect My Church, titled “How to Use AI to Expand Your Reach — Without Losing What Matters Most.” Woodell offers best practices for congregations looking to use AI for outreach, communication, and member engagement. The key: using AI to amplify human connection, not replace it. (source)

AI tools that help a church respond to visitor questions faster, create consistent communications, or personalize follow-ups are valuable — as long as they lead to real human relationships rather than substituting for them.

Digital Discipleship and the Congregation You Don’t See

Scott Kenworthy of Owensboro Christian Church contributed an article on a surprising reality of modern ministry: your congregation is larger than you think. Studies show that in larger churches, the number of people being ministered to through livestreams, podcasts, and digital content significantly exceeds the number who physically attend. Kenworthy asks how churches can disciple these “digital attendees” — people who are deeply connected to a church’s teaching but never walk through its doors. (source)

This is one of the most important questions of the digital age. The tools that extend a church’s reach also challenge its definition of “congregation.” If someone watches every sermon online but never joins a small group, are they being discipled? The answer is not to stop streaming — but to think creatively about how to move digital engagement toward embodied discipleship.

A Practical Framework: Seven Questions Every Church Should Ask

Earlier this year, the magazine published a set of questions that churches can use to evaluate any AI tool or digital initiative. These seven questions form a practical framework for congregations navigating the digital landscape:

1. Is it truthful? Can the information be verified from reliable sources?
2. Is it transparent? Would people feel misled if they knew how this was produced?
3. Is it pastoral? Does this use honor real people and their actual needs?
4. Is it private? Are we protecting confidential information, prayer requests, and personal data?
5. Is it accountable? Who is responsible for reviewing, correcting, and approving the output?
6. Is it forming us well? Does this tool strengthen attention, wisdom, and service — or weaken them?
7. Is it necessary? Are we using this because it serves the mission, or because it feels impressive? (source)

For churches that feel overwhelmed by the rapid pace of technological change, these questions offer a simple but rigorous starting point. They do not require technical expertise — only a commitment to think theologically about the tools we use.

Technology and Children: Finding Calm Waters

The issue also addresses a concern that weighs on every Christian parent: how digital technology affects children’s spiritual and psychological development. Clinical counselor Douglas A. Spears contributed “The Search for Calm Waters in a Sea of Technology,” offering guidelines for churches and parents seeking to protect children in both the digital and real worlds. (source)

His guidance is not to isolate children from technology — which is nearly impossible — but to form them with habits of attention, stillness, and real-world connection that can withstand the constant pull of screens and algorithms.

What This Means for Every Christian

Taken together, the September 2026 issue of Christian Standard offers a coherent vision for how Christians can live in the age of AI: not with fear, not with naive embrace, but with discernment rooted in unchanging biblical principles.

The methods of ministry are changing rapidly. But the core of Christian discipleship — prayer, Scripture, community, service, and love for God and neighbor — remains the same. The question is not whether to use digital tools, but whether we will use them in ways that deepen or diminish our discipleship.

In the magazine’s own words: “The church does not need to win a race for technological novelty. We just need to be faithful. We need to tell the truth. We need to protect the vulnerable. We need to disciple people whose habits are being shaped by powerful tools.” (source)

At Bethel IEF, we believe that Proverbs 9:10 — “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” — is the foundation for every engagement with technology. Wisdom means neither rushing toward every new tool nor retreating from every new challenge. It means asking hard questions, staying grounded in Scripture, and keeping the formation of disciples as the goal.

The digital age is here. And the church has everything it needs to navigate it faithfully — not by becoming more technologically sophisticated, but by becoming more deeply Christian.

Sources

• Christian Standard — Embracing Technology While Upholding Truth. By Shawn McMullen. Published September 1, 2026. christianstandard.com/2026/09/embracing-technology-while-upholding-truth/
• Christian Standard — AI and Christianity: A Biblical Framework for Discernment. Published May 26, 2026. christianstandard.com/2026/05/ai-and-christianity-a-biblical-framework-for-discernment/
• Christian Standard — Discipleship in a Digital Age (print issue, September/October 2026, Vol. CLXI, No. 5). Includes articles by Darin Mirante, Wes Woodell, Scott Kenworthy, Doug Lucas, Douglas A. Spears, and others. christianstandard.com/print-magazines/discipleship-in-a-digital-age-christian-standard-september-october-2026/

Image credit

• Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.