Show Notes
In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with James Poulter (JP), Head of AI and Innovation at House 337 and board member of Christian Aid, to explore the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and its profound implications for ministry and human work. As AI capabilities are predicted to increase exponentially in the coming years—potentially reaching 1000x current capacity by 2027—JP helps us understand what this means for churches, ministries, and the knowledge economy as a whole. From the automation of "grunt work" to the reshaping of entire job categories, we dive deep into both the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. JP shares his perspective on why the church should be at the forefront of innovation, drawing parallels to Jesus as the ultimate innovator. He offers practical advice for ministry leaders on how to prepare for an AI-driven future while maintaining focus on the distinctly human aspects of ministry: discipleship, evangelism, pastoral care, and serving the poor. This episode is essential listening for anyone wondering how to navigate the intersection of faith, technology, and the future of work.
Key Topics Discussed: The AI 2027 Predictions: Understanding the potential for exponential AI capability growth Knowledge Economy Disruption: How AI will reshape jobs involving data manipulation and communication Ministry Applications: Practical ways churches can leverage AI tools now Job Displacement Concerns: The future of entry-level positions and "grunt work" Human-Centric Work: What remains uniquely human in an AI world Innovation in Faith: Why Christians should lead technological adoption Practical Recommendations: Low-hanging fruit for ministries starting their AI journey
Key Insights: The Multiplier Effect: AI training AI could compress decades of development into months The Arms Race Reality: Global competition may accelerate AI deployment beyond ethical considerations Redefining Ministry Roles: Focus should shift from administrative tasks to relationship-building and pastoral care Economic Opportunities: AI efficiency could allow ministries to multiply their impact with existing budgets The Innovation Imperative: Churches should embrace their calling to be innovative, following Jesus's example
James Poulter heads AI and Innovation at House 337, a creative company based in London. He serves on the board of Christian Aid and advises Christian Vision, bringing extensive experience in how AI is reshaping work and society. JP is also a speaker at the Global Mission AI London event taking place July 17, 2025. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Gloo - a technology platform for the faith ecosystem, shaping technology as a force for good to help people flourish and communities thrive. With more than 100,000 leaders on their platform, Gloo serves those who serve. Visit gloo.com to learn more.
More from Missional AI Podcast
What makes us human when machines can write, compose, and create, sometimes better than we can? Dr. Ed Stetzer, Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, sat down with us right after his talk at the Missional AI SV26 Global Summit in Santa Clara. Ed argues that what sets humanity apart was never really intelligence. It’s the Imago Dei, the conviction that every person bears the image of God. And he says the church must ask not only what AI will do for us, but what it will do to us. In this episode: Why secular culture struggles to say why humans matter once something smarter shows up Why a ChatGPT sermon in Ed’s voice might be good, but wouldn’t be his Where AI fits, and doesn’t, in spiritual formation How Christians can be both discerning and engaged with AI Why a small group sharing tacos may be one of the most countercultural things the church can do “I think part of it is being an embodied community in a disembodied world.” – Ed Stetzer Join us at Missional AI SFO27: AI in Action March 30 – April 1, 2027, Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport Early bird pricing ends December 31, 2026. Register at https://missional.ai Free resource: Get our ethical guide to using AI in your ministry and organization at https://missional.ai This episode is sponsored by EC Group, a business-as-mission software company and missional software partner to faith-based organizations for 26 years. https://ecgroup-intl.com Chapters (00:00) Cold open (00:47) Episode introduction (02:07) Sponsor: EC Group (02:45) Missional AI SFO27 (03:28) Meet Dr. Ed Stetzer (04:03) The Imago Dei and where human dignity comes from (05:14) When AI gets better than us at everything (06:58) We bear God’s image (08:18) How Christians can talk about human uniqueness (09:43) What AI is doing to us (10:24) AI and spiritual formation (11:18) The sermon in Ed’s voice (12:20) Neither hype nor fear (13:45) Productivity, isolation, and the church’s opportunity (14:37) An embodied community in a disembodied world (15:21) Recommended resources
In 1999, a Michigan entrepreneur sensed God calling him to India. He started a business there with one purpose: to fund missional work. Twenty-seven years later, EC Group's purpose hasn't changed, but its business has, from medical transcription to software development, and now into the age of AI. Recorded live at the Missional AI Global Summit in Santa Clara, Stuart sits down with Mike Sudyk, who has led EC Group since 2018. Mike shares why EC Group chose to pull its teams and clients toward AI tools rather than wait for them to ask, and how safe-space sharing sessions and volunteer hackathons helped senior developers move past resistance. He explains how a people-centric, long-term business can embrace efficiency without treating people as expendable, and why both the "AI will replace everything" crowd and the skeptics make for difficult conversations. Mike also gets candid about his own wake-up call: realizing that fear about AI's threat to his business had quietly shut down his creativity, and how stepping away to build hands-on changed that. A thoughtful, practical conversation for any leader navigating change. This episode is sponsored by EC Group, a business-as-mission software company that has served as a missional software partner to faith-based and mission-driven organizations for 27 years, supporting Scripture engagement, discipleship, outreach and ministry innovation worldwide. Learn more at ecgroup-intl.com. Join us at Missional AI SFO27, March 30–April 1, 2027, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport. Super early bird pricing ends October 8, with early bird pricing continuing through the end of the year. Register at missional.ai. Table of contents (00:00) Cold open(01:07) Introduction and sponsor: EC Group(02:52) Join us at Missional AI SFO27(03:31) Origin story: a call to India and a business built to fund mission(06:03) Why employee retention became EC Group's core value(08:22) Adapting the team for an AI future(09:39) Guiding clients through the noise(11:38) Two unlocks: safe-space sharing and hackathons(13:15) Staying people-centric while embracing automation(16:27) Finding the honest middle between hype and skepticism(19:56) Making time to learn, and Mike's personal wake-up call(22:20) Fear of obsolescence vs. a vision for resilience(23:33) How technology is reshaping opportunity for mission(26:11) Early bird registration for MAI SFO27
Money is one of the most uncomfortable conversations in the faith and mission world, so we went straight at it. Recorded live at Missional AI SV26, this panel with Henry Kaestner, James Cham, and Jess Chin tackles financing, investment, and building things that last at the intersection of mission and marketplace. Henry argues that the first question isn't how to raise capital but whether you should raise it at all. James makes the case that the best source of financing is a customer, not an investor. And Jess shares a surprising insight: the next generation doesn't value free things. They want to pay for what they believe in. We also explore how AI is forcing investors back to first principles, why trust networks may be the one moat AI can't replicate, and a bold vision for the Body of Christ pooling its data to tackle foster care, hunger, church planting, and human trafficking. 🎟️ Super Early Bird for Missional AI SFO 2027 is open until October 8! It's the lowest price of the year, and we'd love for you to join us in San Francisco, March 30 – April 2, 2027. Register at https://missional.ai Chapters: (00:00) Highlights (01:07) Welcome & episode overview (02:44) Missional AI SFO 2027 Super Early Bird (03:24) Where do you start? On your knees (04:57) Three routes to funding (07:32) The best source of financing is a customer (09:39) Gen Z doesn't want free (11:43) Philanthropy isn't "easy money" (14:01) AI and the investor's deal box (16:56) AI that accelerates human care (20:06) Trust networks: the moat AI can't replicate (22:06) Pooling Kingdom data to solve the world's biggest problems (23:57) Closing
Gaylen Washington of YouVersion joins the Missional AI Podcast to talk about the YouVersion Platform, the next chapter in the YouVersion story. The platform opens up the Bible app's content, licensing, and infrastructure so developers anywhere in the world can build their own faith experiences: Bible readers, Scripture-infused apps, and even Bible experiences inside Roblox.But this conversation goes well beyond the tech. Gaylen shares how AI is reshaping the way he leads a team of over a hundred engineers, what direct, gospel-centered conversations about disruption and fear look like inside a ministry, and what kind of people are thriving in this AI-first season. Hint: it's not about the degree, it's about curiosity and humility.In this episode:- What the YouVersion Platform is, and how anyone can start building within minutes- The road to simpler Bible licensing for builders- How agentic AI workflows help a product leader stay across a large engineering org- Naming fear and disruption openly in a ministry team- The traits of people who thrive in an AI-first organization- Practical advice for believers navigating corporate workplacesRecorded live at Missional AI SV26 in Silicon Valley.Get started with the YouVersion Platform: platform.youversion.comMISSIONAL AI SFO27Global Missional AI Summit | March 30 – April 1, 2027 | Hyatt Regency SFO Super early bird registration opens September 24 and closes October 8. Book your hotel room with your registration and the price drops to just $399, the lowest we've ever offered. Register at missional.ai.
AI isn't just changing what you do — it's changing what you believe you're capable of. 🎙️ James Poulter talks with Andrew McLuhan — poet, teacher, and grandson of media theorist Marshall McLuhan — recorded live at the Missional AI Summit. They dig into whether AI can have consciousness, why that's not the same as having a soul, and why reason and resonance are two totally different things. Plus: the real myth of Narcissus and Echo — and what it says about every AI chat window you've ever opened. 🗓️ Missional AI 2027 hits San Francisco March 30 – April 1. Super early bird registration is coming soon at missional.ai.