Artificial Intelligence in Ministry By Dave Raley

Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Ministry

Artificial intelligence isn’t new. It has fueled the imagination of ambitious inventors and entrepreneurs for centuries. It has fired the dreams of artists, authors, and film-making — some of whom have seen its positive potential, some of whom have painted vivid pictures of its dangers. Regardless of how it has been imagined, artificial intelligence and related technologies are here and changing how our world operates.

As hardworking humans, we invent tools to help us do the things we cannot or do not wish to do, machines and technology that extend our ability to manage our busy lives, eliminate our stress, reduce risk, accelerate our pace, or give us new abilities that our biology would never allow.

THE SPEED OF CHANGE

At this moment in human history we’re watching the unique confluence of the speed of computing, lowering costs of technology, and the interconnectedness of people and systems — both via technologies like the internet and the globalization it has fostered politically and economically.

This confluence has created the right mix of ingredients in the right ratios to allow the dream of artificial intelligence to take root and flower quickly, hence the explosion of popular awareness of the topic. Artificial intelligence is here and we must grapple with this question: “What will it mean for me and my world?”

APPLY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

That’s why this year, Masterworks is leading conversations about the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the context of fundraising, marketing, and ministry.

We feel it is both responsible and necessary to explore the possibilities, risks, ramifications, and potentials of the use of these technologies proactively, developing a thoughtful perspective on their use in our unique context.

KEY QUESTIONS

Key questions that we need to consider are:

• What actually is artificial intelligence?
• What is machine learning, and how is it different from artificial intelligence?
• What is the current state of the use of these technologies in the broader marketplace?
• How are we seeing it applied to nonprofit organizations today?
• What is on the immediate horizon?
• And most importantly, what can we do to responsibly engage in this important shift in technology to advance the causes of our organizations?

LEARN MORE

To this end, my colleague Bryan Brown, COO, and I will be hosting a workshop at this year’s Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes Conference titled “How AI is Transforming Ministry” on Wednesday, 6/16 at 2:30pm EDT. In this workshop we will discuss these key questions and explore how nonprofit leaders can utilize the power of artificial intelligence to better serve their organizations. We would love to see you there!

WHY IT MATTERS

Our goal in this conversation is to think through how best to leverage this new and rapidly advancing set of capabilities, so that we lead our organizations to serving an AI-influenced world in new, better ways.  Every aspect of our work cannot, will not, and should not be driven by artificial intelligence, but we must ask ourselves what AI means for the future of fundraising, marketing, and ministry, and position our organizations to respond in the most effective way possible. This new reality is not in our far distant future — it is here today, and we will walk you through how to think about it rightly and seize the opportunity it presents.

If you haven’t yet registered for the 2021 Outcomes Conference, check out the Outcomes website to learn more.

See you in Orlando!

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Dave Raley is Executive Vice President of Strategic Innovation at Masterworks. Masterworks is a company of diverse Movers and Makers who help Christian organizations inspire their audience to action to achieve their mission.

We give thanks for Masterworks for their support of The Outcomes Conference 2021.  They are the sponsor for the Internet/Technology workshop track and will also be available in Connection Central Exhibit Hall as well!

Be sure and connect with their team at The Outcomes Conference.

REGISTER TODAY