I recently read this on Facebook
Holy Cow!…Ai has saved me 10+ hours in summer planning this week
I then thought,
“How long before people say, ‘Why do I need a coach, I have Ai'”
and then I thought,
“How long before people start saying, “Why do I need people, I have Ai’.
On top of this Bill Gates recently told Jimmy Fallon, on the tonight show,
Over the next decade, advances in artificial intelligence will mean that humans will no longer be needed “for most things” in the world
On top of that, my movie mind goes to the movie Blade Runner 2049 (only 24 years away, someone knows something) where Ryan Gosling comes home every night to an Ai wife/girlfriend/VA.
Spoilers Ahead
Ryan Gosling’s character K, is the son of a replicant and a human. When questioned about what it means to be born he says,
To be born is to have a soul, I guess
Blade Runner 2049
Which brings me to this question,
“Am I concerned that people will no longer need people?”
The answer is yes and no.
I believe you have a soul (it’s Senior/Lead Pastors I wonder about) and you minister to students who also have souls, except maybe as lock-ins where, some how, energy drinks erase them or suck them from their bodies. Youth Pastor, you are in “soul work” and it your soul that is crushed when,
students don’t show up
teens refuse to accept or follow Christ
you are fired for no good reason
This being the case, Ai, which has no soul because it has not been born and does not require saving is, at best, programmed to tell you only the things you want to hear.
AI is an amazing tool—I use it myself. But AI is a resource, not a relationship.
It can give you ideas, strategies, and even sermons. But
it can’t challenge your blind spots
hold you accountable or
walk with you through the emotional, spiritual, and leadership weight of youth ministry.
A coach doesn’t just give you answers—they ask the right questions.
They notice patterns you’re too close to see. They help you process failure and celebrate wins that no algorithm can understand.
Human coaches, like me, can tell you the truth because we care enough to tell you the truth not because we are programmed to tell you the truth. Ai cannot look you in the eye, yet, and tell you with any kind of certainty that you matter.
Information without soul is just data. You were not built for a relationship with data, God made you to have relationships with people.
It would be like saying, “I don’t need to talk to God, all I need is the Bible (the data)” If God did not want to have a relationship with you he would not have sent his Son, he would have sent a book.
AI can supplement your growth, but it can’t shepherd the shepherd because it’s actually never shepherded anyone. And as a youth pastor, you’re not just running programs—you’re shaping lives. That requires wisdom, character, and reflection.
Coaching helps you build those things, not just faster, but deeper. And the best kind of coaching comes from a human, with a soul, like you, who has been crushed, fired, betrayed, overjoyed, forgiven and understands the real stakes of youth ministry.
If you’re interested in human coaching, I stand at the ready to serve you, challenge you, hurt with with and rejoice with you. Click here for more information.