Is It Safe to Put Prayer Requests into ChatGPT?

There’s a quiet temptation that creeps into the pastor’s study: the promise of saving precious hours by letting a tool like ChatGPT summarize prayer requests or counseling notes. After all, the call to stewardship is real—every minute reclaimed from paperwork can be poured back into shepherding your flock.

But let’s not forget: digital stewardship is about more than efficiency; it’s about protecting the dignity and trust of those we serve.

Church data privacy isn’t just a technical concern—it’s a sacred responsibility. When we consider feeding pastoral notes or sensitive prayer requests into public AI tools, we risk betraying confidences entrusted to us under the shadow of the cross.

1. The Hidden Dangers of AI in Ministry

Most free AI writing tools—yes, the ones many churches use—are not private confessionals. When you type a prayer request, sermon draft, or sensitive note into a free tool, that data doesn’t vanish into thin air.

Instead, it is often stored on third-party servers and can become part of the training material for future large language models (LLMs). This is spelled out plainly in OpenAI’s privacy policy: your words might help train tomorrow’s algorithms.

Before using any tool to generate content or store notes, ask yourself: Would I read this aloud in front of everyone? If not, don’t assume an AI utility will keep it secret.

2. The Solution: The “Traffic Light” Protocol

You do not need to ban AI entirely. You simply need a framework to help your staff discern what is safe. At Halo Heuristic, we teach the Traffic Light Protocol.

🟢 GREEN LIGHT (Safe to Use)

Public Information. If this information is already on your website or printed in the Sunday bulletin, it is safe for AI.

• Sermon illustrations
• Public event brainstorming
• Summarizing theological articles

🟡 YELLOW LIGHT (Proceed with Caution)

Internal Operations (Non-Sensitive). This is data that belongs to church business but contains no personal secrets. You must strip out specific names before using it.

• Meeting agendas
• Budgeting spreadsheets (minus donor names)
• Facility maintenance schedules

🔴 RED LIGHT (Never)

Confidential & Pastoral Data. This is holy ground. This data must never touch a public AI server.

• Counseling notes
• Prayer requests with specific names
• Donor giving records
• Staff disciplinary records

3. How to Anonymize Data Before Prompting

Stewardship in the digital age means guarding the flock’s dignity as fiercely online as we do in person. If you must use AI to help with a ministry challenge involving people, you must anonymize the data first.

Here are practical steps to ensure you’re practicing faithful PII (Personally Identifiable Information) removal:

• Remove All Names: Never enter real names. Even initials can be too revealing in a small church. Use placeholders like “Person A” or “The Member.”
• Omit Specific Locations: Avoid referencing your city or unique ministries that could identify someone (e.g., change “The Maple Street Shelter” to “a local shelter”).
• Exclude Medical Details: Health information is especially sensitive. Use broad terms like “a health concern” rather than specific diagnoses.

Protect Your Flock in the Digital Age

Shepherds are entrusted not just with souls, but with stories. In this digital age, protecting the secrets of your flock is as sacred as locking the church doors at night.

Some may feel tempted to ban every new tool out of fear. But banning AI outright isn’t stewardship—it’s abdication. The answer isn’t to throw up our hands; it’s to lead with wisdom. Every church needs a clear technology policy rooted in digital ethics and respect for human dignity.