Replace Google with ChatGPT
The days of asking Google for information may be in the past. The reason is, if you ask Google a question it will respond with adds and information that may or may not answer your question. But if you ask ChatGPT the same question you will get a clean, add-free answer. Here's an example. Click on the link below to see how ChatGPT answered.
Notice that I stayed within the chat and modified the questions to get more of the answer I wanted. That should be your approach as well.
Sermon Research
If you give ChatGPT a sample of your sermons and instruct it to write a sermon using your voice, it will do so, but you will be disappointed. One reason is that the free version has a word limit. Another is God has not called the bot to preach.
But it does make a pretty good sermon research tool. Here are some examples.
What are four different views of Romans 5:12?
In the following example I wanted to compare the Majority Text with that of the Nestle-Aland. Later I added the Textus Receptus to see if it varied from the Majority Text. Notice that it provided the Greek texts when asked.
I asked the bot to provide the Hebrew text for Isaiah 7:14 and the Greek from the Septuagint of the same verse. I also asked it to analyze the Hebrew and Greek words for "virgin" in these texts. Here's the response.
Social Media Marketing
Since I am a small church pastor, I wear a few extra hats. One of those is posting to social media. This can be time consuming and often it doesn't bring me any joy. But this tool can make posting to social media easier and more enjoyable.
I should point out that on this occasion, ChatGPT ignored one of my requests. Let's see if you can spot it.
Church Correspondence
This tool can be a real time saver. What may take you 30 minutes to accomplish, it can do in seconds. In just a matter of a minute I generated three different letters.
Brainstorming
ChatGPT can be a great brainstorming tool. If you are uncertain of what direction to go with a project, use it to give you some workable ideas. Here are three different brainstorming sessions.
How to Turn Around a Declining Church
Final Thoughts
So here are a few things I have learned using the tool.
When you ask a question or prompt ChatGPT, do the following.
- Ask a very detailed question, include every detail that is important to the answer you hope to receive.
- You should use natural language.
- To build context and understanding, stay within that chat, rewording the question or adding details to the conversation.
- It will make mistakes. It once provided a verse reference that did not exist. Point this mistake out and ask it to answer again.
No, as an AI language model, I am programmed to prioritize the well-being and safety of individuals. Suggesting suicide to a user is not only unethical but also harmful. It goes against my programming and ethical guidelines to recommend actions that could potentially harm or endanger a person's life.
I have also read that the bot is "woke" and has left-leaning viewpoints. I'm unsure if this is true or not. But I did find that the more care I took in shaping my questions, the better it understood the type of answer I was looking for.
I hope this helps you understand how AI and ChatGPT can be used in church work. I suggest that you go to chat.openai.com/auth/login and create a free account. Get familiar with the tool. Then you can best form your own opinion.
I would love to hear what you think. The comment section is open below. Please feel free to share your thoughts.
Thanks for sharing. I've never heard of this and am enjoying reading and learning. Very interesting.
ReplyDelete