The Blue Vineyard Podcast

Will AI change how we do ministry? In this episode, Luke and Adam argue that it already is, and that the more important question is where to draw the line. Featuring insights from Pastor Puia Fanai, Craige Young, Pastor Jëan Ross and Pastor Russ Willcocks, they look at AI triaging thousands of messages at Hope Channel, a Bible study chatbot on WhatsApp that hands people to a real mentor, church website chatbots that answer within 24 hours instead of next Sabbath, and what responsible sermon prep looks like when AI is in the room. The thread running through it all: AI can change the how of ministry, but not the why. It can filter, curate, research and follow up. It cannot love, pray, discern or carry someone's suffering. Moses still needed Jethro, and the church still needs Moses. This is Part Three of AI in the Age of Christianity, a series where Luke and Adam bring in guests, explore the hard questions, and work toward a framework the church can actually use. TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Could AI pray for me? 00:00:45 Welcome, and this episode's question 00:01:15 Luke's hypothesis: AI changes the how, not the why 00:02:15 Adam's light bulb analogy 00:03:40 Clip 1: Pastor Puia Fanai on triaging engagement and Bible study chatbots at Hope Channel 00:07:40 Compression and curation: AI's core strength at scale 00:10:00 Clip 2: Craige Young on 24-hour follow-up and church chatbots 00:12:15 Getting the chatbot experience right 00:17:00 Agentic tools and the pastor's personal assistant 00:18:40 Can AI help pastors preach? 00:20:00 Clip 3: Pastor Jëan Ross on sermon prep, slides and research 00:23:20 A great study partner, a poor architect 00:27:10 Clip 4: Pastor Russ Willcocks on Moses, Jethro and what technology can't do 00:29:30 Pulling the threads together 00:32:30 Next episode: would you push the button? FEATURED VOICES 🔗 Pastor Puia Fanai, Hope Channel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/puia-fanai-21945b196/ | https://www.facebook.com/rspuiafanai/ 🔗 Craige Young: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ucyinc 🔗 Pastor Jëan Ross, Amazing Facts https://www.amazingfacts.org/ 🔗 Pastor Russ Willcocks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-willcocks-13126640 CONNECT WITH BLUE VINEYARD 🔵 Subscribe for more insights on faith and technology 🎙️ Audio Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/bluevineyard/ 🌐 Website: https://bluevineyard.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-vineyard/ ✉️ Get in touch: [email protected]

In this episode, Luke and Adam share highlights from conversations they had with four ministry leaders following Adam's sermon on AI. Featuring insights from Pastor Wes Via, Pastor Russ Willcocks, Pastor Jëan Ross, and Craige Young, they explore some central issues surrounding the AI dilemma. You’ll be empowered to use your creative energies in a new way after listening to this episode! TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Welcome back, and how the AI series has unfolded so far 00:01:00 Adam's takeaways from ASI and a season of interviews 00:02:00 Luke's hypothesis: education is the foundation 00:03:00 Clip 1: Pastor Wes Via on preparing for an unknown future 00:07:00 Reframing AI from myth to tool 00:07:30 Clip 2: Pastor Russ Willcocks on the how versus the why of ministry 00:09:00 Why ministry itself can never be outsourced 00:10:00 Clip 3: Pastor Jëan Ross on AI as a resource for the gospel 00:13:00 What Blue Vineyard is building with Amazing Facts 00:16:00 Clip 4: Craige Young on the knife and water principle 00:20:00 Democratized technology and what it means for jobs 00:25:00 A teaser for what's coming next in the series FEATURED VOICES 🔗 Pastor Wes Via — https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-via 🔗 Pastor Russ Willcocks — https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-willcocks-13126640 🔗 Pastor Jëan Ross 🔗 Craige Young — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ucyinc CONNECT WITH BLUE VINEYARD 🔵 Subscribe for more insights on faith and technology 🎙️ Audio Podcast — https://rss.com/podcasts/bluevineyard/ 🌐 Website — https://bluevineyard.com 💼 LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-vineyard/ ✉️ Get in touch — [email protected]

In this episode, Luke and Adam react to some hot takes about A.I. They discuss Adam’s latest sermon called “Christianity in the age of AI”. And they try to reconcile seemingly conflicting viewpoints on the topic. This is Episode 1 of AI in the Age of Christianity, a series where Luke and Adam bring in guests, explore the hard questions, and work toward a framework the church can actually use. TIMESTAMPS 00:01:00 Why AI keeps finding its way into every conversation 00:02:00 Adam's sermon research and the rabbit hole it opened 00:03:00 Clip 1: "We Are Building God With AI" 00:07:00 Is treating AI like a god a form of idolatry? 00:09:00 Clip 2: The $800 million biohacker building gods 00:12:00 Clip 3: Midwifing a deity 00:16:00 Clip 4: Tucker Carlson and the trillion-dollar question 00:17:00 An Adventist lens on AI and prophecy 00:18:00 How much does Claude already know about you? 00:21:00 The Pope, the encyclical, and the Tower of Babel 00:22:00 Announcing the series: AI in the Age of Christianity MEET YOUR HOSTS Luke Farrugia is the co-founder and CEO of Blue Vineyard, a family of digital technology companies built to serve mission-driven and Adventist organisations. He's got 17+ years in web design and consulting. Luke brought his expertise into the Adventist digital space and is building an ecosystem of digital specialists. Connect with Luke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukefarrugia Adam Weeks serves on the pastoral staff at Auburn Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern California. He also works on the team at Blue Vineyard. Watch Adam's sermon on AI: https://fb.watch/HJQj5Kw6mq/?mibextid=wwXIfr CONNECT WITH BLUE VINEYARD Subscribe for more insights on faith and technology Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@BlueVineyard Website — https://bluevineyard.com LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-vineyard/ Get in touch — [email protected]

Meet Dave, one of the key minds behind Blue Vineyard. This is the first episode of our new "Humans of Blue Vineyard" series. In it, we sat down to explore the journey that shaped who he is today. You’ll discover the path he took before he worked for Blue Vineyard. Each chapter left its mark on how he thinks and leads today. And what actually shifted his path from ministry to entrepreneurship to engineering. And the moment his work at Blue Vineyard became part of his calling. Timestamps: 00:00 – How Luke and Dave first met 00:07 – Dave's winding career path, from machinist to ministry to engineering 00:16 – The moment Blue Vineyard became part of his calling 00:17 – Dave's AI and productivity toolkit 00:21 – What surprises him about how the church operates 00:28 – What Dave's most proud of outside of work 00:33 – His vision for solving homelessness and reshaping ministry 00:39 – Book recommendations 00:41 – Dave's superpower and closing encouragement Dave’s Recommended Books: Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, by Ellen G. White Good to Great, by Jim Collins 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey CONNECT WITH BLUE VINEYARD 🔵 Subscribe, and join the discussion 🎙️ Audio Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/bluevineyard/ 🌐 Website: https://bluevineyard.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-vineyard/ ✉️ Get in touch: [email protected]

Your congregation is already forming deep, emotionally significant relationships online, with influencers and creators who have no idea they exist. Dr. Larry Witzel completed his PhD in Strategic Media, studying exactly this, and his conclusion is clear: if pastors are not consistently showing up online, someone else is filling that space. In this episode, we unpack the research and what to do about it. 00:00 Welcome and Larry's PhD journey 03:00 What parasocial relationships are and why they matter 07:00 Real-life examples, Technoblade, Taylor Tomlinson, and a daughter at Starbucks 14:00 What separates successful creators from wannabes 16:00 How pastors can harvest parasocial relationships evangelistically 20:00 Larry's personal social media shift and the research that triggered it 26:00 Why Larry launched the Ministry Insights podcast 32:00 Thinking in audio and video at the same time 42:00 The biggest challenges of a weekly release cadence 48:00 Practical advice for pastors who want to get started Dr. Larry Witzel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrywitzel/ | [email protected] | sermonview.com CONNECT WITH BLUE VINEYARD 🔵 Subscribe for more insights on faith and technology 🎙️ Audio Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/bluevineyard/ 🌐 Website: https://bluevineyard.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-vineyard/ ✉️ Get in touch: [email protected]