DO YOU NEED TO CONNECT WITH? This simple question is woven into the heart of ministry.
Knowing the best approach for connecting with your community is a struggle every church leader is familiar with.
By Gruia Pitigoi-Aron
I joined Pushpay earlier this year as Chief Product Officer and am privileged to lead a remarkably dedicated group of professionals who are creating the tech solutions that will shape the digital future of thousands of churches. One aspect that drew me to Pushpay was the opportunity to work alongside church leaders, and the team’ s commitment to innovating alongside customers. This is a successful dynamic I’ ve witnessed throughout my career: new technologies succeed when they’ re developed in collaboration with those they’ ll serve. And when speaking with ministry leaders about what they want from their tech, the common theme is always connecting with individuals at every step of their journey within the Church.
New tech, new conversation In recent years, a new digital dynamic is shaping that conversation. You can probably guess the technology I’ m talking about— and I must say, I couldn’ t have chosen a more thrilling time to lead Pushpay’ s product development strategy. What could be more exciting than exploring AI applications for churches? These tools are rapidly becoming mainstream in every aspect of our lives, and ministry is no exception. Pushpay’ s 2025 State of Church Technology report— our benchmark annual survey of church and parish leaders— found an 80 % year-over-year increase of AI adoption among churches this year, and that number is projected to jump significantly next year. Perhaps the more interesting data point is how churches are using AI. The report uncovered that leaders typically use generative AI for communications like emails and social media posts but are much more hesitant to trust AI with developing their core message. Which— speaking as someone who regularly pastors at my local church— rings true. Emerging artificial intelligence tools can help your team work more efficiently and understand your community more deeply, but they’ ll never fulfill our universal, bone-deep desire for authentic human connections.
30 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | NOV / DEC 2025