Preparing the Church for the Great Unemployment Wave
Strategies for helping the Church Survive the Coming Chaos
Many experts are predicting that a major revolution is just over the horizon. Massive job losses are expected as Artificial General Intelligence is born. Already, in a number of knowledge-based industries, AI is causing economic pain for young people entering the job market. The church will very much be impacted by this coming wave of unemployment economically, as well as spiritually, and mentally. How can we prepare for what’s coming?
Even now, many industries are being impacted by AI and those entering the job market are being affected, whether they realize it or not. Entry-level jobs in many industries are under threat. Massive disruptions in the job market are just over the horizon. According to multiple recent studies on the impact of AI and listed on the National University website, here are some concerning statistics:
30% of current U.S. jobs could be automated by 2030; 60% will have tasks significantly modified by AI. McKinsey Global Institute
300 million jobs could be lost to AI globally, representing 9.1% of all jobs worldwide. Goldman Sachs Research
23.5% of U.S. companies have replaced workers with ChatGPT or similar AI tools. ResumeBuilder Survey (2023)
49% of companies using ChatGPT say it has replaced workers. ResumeBuilder Survey (2023)
Many AI experts are predicting that if Artificial General Intelligence is achieved, most jobs could disappear. As AI is coming into its own, so is Robotics. Scientists and business leaders are actively trying to marry AI and Robotics together. For at least a couple of decades, various robots have been employed in factories all around the world. These robots were fairly primitive and purpose-built. They were programmed to do specific dedicated tasks and most could not be easily reprogrammed to complete other tasks, that is rapidly changing. With advancements in AI, robots promise to become generalists able to do many tasks that are currently done only by human beings.
Thankfully, as of this writing, AGI is still in the future. According to many experts, though, it is likely to come in the near future, possibly in the next five years.
How Does the Church Prepare for this Watershed Moment?
Giving will go down: As our members prosper, the church prospers. As the membership struggles financially, their ability to give diminishes and, as a consequence, so does their giving. Lower giving is a challenge for any non-profit organization. Programs will need to be reduced, buildings will need to be simpler, fewer people will be able to be hired by the church.
Identity Crisis: Many find their worth and value in their job. As members become unemployed, some will struggle to find a replacement job. Some will have to retire earlier than they planned, others will be forced to accept lower-paying jobs just to survive. Many will need to work through the feelings of failure and shame that come with job loss and one’s inability to support themselves financially.
The Poor will get Poorer: This new employment crisis is bound to hit the poor the hardest. They are the ones with lower education and often perform menial tasks. While some tasks will continue to need humans for the foreseeable future, think sanitation, janitorial, robotics will eventually come after those jobs too.
Social Services will be needed more than ever: Food banks, used clothing depots, homeless shelters and more will be stretched to the breaking point. Church organizations are likely to simultaneously face record-breaking need while seeing their yearly giving going down.
Families in Crisis: As jobs disappear and future prospects dim, many will lose hope. Suicides will go up, divorce is likely to climb, drug and alcohol addiction is likely to increase. Financial pressure is likely to cause many to walk away or give up hope.
Leaders will need multiple jobs to survive: Church leaders will find themselves with greater financial burdens and fewer opportunities available. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs tells us that as people’s basic needs aren’t being met, it becomes very difficult for them to seek self-actualization. In the context of the church, when one has trouble paying the bills and having money to buy food, their attention, time, and priorities are no longer focused on the church. Many leaders will find themselves having less emotional, spiritual, and financial resources which in turn will lead to fewer hours volunteered on a monthly basis.
Admittedly, this topic is a depressing one. Nevertheless, we must guard against the urge to avoid thinking or planning for it. Deeper thought about AI and its impacts needs to be done by church leaders. AI is going to impact us in countless ways, one of which is financially. Whether we are victims or victors to some degree is determined by preparing ahead of time.
A Cycle of Judgment is Inevitable
As I read my Bible, I see a pattern of prosperity, which leads to people taking God for granted and the values he has taught and instilled, followed by periods of judgment where people have to rediscover the importance of following God’s laws, values, and direction.
The West has for too long lost sight of the amazing benefits it has reaped from having a Christian worldview. One hundred and fifty years ago, people were much more connected with the Church and with faith in God than they are today. It isn’t to say that there weren’t problems with the Church, there were. Society was also not less evil than it is today, but by and large, the majority of citizens in Western countries valued God, the Bible, church attendance, and the need to live by the moral principles found in the Bible. Clergy were held in high regard and if someone wasn’t a church goer, it was assumed that they suffered from a lack of character and morality.
Fast-forward to today where the percentage of “nones” Those who claim they have no religious affiliation is growing every year. More young people than ever are swearing off religion and claiming to be atheist. Too many people in the West have failed to understand that they are standing on the shoulders of their Christian ancestors. Modern woke ideology has convinced too many that their ancestors were oppressive, cruel, and horrible people. As they seek to cast off their ‘colonial’ past, they leave the values, morals, and priorities of Christianity in the dust. Year by year, we are reaping the consequences and the payment is going to be steep.
Why Don’t They Just Stop AI Development?
Humans were created by God to worship Him. When people reject God or at least fail to be thankful for God, the result is that they are going to worship idols. The Apostle Paul in Romans said as much:
Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:21-23)
When God is no longer worshipped, humans will worship anything else. We see many examples of idolatry in our western culture today. Celebrity worship, idolizing sports icons and sports teams, wanting to win the lottery, and more. Since we are talking about AI in this article, I believe the primary motivator for businesses and governments is greed and a lust for power.
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. (Colossians 3:5-6)
Governments are pursuing AI mainly for two reasons. The first ones to AGI will be the most powerful. Robots and armies empowered by AGI will be unstoppable. Secondly, politicians stay in power as a country and its citizens become wealthier. Politicians and business leaders work together in both those two aims. They in turn sell the populace on the benefits that will be reaped by the average person with the attainment of more powerful and capable AI. Few of these leaders ever admit that greed and power are their prime motivators.
History is littered with examples of men and women who pursued political and military objectives irrespective of the harm it caused to others. The lure of fame, power, and wealth proves too powerful for fallen human beings. Though the harms of AI can be clearly seen by them, they convince themselves that the naysayers are just jealous or ignorant. Who ends up getting most harmed? The poor and average common person.
The End of the World is Near
The Bible makes it clear that God will not allow sin and evil to exist forever. I can also assure you that AI will not take over the world. God will return long before he permits that. Jesus promised us in John 14 and elsewhere that he was coming back. Revelation tells us that the world as we know it is coming to an end.
Does the fact that the end is near mean that we shouldn’t seek to adapt as a church? No, no human knows when Jesus is coming back. We must occupy until Jesus comes back. We must do what we can to prepare for the devastating results that a world in rebellion to God produces.
Going Back to Basics
I urge you to make sure your relationship with God is secure. As leaders, we must call our people back to the Bible, to prayer, and to valuing the Word of God and the wisdom that it offers. We must emphasize the importance of quality time with God. The need to disconnect and take sabbaths from our technology. We need to warn people to not get swept away by the AI craze and to continue to place their confidence in God.
We must be aware of the challenges of the future without giving in to fear. Let us prepare for the challenges without losing our faith. The Bible is clear, Satan and the forces of darkness have lost the war. He was defeated at the cross. Evil ultimately loses and Good triumphs in the end.
Are hard times coming? Yes, they are. Never forget that hard times do not mean that God has abandoned us. Hard times are used to teach the world righteousness.
With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let grace be shown to the wicked, Yet he will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, And will not behold the majesty of the LORD. (Isaiah 26:9-10)
Unfortunately, the righteous must suffer for the disobedience of the wicked. Nevertheless, we can be confident that God remains in control and that our reward is in Him.
Simple Steps to Prepare
As for the challenges related to the advent of Artificial Intelligence, let us be conservative in our spending. May God help us to be compassionate with those who are affected. Let’s keep pointing them to Jesus and let us do all we can to ease the fall wherever and however God gives us resources to help them. Ultimately, I believe that the AI crisis will lead more people to God and to salvation. To that end, what is coming is a blessing for humanity.
Will you be ready when the crisis hits?
Joseph Duchesne is the creator of The Church AI Guy, a space where faith meets innovation while discussing the long-term impact of AI. A pastor, autodidact, and author of two books—The Last Crisis and Discover the One—he’s passionate about showing how Jesus-centered discipleship can thrive in a digital world. When he’s not experimenting with the latest tech, he’s reading theology, building church community, or spending time with his wife.
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