Kereke ya moya (digital ecclesiology): Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT and the township Pentecostal pastor

Abstract

A 2012 empirical study by Beger, Sinha and Pawelczyk mentions that South Africa has a mobile subscription of 100.48% and the highest number of households with more than one mobile phone. Members of township Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (PCCs) are among these figures and are users of digital Christian resources accessed through various social platforms. Different age groups in the churches and the society respond differently to technology, with millennials and Generation Z (Gen-Z) being mostly techno-savvy and the older generation not. Old and less techno-savvy township Pentecostal pastors (55–70 years) and millennial Pentecostal pastors lead these churches. Since millennials, including millennial pastors, and Generation Z (Gen-Z) are mostly techno-savvy, it is not surprising that they are the largest users of smartphones in South Africa, and these churches are exposed to ChatGPT. This creates a digital gap between them and older township Pentecostal pastors. Thus, it is unavoidable for older pastors to fall behind in embracing ecclesiological digitalisation. The article argues that, unlike millennial pastors, AI and ChatGPT will inevitably make older pastors redundant if they do not embrace AI and ChatGPT.