I don’t want to assume I know what you need. I want to ask you directly. For the next few weeks, the courses inside this community will be temporarily hidden while we have an honest conversation about what churches and ministry leaders need most from AI. AI is moving fast. People are moving beyond simple prompts and individual AI agents. Some are now building complete systems that help manage communication, content, planning, follow-up, administration, and more. That may sound exciting. It may also sound overwhelming. Not every church needs a complicated system. Not every ministry needs the newest tool. The goal is not more AI. The goal is more time for ministry. I also want to apologize. I have faced health issues over the past several months. My wife and other family members have faced health challenges as well. Because of that, I have not shown up here as consistently as I intended. I also know I need to do a better job of organizing this community and making it easier for you to find and use what matters most. I have spent some time thinking carefully about what a healthy, helpful, long-term community should look like. Now I want to build the next version with you, not just for you. My goal is still clear. I want to help churches and ministry leaders use AI wisely to save time, reduce repetitive work, communicate more clearly, and reach more people. Our new direction can be summed up in four words: More Ministry. Less Busywork. Before I rebuild the courses, resources, and community structure, I want to hear from you. What ministry task takes more time than it should? And what would you most like AI to help you do faster, better, or more consistently? Your answers will help shape what comes next.

I recently watched a "special flower" church service that didn't read or mention a single Bible reference. This was their normal Sunday service, not some one-off event. I think they might do this twice a year in place of their "normal" service schedule. I actually rewatched the recording to make sure I hadn't missed one. I'll admit, that's a really interesting church strategy. I'll say more about this later, but my mind jumped back to one service where I afterward counted 66 Bible verses read aloud during the service. My feeling is that the right number should land somewhere well above 0 and well below 66. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸? --- Most pastors don't track how many verses get discussed during a service, and that includes more than just the sermon. AI offers an easy way to count them. Take the audio or video of the entire service and have AI generate a transcript, assuming your streaming service doesn't already produce one automatically. Then ask the AI to identify every Bible verse in the transcript and show the exact verse along with its location in the Bible. It's a simple way to keep a running total.

I've been putting Anthropic's new Fable 5 model through its paces, and the best test I know is real work. So, here's an offer. Pitch me something in the comments: a tool you'd personally use, that other members of Ministry Unlocked would benefit from too, and small enough to build in a few hours. I'll pick one and "attempt it" and if successful and useful will be free for everyone in this community. Fair warning that "attempt" is the honest verb. To show what the model can do, I used it to build an interactive quiz and extensive scoring framework for Donna. This is just the frontend quiz: https://skoolology.netlify.app/ The reasoning is the strongest I've worked with, and I'd rather prove it on something you'll use than just say it. Let's get creative!

Hey, I'm Todd Thornton, and I am so glad you're here. Ministry looks different for everyone. Whether you're on staff, volunteering, or just trying to make a difference, AI can help you do it better. Three things I want you to know right up front. 1) Don't just lurk. Post (1) one word in the comments. An AI tool you use, something you want to accomplish, a hidden talent. Anything. I will personally respond to every single one with my best idea for how I can help. If I'm wrong, the egg is on my face and some responses might be hilarious. 2) This is a "public" community. Everything here is visible, searchable, and shareable, even to non-members. That's on purpose. We want people to find this content. But if that's not for you, no hard feelings at all. 3) This is a link-free thread. Leave the URLs out and bring the real you. We want your thoughts, your questions, and your experience, not your bookmarks. If you are not a member you won't be able to comment or track completion in courses, but if you find something you like, just grab the link and share it freely. Posts, course pages, anything. We believe in full transparency. This is just who we are. If you're still in, let's take it one step at a time. Step one is simple. Drop only (1) ONE word in the comments below and let's see how creative Todd can get with his response.