A note to our ministry family before you read this. I shared the article below because the story behind it has been sitting on my heart, and I want us to sit with it together. Hillvue did not reach 15,000 people because of a clever program. They reached them because ordinary believers refused to stay quiet, year after year, for thirty-five years. That is the part I cannot get past. The fruit came from faithful people and a holy expectation, not from resources. So here is what I have been praying about, and I want to put it in front of you. Some of us may have thirty-five years ahead of us, and some of us may have five or ten. But every one of us has the next season, and we are standing at the start of it. And for the first time, we have a tool in our hands that those before us never had. Used wrongly, AI is just noise. But used in a biblical way, submitted to the Spirit and never set above Him, it could become to our generation what the printing press was to the Reformation, a way for ordinary people to carry the unchanging gospel further and faster than they ever could alone. Picture it with me. Imagine every believer in this room able to answer a friend's hard question about the faith at midnight, gently and truthfully, instead of going silent. Imagine reaching people in their own language, following up with every new believer so not one of them slips through the cracks, and freeing our teachers from busywork so they can do what only a human shepherd can do, which is love people face to face. AI will never be born again. It will never weep with the grieving or hold a hand at a hospital bed. It cannot replace a single one of us, and it must never try. But it can hand the ordinary believer more time, more reach, and fewer excuses for staying silent. Now run that forward, however many years the Lord gives you, whether it is five or thirty-five. If we start today, faithfully and humbly, what might He do through a people who paired the oldest message in the world with the newest tool, and who expected Him to save?

Memorial Day weekend offers natural openings to express faith in ways that feel genuine rather than forced. Here are practical approaches, organized so you can scan and pick the ones that fit. Sharable Image Attached Honor the fallen through prayer and remembrance - Pray specifically for fallen service members and their families - Attend a memorial service or your church's special observance - Visit a cemetery to place flags or flowers on graves - Observe a personal moment of silence, connecting sacrifice to faith Practice hospitality and generosity - Open your home for a cookout or gathering, and include people who might otherwise be alone - Invite a widow, a veteran, or someone new to the area to share a meal - Welcome neighbors or coworkers who have no plans for the weekend Serve veterans and military families directly - Reach out to the surviving families of fallen soldiers with a note or call - Volunteer with an organization that supports veterans - Visit a VA facility - Offer practical help to a local military family, such as childcare, yard work, or errands Express gratitude thoughtfully - Thank veterans you know personally, rather than offering generic statements - Keep in mind the distinction that matters: Memorial Day honors those who died, while Veterans Day honors all who served Keep faith woven into family time - Offer a brief prayer before the meal - Pause to remember those who gave their lives - Model patience and kindness throughout the day - Read scripture together or talk with children about sacrifice and gratitude in age-appropriate ways Reflect on the connection between sacrifice and faith - Set aside time for personal reflection or journaling - Consider how the weekend's themes echo Christian ideas about laying down one's life for others - Have a thoughtful conversation with family or friends about what sacrifice means The most authentic approach is to live out your faith in how you treat people on the weekend, rather than through any single grand gesture.

Last updated 5/22/2026 I'm not big on having a lot of complex rules, but because we've decided to make this community public, we'll need to be more intentional about keeping the conversation healthy, on-topic, and welcoming for everyone who stops by. Public visibility means a wider audience, which is great for the mission, but it also means we have to keep a closer eye on things than we would in a closed group. We've all seen groups where every thread becomes a pitch, every comment is a thinly veiled ad, and the actual learning gets buried under self-promotion. That's not what we're building here. This is a space for ministry leaders, pastors, and church workers to learn, experiment, and grow together in using AI thoughtfully for Kingdom work. These rules will adjust as we learn what the community needs. A note on grace Most rule breaks come from people who didn't read the guidelines, not bad actors. We'll assume the best on a first offense. If you're unsure whether something fits, ask a moderator before posting. Questions about these guidelines are always welcome. Message a moderator anytime. We'd rather answer than enforce. The short version - Follow the Golden Rule and treat each other with respect - Be positive and make an effort - Search before asking questions - Paid offerings go in Show and Tell only, never in regular threads - Free, genuinely useful resources are welcome when they fit the conversation - Don't repeat the same link across multiple threads - No affiliate links, no DM pitches, no spam When a thread is link-free, you'll see a note from moderators inside the post. Respect those zones. 1. Follow the Golden Rule Treat others the way you'd want to be treated. This is the foundation everything else rests on. 2. Be positive Bring energy that builds the community up. Disagree freely, but treat each other with respect. Personal attacks, sarcasm aimed at members, and contempt have no place here. We can be honest without being unkind.

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.

This is where members can share other faith-based communities they run or are part of. Many of our members lead their own Skool groups, churches, memberships, and ministry communities. We want to honor that work and help members discover spaces beyond this one where they can keep growing. How this thread works - One post per member per month - One link per post - The community must be faith-based or ministry-focused - Tell us what it is, who it's for, and what makes it worth joining What belongs here - Other Skool groups you run or moderate - Churches and church-related communities - Ministry memberships and coaching programs - Faith-based learning communities - Denominational or tradition-specific groups - Free and paid communities both welcome What doesn't belong here - Communities unrelated to faith or ministry, even if they're valuable - Your AI ministry tools, courses, or products (those go in Show and Tell) - Multiple communities stacked into one post - Reposts of the same community month after month with no meaningful update What makes a good Community Spotlight post Tell us who the community serves and what kind of conversations happen there. A pastor looking for a place to grow doesn't need a sales pitch. They need to know whether your community is for them. A few honest sentences about who it's for and what they'll find inside is worth more than a polished promo. A simple template: - What the community is (one sentence) - Who it's for (one sentence) - What members can expect to find there (a paragraph) - The link Full community rules The complete community guidelines are here: https://www.skool.com/ministryai/rules-for-this-community?p=fe8649e6 Please read them before posting.