ChatGPT is the natural language processing tool that's taking the tech world by storm. It's an AI chatbot that is part of a growing wave of artificial intelligence programs released to the public and is already helping countless people with content creation. If you're a pastor, this program can greatly benefit your work in ministry.

Below are 11 ways you can use Chat GPT as you write your next sermon, plus a cool BONUS way. I've provided effective prompts for ChatGPT that I use and step-by-step instructions. Read on for a comprehensive ChatGPT Sermon Writing 101 Bootcamp!

The Scenario:

For my demonstration, I will be preaching a sermon on the topics of God's love and adoption. I already know my primary verse - Ephesians 1:5. I will be using ChatGPT as an aide as I draft an outline, come up with a good sermon title, develop memorable illustrations, research other verses, and other common tasks I do as I prepare a sermon.

In each section, I will share the prompts I entered so you can use them too. I recommend you experiment and try your own prompts to discover what works for you.

Note: The prompts you'll find in this article are just suggestions to get you started. Fill in your information or needs as you copy and paste them into the program. The rule of thumb is: Give ChatGPT everything you already have so it can incorporate it into its results.

1. Finding Sermon Inspiration

Everyone gets hit by writer's block now and then, including pastors. If you need a little inspiration for your next sermon or series, ask ChatGPT for ideas.

How to Get Started Using ChatGPT for Sermon Inspiration

Asking something like "What are some great sermon topics?" is a start, but will only give you very generic answers. Take your prompt further by feeding ChatGPT specific topics or passages in your requests.

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Sermon Inspiration

• "I want to preach a sermon series on the book of Hebrews/Isaiah/Colossions/etc. What are some good sermon topics from that book?"
• "I just finished a sermon series on (enter topic - i.e. God's grace). What is a good sermon topic to follow that up? Include bible verses or passages to match each topic recommendation."
• "I will be preaching on the topic (enter topic - i.e. the Abrahamic covenant). What are some passages that cover (reiterate the topic - i.e. God's covenant with Israel)? Please include verses from both the Old Testament and New Testament."

2. Making Sermon Outlines

ChatGPT can help you structure your thoughts by providing a sermon outline complete with headings, subheadings, and bullet points. This will also give your sermons better flow and composition.

However, this requires more than just feeding ChatGPT a topic and verse and letting it run. You need to "stage" the program to enhance the content it creates. Read the prompts section below for instructions.

How to Get Started Using ChatGPT for Sermon Outlines

Here is what I requested for my Ephesians 1:5 sermon and a snippet of what ChatGPT provided:

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Sermon Outlines

1. "I want to write a sermon about (enter topic - i.e adoption and God's love). Do you understand?"
2. "I need you to provide an outline for this sermon. I need you to write it for a conservative Christian audience. Write as if you are a pastor with 10 years of preaching experience. Do you understand?"
3. "The main verse is (enter main verse/passage). I want to focus on (reiterate topic, but expound with further details). However, I want to end the sermon with a call to action for members to (enter call to action). Do you understand?"
4. "I need the outline to have a humourous introduction with a funny illustration, 4 main sections, each main section with bullet points and subpoints, and a conclusion calling members to either adopt, foster, or donate to an adoption agency."

3. Crafting Attention-Grabbing Sermon Titles

Most pastors treat the sermon title as an afterthought. I used to until I realized something crucial: We only have one chance to get people's attention. Even though we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, most people determine whether they will take the time to listen to your sermon by the title. So we have to maximize the title's ability to catch their interest.

This is a strength of OpenAI's program. If there's anything ChatGPT knows, it's what people on the internet have spent their time and attention on.

How to get started using ChatGPT for sermon titles

In the same conversation, tell ChatGPT you need a title for this sermon. You can add qualifiers like "humorous" or "thought-provoking", as well as tell it what you want it to mention (i.e. mention the cross).

Here is what I entered for the Ephesians 1:5 sermon:

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Sermon Titles

1. "I need a title for a sermon. Do you understand?"
2. "The sermon is about (enter topic - i.e. salvation). I need the title to be humorous/thought-provoking/witty/etc. I also need it to mention (enter main verse). Please give me 10 title suggestions."

4. Drafting Memorable Sermon Illustrations

Story-telling is one of the most effective devices for conveying truth. So let's add a good illustration to our sermon.

ChatGPT can not only give you great illustration ideas but can write the entire script for that illustration.

How to get started using ChatGPT for sermon illustrations

Here is what I entered for the Ephesians 1:5 sermon:

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Sermon Illustrations

1. "I am writing a sermon about (enter topic - i.e God's unfailing mercy). Do you understand?"
2. "I need an illustration to share in this sermon with the congregation. Do you understand?"
3. "Please write a serious 250 word illustration that connects (topic) with (main verse)."

5. Researching Verses Around a Topic

In the same conversation, ask ChatGPT to feed you more verses around the main topic or theme of the lesson.

In the past, I would head straight to Google and search something like "Bible verses about adoption", then have to sift through a series of links to find useful verses. Instead of requiring you to click several links to find one that has what you're looking for, ChatGPT will compile all of the relevant verses together, even in different Bible translations, saving you an enormous amount of time.

How to get started using ChatGPT to research Bible verses

Writing "Are there Bible verses that mention adoption?" yielded four great passages. You can further modify similar requests by asking for verses only from the Old/New Testament or by specifying which book you want to search from.

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Bible Research

• "Are there any Bible verses about (enter topic - i.e resurrection)?"
• "What are the Old Testament verses and passages about the Messiah?"

6. Planning Sermons

Use ChatGPT to plot an entire sermon series or schedule the next few weeks/months of sermons. It can go so far as to give you sermon ideas for each Sunday in a series, give you a focal passage for each sermon, then plan when you preach them.

How to get started using ChatGPT for sermon planning

Here are the steps:

1. Tell ChatGPT that you are writing a series and the theme of the series
2. Give it a timeframe or a beginning date and an end date for the series
3. If needed, ask it to give you a list of sermon titles and focal passages for each Sunday in the series

Here are the prompts I used for my series on God's love and adoption:

1. "I want to write a 5-week series on God's love and adoption. Do you understand?"
2. "I want you to help me plan the series. I need 5 sermon titles and a main passage for each sermon. Remember, the theme of these sermons is God's love and adoption. Do you understand?"

The answer ChatGPT gave me retained the entire conversation I had with it before these prompts. The final sermon in the series it offered was titled "The Call to Care of the Orphan" with a focus on James 1:27 and a call to get involved in adoption and foster care. That was something I brought up when asking for an outline! It recalled that request and added it to this series without me prompting it to do so. Impressive!

Below are prompts you can use to get started.

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Sermon Planning (if you already know the sermon titles)

1. "I am preaching a sermon series about (enter topic - i.e. salvation through Jesus). The series will begin on (enter beginning date) /  end on (enter ending date). Do you understand?"
2. "The titles of the sermons in the series are (list each title). I need to plan out the order of this series, along with the date each sermon will be preached. Please create an itinerary for this sermon series, listing the date of each Sunday that each sermon will be preached."

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Sermon Planning (if you don't know the sermon titles)

1. "I am preaching a sermon series about (enter topic - i.e. salvation through Jesus). The series will begin on (enter beginning date) /  end on (enter ending date). Do you understand?"
2. "I want you to help me plan the series. I need (enter # of sermons in the series) sermon titles and a main passage for each sermon. Remember, the theme of these sermons is (reiterate theme). Please include the date of each Sunday that each sermon should be preached."

7. Deeper Topic Research

OpenAI not only trained it to know a lot of data but to communicate it in a conversational style. So you can have a back-and-forth dialogue that feels very natural. Take advantage by turning the program into a conversation partner by employing the Feynman technique!

How to get started using ChatGPT for topic research

I've found this prompt to be very effective at staging ChatGPT to work as a conversation partner:

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Topic Research

1. "Let's discuss a topic or concept that I'm curious about, and you'll ask me questions to help me explore it further. We'll work together to build a deep understanding of the topic, and you'll provide feedback to help me identify any misconceptions or gaps in my understanding, like the Feynman technique. We'll approach this with an open mind, and we'll be curious and inquisitive as we explore the topic.
   
   I want you to ask specific questions that will push my understanding of the topic, it doesn't matter if I'm not capable of answering because my goal is to learn more. Let's begin."
2. "I want to discuss (enter topic - i.e. the ancient Hebrew people's approach to adoption). Is that something you can help me with?"
3. "Here is what I know so far: (briefly summarize your knowledge). Please ask me questions that help me go deeper and find areas I don't yet understand."

8. Checking Grammar

Poor grammar can distract from the important truths you're trying to convey.

Ask ChatGPT to assess the grammar of your sermon script or outline. The program can highlight grammatical errors and help you deliver your points with confidence.

How to get started using ChatGPT to check grammar

Here are the prompts I have used when asking ChatGPT to check my grammar.

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Topic Research

1. "I have written a sermon and would like you to assess it for grammatical errors and recommend any fixes. Can you do that?"
2. "Here is what I have written that I need you to assess: (enter portion of your sermon script/outline)"
3. "Here is more of what I have written. Please assess this portion: (enter next segment of your sermon)"
4. Repeat until all of what you have written has been assessed.

9. Translating Text

OpenAI trained its language model on 95 languages and they add new languages in their updates. That means you can use it to translate your sermons to share the Gospel with more people!

It can also act as an English translator for Greek and Hebrew. You can use this tool to better understand the original languages of Scripture, helping unlock a deeper understanding of the text.

How to get started using ChatGPT for translation

Translating text from one language to another is simple.

Best ChatGPT Prompt for Translating Text

• "Can you please translate this for me into (insert new language here)?"

Translating from your native language to the ancient biblical languages is also very simple.

Best ChatGPT Prompts for Ancient Greek/Hebrew

• Can you please translate this text to (your native language)?"
• "What is the ancient Hebrew/Greek word for (insert word/phrase from your native language)?"
• What is the meaning of this ancient Hebrew/Greek word: (insert word you want to know more about)"

10. Captioning Sermon Videos

OpenAI also created Whisper. You will need some coding experience to install and run it. But if you or someone in your congregation has the know-how, it is well worth the time to set it up. Here are some helpful Whisper setup instructions to get you started. The best part is that it's free!

11. Summarizing Sermons

If your sermons are posted to Youtube or other social media platforms, creating a concise summary of the sermon will help increase the video watch rates. It can also help the sermon rank higher in a Google search if you add the right keywords.

But a sermon summary can be added anywhere! You can include it in your email newsletter, the church bulletin, discussion guides, social media posts, and anywhere else people may encounter the sermon.

How to get started using ChatGPT to summarize sermons

Just add your sermon notes into the program and ask it to summarize what you entered. You can also specify how many words you want the summary to be!

Best ChatGPT Prompt for Sermon Summaries

• "I have a sermon I would like you to summarize. I need the summary to be 240 characters/100 words long. I also need it to include the phrase '(enter sermon title/phrase/keyword here)'. Can you help me with that?"

BONUS: Sermon SEO

Even the best church websites overlook one fantastic opportunity for church website SEO: the sermon! All you need is an SEO-rich sermon summary.

Do some keyword research ahead of time. I typically rely on Google Keyword Planner and also spend time scanning Google search suggestions. Once you find two or three good search terms, enter them into ChatGPT as you ask it to summarize your sermon and the program will add those terms to the summary.

How to get started using ChatGPT for Sermon SEO

I found this local SEO guide to be very helpful for anyone just getting started.

Here's what I did for my sermon, and below are the steps I followed to get to this point:

Steps for Sermon SEO

1. Do keyword research to pinpoint two or three search terms that are relevant to your sermon topic
2. Enter the prompt in the 11. Summarizing Sermons section of this article. Enter the keywords and search terms in your prompt and tell ChatGPT you want it to include those phrases in the summary.
3. Review the output and tweak it so that it doesn't sound awkward or robotic
4. Add it to your Youtube description, social media post, and website!

ChatGPT: Your Sermon Writing Ally

ChatGPT offers plenty of opportunities to serve your needs as you serve your church. All it takes is a little practice with the program to see what it can do for you.

To learn more about ChatGPT, its limitations, some causes for concerns, and tips for how to use ChatGPT effectively, read my Chat GPT: Your Sermon Writing Sidekick, Not Replacement post. 

ChatGPT is a remarkable and powerful tool. Its text-based output is especially useful for ministers tasked with sharing the Gospel. As new updates are released, you may find even more ways you can use ChatGPT for ministry!

Matt Church Engagement