On The Rise: Politicians and celebrity pastors are almost tied

Published about 6 hours ago • 4 min read

Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week.

Today, do Americans trust pastors? Well, we've got some work to do. Also, a pastor who has created an AI digital twin. My favorite book on AI, the last chance to get pre-order bonuses for my new book, and how weird are you? Probably weirder than you think.

Do Americans Trust Pastors and Christian Churches?

Um, well…

Barna released some fascinating data about who Americans trust. Near the bottom of the ranking were celebrity pastors, beating politicians by a single percentage point.

Small churches came out on “top”—top being 61% of people trusting small churches. Pastors fared much better than celebrity pastors, but not quite as well Christians in general, charities, or schools.

There’s no generational data on this, but I’m encouraged by the younger church leaders I meet who seem to not want he spot light nearly as much as previous generations of pastors did, and who are focused on building the local church.

Three Days Left to Get the Bonuses

Pre-order AI and the Future Church by Monday, September 14.

AI isn't a trend on the horizon anymore. It's already in your congregation, and it’s already shaping how your people think about faith, truth, and community. And most church leaders are still trying to figure out where to start.

That's exactly what this book is built to help with, and it launches in three days. Pre-order by Monday, you'll get two FREE bonuses:

The complete audiobook. Read by me.
A 35-page executive summary. The three shifts and full framework you can read and share in one sitting.

If you've been meaning to grab it, now is the time. All you need to do is:

Pre-order the book.
Submit your order confirmation HERE.
Your bonuses arrive via email.

That's it. A few clicks, and you're done. After Monday, these bonuses are gone.

Claim Your Bonuses

Would You Want to be Available 24/7?

Bay-Area Pastor Justin Lester Has Created A Digital Twin.

I generally don’t criticize pastors. We have it hard enough.

But this story raised my eyebrows. Justin Lester created an AI digital twin that means he can be available to answer questions and pray with his congregation 24/7. First, kudos for trying something new.

But second, would you ever want to encourage 24/7 availability for anyone? I think it’s great for the body of Christ to care for the body of Christ, but to have any version of you available 24/7 may not be the wisest model of ministry.

I wonder about a flip. Rather than creating a personal doppleganger, I can see having a friendly AI available to answer baseline questions and refer people to in-person solutions and experience.

My guess is we’ll see a lot more innovation in the coming months and years.

Finding the Right Partnerships

Partnering in kingdom work brings powerful transformation.

Ministry work is difficult. (Preaching to the choir, I know.) We steward the weighty calling — and privilege — of leading our church family to be more like Christ. But we don't have to do this work alone.

Compassion International has partnered with churches for nearly 75 years to reach the world’s most vulnerable children with the transformative hope of the gospel. Their work is done hand-in-hand with the local church, and through church-wide experiences, family resources and more, they empower congregations to step into the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

Check out compassion.com/carey and head to the Church Partnership section. Fill out the information and a Compassion team member will reach out with opportunities suited for your church.

Learn More

Weekly Recommendation

The Coming Wave, Mustafa Suleman and Michale Bhaksar

Well, my new book on AI (or more accurately, ministry and leadership in the age of AI) comes out next week!

AI books can date quickly (I’ve tried to make sure mine doesn’t), so much of what you read from one year to the next sounds outdated quickly. But in all my research, probably my favorite book on AI is The Coming Wave. It’s a great overview of the era we’re heading into, and a great primer if you want to see the world our children will be living in (as well as us!)

Check It Out

How Weird Are You?

Find out.

A mentor taught me years ago that if you speak to human need, you’ll never run out of content. True. Most of us share the same challenges.

That said, we’re all a little unique and, well, weird.

This quick test can show you how weird you are. I share my profile with .027% of the population. Yep, I’m weird. But you didn’t really need a test to show that. You could have just asked my wife.