For as long as I can remember, technology has fascinated me. From programming shapes on an Apple II in school to tinkering with my first Commodore 64, I’ve witnessed the rise and fall of countless innovations. Who remembers having an aol.com email address or using CompuServe? We’ve gone from hard-cover encyclopedias to Microsoft Encarta on CD-ROM, and now to Wikipedia. Each wave has shaped how we learn, connect, and work.
With the benefit of hindsight, I can see both the positives and negatives of these technological shifts. In the moment, I often saw only the upside. But with age and experience, I’ve gained a bit of wisdom and now try to step back and weigh the pros and cons before embracing the latest trend.
Last week, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas showcased a new wave of AI-powered products. One that caught my attention was Lepro’s Ami, marketed as an “AI soulmate” for lonely remote workers. This development gives me pause. While I still believe AI is a powerful tool that can transform our work and personal lives, especially by handling repetitive and mundane tasks, I’m concerned about the shift from AI as a tool to AI as a companion, a substitute for real relationships.
This trend is a call to action for the Church. The world is hungry for authentic relationships, and technology, no matter how advanced, cannot fill that longing. Jesus said in John 15:12-15:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
Of course, AI isn’t the first attempt to replace real relationships. The rise of social media and the forced shift to online services—especially during COVID—have already changed how we connect. Many churches, including my own, have never fully recovered their in-person attendance. Our 4:30 service was cancelled as a result. I’m not saying we should abandon online services or social media; they are valuable tools. It’s a blessing to be able to worship from home when I’m sick or traveling for marching band competitions.
However, as the Church, we must remember the words of the Hebrews 10 24-25:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
My mission is to help ministries use technology wisely, to free up time from administrative overhead so we can focus on what truly matters: building real relationships. People are longing for connection, and it’s our calling to meet that need, not with artificial substitutes, but with genuine, Christ-like love
Let’s use technology as it was meant to be used: as a tool to serve our mission, not as a replacement for the relationships we are called to nurture.
Jonathan Meester, VP & Chief Technologist, Computers in Ministry