Artificial Intelligence Use
& Ethics Policy 

1. Purpose & Theological Framework
At Hope Church Clayton, we recognize that technology is a gift that can streamline administrative workflows, optimize operational efficiency, and expand our ministry's reach. However, we hold that technology must always serve to enhance genuine human connection, never to replace it. Because Christian ministry is inherently relational, incarnational, and pastoral, this policy outlines the strict ethical and operational boundaries for utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) across our staff, volunteers, and digital platforms.

2. Pastoral Care & Data Security Boundaries (The "Hard Line")
The privacy, safety, and dignity of our church family are paramount. Because third-party AI platforms may process, retain, or use submitted information outside Hope Church’s direct control, confidential, sensitive, or personally identifiable church information is never entered into an AI system unless that system has been specifically approved by church leadership for that type of data.  As such, we enforce a strict data security boundary including: 

• Strict Prohibitions: Under no circumstances will any church staff member, ministry leader, or volunteer input confidential, sensitive, or personally identifiable information (PII) into third-party AI platforms.
• Protected Data Categories: This strict ban explicitly covers:
  • Individual prayer requests containing names or specific health/personal situations.
  • Pastoral counseling logs, meeting notes, and family care updates.
  • Personal contact details, mailing lists, and directory spreadsheets.
  • Financial giving histories, tithe metrics, and bank records.
  • Children’s ministry registration, check-in data, and medical or allergy notes.
• Database Confinement: All personal member tracking and sensitive pastoral details must remain strictly confined to our secure, encrypted internal church management system (ChMS).

3. Transparency in Content Creation & Teaching
We hold our preaching, teaching, and congregational communication to a high standard of spiritual truth and intellectual honesty.

• Sermons & Spiritual Teachings: While AI platforms may be utilized by pastoral staff for historical research, dictionary cross-referencing, translation comparisons, or structural outlining, they will never be used to author sermons, devotionals, or theological study materials. Our pulpit and teaching ministries remain entirely human-led, personally studied, and Spirit-driven.
• Administrative Operations: Staff are permitted to utilize AI utilities as supportive administrative tools. This includes using software to correct grammar, format scheduling data, proofread emails, brainstorm event themes, or generate announcement slide summaries. These production-focused tasks do not require public disclosure.

4. Media, Imagery, & Visual Authenticity
To respect our online community and maintain clear transparency, we draw a definitive line between artistic graphic design and documentary photography.

• Stock Photo Acknowledgement: To maintain an engaging digital presence, Hope Church Clayton utilizes professional stock photography and thematic visual assets across our website headers, event landing pages, and social media feeds. These images are used purely for decorative, thematic, or illustrative purposes and are not intended to represent our actual church membership, staff, or active congregation.
• AI-Assisted Photo Enhancement:  AI tools may be used to make reasonable technical corrections or improvements to authentic Hope Church photographs, including exposure and color correction, cropping, straightening, sharpening, noise reduction, background cleanup, and the removal of minor visual distractions.
  AI-assisted editing must preserve the factual integrity of the original photograph. It may not be used to add people, fabricate attendance, create activities that did not occur, materially change the setting, or otherwise alter the image in a way that could misrepresent what actually happened.
  When people appear in photographs, retouching should remain natural and limited to ordinary photographic correction. AI should not substantially alter a person’s age, body shape, facial features, identity, or appearance.  
• Permissible Use of AI in Marketing: We may utilize generative AI tools to assist in the creation of marketing graphics, social media promotional materials, background textures, and sermon series artwork (such as vector styles, abstract textures, or typography elements). This is fully permissible provided that the final output remains explicitly graphic or artistic in nature and does not cross into fabricating realistic human events in a manner that contradicts this policy.
• No "Fake" Ministry Photos: We strictly prohibit the use of hyper-realistic generative AI engines to create images of fake people participating in children's ministries, youth groups, or small groups. To ensure we never mislead online visitors searching for a home church, our specific ministry pages will only utilize real photography representing our actual community, building, and actual volunteers where consent has been provided.  When there is reasonable ambiguity about whether an AI-generated image could be mistaken for documentary photography of Hope Church, the church will default to real photography, stock photos, or clearly illustrative artwork. 

5. Compliance & Periodic Review

• Technology evolves rapidly, and Hope Church Clayton will periodically audit our digital practices to ensure they align with this policy and emerging legal and pastoral data standards. Any staff member or volunteer with questions regarding whether an AI tool or use case complies with this policy should contact church leadership at info@hopeclayton.org.

6. Contact Us
If you need additional information or would like to discuss this policy, please contact us at info@hopeclayton.org.