I joined Pushpay earlier this year as Chief Product Officer and am privileged to lead a remarkably dedicated group of professionals who are creating the tech solutions that will shape the digital future of thousands of churches.
One aspect that drew me to Pushpay was the opportunity to work alongside church leaders, and the team’s commitment to innovating alongside customers. This is a successful dynamic I’ve witnessed throughout my career: new technologies succeed when they’re developed in collaboration with those they’ll serve. And when speaking with ministry leaders about what they want from their tech, the common theme is always connecting with individuals at every step of their journey within the Church.
New tech, new conversation
In recent years, a new digital dynamic is shaping that conversation. You can probably guess the technology I’m talking about — and I must say, I couldn’t have chosen a more thrilling time to lead Pushpay’s product development strategy. What could be more exciting than exploring AI applications for churches?
These tools are rapidly becoming mainstream in every aspect of our lives, and ministry is no exception. Pushpay’s 2025 State of Church Technology report — our benchmark annual survey of church and parish leaders — found an 80% year-over-year increase of AI adoption among churches this year, and that number is projected to jump significantly next year.
Perhaps the more interesting data point is how churches are using AI. The report uncovered that leaders typically use generative AI for communications like emails and social media posts but are much more hesitant to trust AI with developing their core message. Which — speaking as someone who regularly pastors at my local church — rings true. Emerging artificial intelligence tools can help your team work more efficiently and understand your community more deeply, but they’ll never fulfill our universal, bone-deep desire for authentic human connections.
So, the question is, how do we move forward with AI, and what role will it play in the future of connection? As a technology company serving the Church, it’s incumbent upon Pushpay to explore, test, and invest in the latest tech that might support ministry — and, as mentioned above, the first step in that process will always be collaborating with leaders. Which we’ve done.
Purposeful innovation
We listened to churches’ wants and needs, developed our AI tools with intention, and ensured that the critical human element of ministry isn’t infringed upon. That’s why we’re confident our first-to-market AI solutions strike the balance of effectiveness and authenticity, as together we continue to build His Kingdom.
Especially for large and growing churches, our AI Search features were built to help discover those you need to connect with faster and more simply than ever.
“I couldn’t have chosen a more thrilling time to lead Pushpay’s product development strategy. What could be more exciting than exploring AI applications for churches?”
Instead of parsing through complicated filters in your software, you can now ask straightforward, natural-language queries to identify the individuals and groups in your community most in need of your attention. For example, you can simply type “people who haven’t attended in 30 days,” or “families who gave on Easter” and instantly see the results you need to better lead your flock. This makes it easier to find opportunities for connection, or who to connect with next, allowing ministry teams to engage with their people in a timelier manner. So, AI isn’t just doing the ministry work for pastors; rather, it’s enabling and assisting in their critical ministry endeavors.
We’re also streamlining video workflows. Staying connected to your community seven days a week is easier than ever via digital platforms — but only if you can produce enough content to keep members engaged. Studio AI from Resi — packed with features like instant transcripts and real-time clip creation — helps your team generate content quickly without sacrificing human-led creative management.
These releases are only the beginning of our AI initiatives, which we believe will enhance the human element of ministry. Features to further support online giving are just around the corner — including the launch of AI natural language capabilities on top of donor data — along with other innovations that will push the bounds of what’s possible with church technology solutions. All of which will always be built with intention, in collaboration with ministries, to help you better connect with your community at every stage of their journey into the life of your church.
Gruia Pitigoi-Aron is the Chief Product Officer at Pushpay, where he leads and inspires Pushpay’s product development teams in creating ministry-first tools that help churches deepen connection and generosity. With a heart for the Lord, he brings a unique perspective shaped by both ministry and innovation to serve the Church well.
