Will religious education directors be replaced by AI?
Updated
Religious education directors score 47 out of 100 for AI exposure. AI helps with 68% of their task time, and they stay in charge. AI can do another 5%. 27% needs a person.
- 5% AI can do it
- 68% AI helps
- 27% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Higher than 67% of the 923 jobs we scored.
Task by task
We graded 19 tasks, most exposed first. AI can do 1 of them, helps with 13 and leaves 5 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Publicize programs through sources, such as newsletters, bulletins, or mailings. Newsletters and bulletins are routine writing AI can draft and format. | 72% AI can do it |
| Analyze revenue and program cost data to determine budget priorities. Cost analysis is spreadsheet work AI handles well; priorities stay with leaders. | 60% AI helps |
| Implement program plans by ordering needed materials, scheduling speakers, reserving space, or handling other administrative details. Ordering, reminders and booking are automatable; site coordination is not. | 55% AI helps |
| Locate and distribute resources, such as periodicals or curricula, to enhance the effectiveness of educational programs. AI can search and recommend resources; physical distribution stays manual. | 52% AI helps |
| Analyze member participation or changes in congregational emphasis to determine needs for religious education. AI can analyze attendance data; interpreting congregational change needs judgment. | 50% AI helps |
| Interpret religious education activities to the public through speaking, leading discussions, or writing articles for local or national publications. AI can draft articles and talking points; public speaking stays human. | 50% AI helps |
| Select appropriate curricula or class structures for educational programs. AI can compare curricula; theological fit needs human judgment. | 48% AI helps |
| Develop or direct study courses or religious education programs within congregations. AI can draft lesson plans; leaders still guide congregations. | 42% AI helps |
| Plan fundraising activities for the church. AI can draft fundraising plans; execution is in-person and social. | 40% AI helps |
| Plan or conduct conferences dealing with the interpretation of religious ideas or convictions. AI can help plan conference content; live interpretation needs people. | 40% AI helps |
Show the other 9 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Schedule special events, such as camps, conferences, meetings, seminars, or retreats. Scheduling software handles calendars; venues and travel need people. | 38% AI helps |
| Identify and recruit potential volunteer workers. AI can draft outreach messages; recruiting conversations stay personal. | 30% AI helps |
| Collaborate with other ministry members to establish goals and objectives for religious education programs or to develop ways to encourage program participation. Goal-setting meetings are human; AI can summarize notes and drafts. | 30% AI helps |
| Train and supervise religious education instructional staff. Staff training happens in person; AI can help build training materials. | 30% AI helps |
| Confer with clergy members, congregational officials, or congregational organizations to encourage support of or participation in religious education activities. Persuading clergy and officials is interpersonal; AI helps only with prep. | 18% Needs a person |
| Counsel individuals regarding interpersonal, health, financial, or religious problems. Counseling needs live empathy and trust; AI offers only resource support. | 15% Needs a person |
| Participate in denominational activities aimed at goals, such as promoting interfaith understanding or providing aid to new or small congregations. Interfaith dialogue is in-person; AI helps only with briefing materials. | 15% Needs a person |
| Attend workshops, seminars, or conferences to obtain program ideas, information, or resources. Attending events is physical; AI only helps with notes afterward. | 10% Needs a person |
| Visit congregational members' homes or arrange for pastoral visits to provide information or resources regarding religious education programs. Home visits are in-person pastoral care requiring presence and trust. | 5% Needs a person |
How religious education directors compare
All jobs (923)
Community and social service (14)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $52,100 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 22,160 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +3.3% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Draft and lay out parish bulletins in Microsoft Word
- Build program budgets and cost analyses in Microsoft Excel
- Conduct pastoral home visits and in-person counseling sessions
- Facilitate interfaith dialogue and clergy meetings in person
- Recruit volunteer teachers through personal conversations
Safer roles nearby
5 related jobs with lower scores.
Questions about religious education directors and AI
Will AI replace religious education directors?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing newsletters and bulletins and analyzing program cost data. Home visits, counseling, clergy meetings and interfaith dialogue stay with people because they depend on presence and trust.
Which tasks of religious education directors is AI taking over?
Publicizing programs through newsletters, bulletins and mailings scores 72 on exposure, the highest in this job, because AI drafts and formats routine copy. Analyzing revenue and program cost data scores 60, since spreadsheet work in Microsoft Excel is routine for AI.
Which tasks of religious education directors stay human?
Home visits score 5 on exposure and counseling scores 15, the lowest in this job. Home visits need a person physically present in a family's home, and counseling on marital, health, financial or religious problems needs live empathy, so AI only supports those tasks with resources.
How do religious education directors stay valuable as AI spreads?
Keep the work that needs your presence, including home visits, counseling sessions, clergy meetings and interfaith events. Check every AI draft from Microsoft Word before it goes into a bulletin. Use Microsoft Excel to set budget priorities, then defend them to congregational officials in person.
Related jobs
Next steps for religious education directors
Check which roles in your team AI can take on
We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first.
Related topics
- Jobs AI can't replaceRoustabouts score lowest, at 6.
- Jobs most at risk from AIProofreaders score highest, at 76.
- High-paying jobs with low AI exposurePediatric surgeons earn a median $559,030 and score 29.
- Entry-level jobs with low AI exposureRoustabouts need little prior training and score 6.
- Jobs AI speeds up the mostAI helps with 98% of the task time for health informatics specialists.
- AI and jobs in Malta15 iGaming roles graded task by task.
- Skills that keep work humanThe skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.
- Jobs A to ZEvery job we score, by first letter.
- AI exposure by industryAverage scores for 22 job groups.
- Write a CV screening software can readHow applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.
- AI for businessesThe tasks to automate first in each team and industry.
- How we score AI exposureThe grading, the weights and every source.