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Robotic church planters? AI-driven missionary strategies? Avatar-based member care?
I, Missionary is a collection of hypothetical short stories that explores some of the questions the global church is facing with the rapid rise of AI. Mission organizations, churches, and individuals are all trying to come to grips with these new technological realities-both the potential blessings and curses. But none of us have walked this road before. We need fresh language, examples, and categories.
This book follows one fictional mission organization that is grappling with the complexity and seeming inevitability of technological advances. Decisions about AI-enabled tools raise questions such as: What can technology accomplish and where are its limits? What is the role of the Holy Spirit? And what does it mean to be human in a world where machines can imitate discipleship and relationships? While these questions don't have easy answers, the church needs to be asking them today as we seek to make disciples of tomorrow. Billy Coppedge has been involved in missions for over two decades, living and serving in Uganda, Israel, and Scotland. He is a follower of Jesus, the husband of Joanna, father to five children, a teacher, and a storyteller. He has degrees from Asbury University, Wesley Biblical Seminary, the University of St. Andrews and a PhD in World Christianity from the University of Edinburgh (2019). He currently lives in Scotland with his family and serves as a catalyst for Scripture engagement, specifically through oral strategies such as oral Bible storytelling with World Gospel Mission (USA) and One Mission Society (UK). In I, Missionary, Billy Coppedge provides a powerfully disruptive method for approaching the impact of AI on the practice of ministry and mission. Using an engaging narrative approach, Coppedge demonstrates, with more effectiveness than many much longer treatises about AI, the real-world power of a theology of embodiment in an increasingly AI-driven world. -Timothy C. Tennent, PhD, Methodist Chair of Divinity, Missions and World Christianity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes our world, church and mission leaders must wrestle anew with what faithful participation in God's mission looks like. In I, Missionary, Billy Coppedge uses story to surface the questions many of us are only beginning to ask. This book invites us into the kind of thoughtful reflection and shared discernment our moment requires. -Tanya Van Horne, Global Director for Issue Networks, The Lausanne Movement I, Missionary is the book the church needs right now. In a world enamoured by AI and captivated by the disembodied technologies of our future, this book presents provocative and insightful stories that offer valuable perspectives and practical wisdom for thinkers today. Dr. Billy Coppedge has spent decades living out the belief that God transforms hearts through the power of shared stories and an embodied presence. From the villages of East Africa to ancient towns in the Middle East, his commitment to oral strategies and missions to the unreached led him to serve as catalyst for orality in the global Lausanne movement.
The narratives in this book speak directly to the profound theological and ethical questions we need answered before we upload our lives to soulless technology. Like never before, Christians need these stories to shape us before we let secular tech exploit our hearts for profit.
A comfortable read, Coppedge's book provides the space we need to navigate the uncharted waters of AI without losing our souls. This book is a prophetic invitation for the church to lead with wisdom, caution, and a steadfast commitment to the power and beauty of human connection. AI is not a threat to the Great Commission, but as its influence expands into every sphere of life, this work becomes vital reading for those committed to the necessity of getting the gospel to every hea
I, Missionary is a collection of hypothetical short stories that explores some of the questions the global church is facing with the rapid rise of AI. Mission organizations, churches, and individuals are all trying to come to grips with these new technological realities-both the potential blessings and curses. But none of us have walked this road before. We need fresh language, examples, and categories.
This book follows one fictional mission organization that is grappling with the complexity and seeming inevitability of technological advances. Decisions about AI-enabled tools raise questions such as: What can technology accomplish and where are its limits? What is the role of the Holy Spirit? And what does it mean to be human in a world where machines can imitate discipleship and relationships? While these questions don't have easy answers, the church needs to be asking them today as we seek to make disciples of tomorrow. Billy Coppedge has been involved in missions for over two decades, living and serving in Uganda, Israel, and Scotland. He is a follower of Jesus, the husband of Joanna, father to five children, a teacher, and a storyteller. He has degrees from Asbury University, Wesley Biblical Seminary, the University of St. Andrews and a PhD in World Christianity from the University of Edinburgh (2019). He currently lives in Scotland with his family and serves as a catalyst for Scripture engagement, specifically through oral strategies such as oral Bible storytelling with World Gospel Mission (USA) and One Mission Society (UK). In I, Missionary, Billy Coppedge provides a powerfully disruptive method for approaching the impact of AI on the practice of ministry and mission. Using an engaging narrative approach, Coppedge demonstrates, with more effectiveness than many much longer treatises about AI, the real-world power of a theology of embodiment in an increasingly AI-driven world. -Timothy C. Tennent, PhD, Methodist Chair of Divinity, Missions and World Christianity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes our world, church and mission leaders must wrestle anew with what faithful participation in God's mission looks like. In I, Missionary, Billy Coppedge uses story to surface the questions many of us are only beginning to ask. This book invites us into the kind of thoughtful reflection and shared discernment our moment requires. -Tanya Van Horne, Global Director for Issue Networks, The Lausanne Movement I, Missionary is the book the church needs right now. In a world enamoured by AI and captivated by the disembodied technologies of our future, this book presents provocative and insightful stories that offer valuable perspectives and practical wisdom for thinkers today. Dr. Billy Coppedge has spent decades living out the belief that God transforms hearts through the power of shared stories and an embodied presence. From the villages of East Africa to ancient towns in the Middle East, his commitment to oral strategies and missions to the unreached led him to serve as catalyst for orality in the global Lausanne movement.
The narratives in this book speak directly to the profound theological and ethical questions we need answered before we upload our lives to soulless technology. Like never before, Christians need these stories to shape us before we let secular tech exploit our hearts for profit.
A comfortable read, Coppedge's book provides the space we need to navigate the uncharted waters of AI without losing our souls. This book is a prophetic invitation for the church to lead with wisdom, caution, and a steadfast commitment to the power and beauty of human connection. AI is not a threat to the Great Commission, but as its influence expands into every sphere of life, this work becomes vital reading for those committed to the necessity of getting the gospel to every hea