Responsible AI Statement

At Progressive Church Media, we believe technology should serve the work of justice, inclusion, and faithful community building.

Our AI-powered tools — PCM Imago for image generation and PCM Lumen for writing assistance — are designed to help churches create media and ministry content that reflects the diversity of God’s people and the values of progressive Christianity.

We use artificial intelligence to assist with creative and pastoral workflows, but we believe human discernment remains essential. Every image generated and every piece of content drafted through our tools should be reviewed and thoughtfully shaped by the church leaders, communicators, and pastors who use them.

We intentionally design our systems to:

• Encourage diverse and inclusive representation
• Avoid harmful stereotypes and exclusionary content
• Support worship, education, and ministry communication
• Protect the privacy and dignity of the people who use our tools
• Promote justice, belonging, and faithful imagination

We also implement moderation safeguards to prevent the creation of harmful or abusive content.

Related: 5 Things You Should Never Ask AI To Do For Your Church →

1. Lumen Supports Pastoral Work — It Does Not Replace It

PCM Lumen is designed to help pastors brainstorm, draft, and refine — not to produce finished content for direct use without review. Appropriate uses include:

• Exploring sermon angles and thematic directions
• Drafting newsletter copy, announcements, and outreach communications
• Developing faith formation and educational materials
• Generating starting points for pastoral letters and congregational communications

Lumen outputs should always be reviewed, edited, and shaped by the pastor before use. AI-generated content reflects patterns and probabilities — not spiritual authority, lived experience, or knowledge of your specific community.

2. Theological Discernment Belongs to the Pastor

Lumen is trained to generate content consistent with progressive Christian theology, but it is not a theological authority. Generated content may:

• Misrepresent scripture, tradition, or doctrine
• Use language that does not reflect your tradition’s specific voice
• Miss nuance that only someone who knows your congregation can supply

Pastors are responsible for the theological integrity of everything that goes out under their name or their church’s name. Lumen can help you find words — but the discernment is always yours.

3. Pastoral Authorship and Transparency

We encourage pastors to be thoughtful about transparency when using AI assistance in ministry content. Lumen is designed as a drafting and brainstorming partner — not a tool for producing content that will be presented as entirely original human writing without any disclosure.

How and when to disclose AI assistance is a pastoral and congregational decision. We recommend thinking through your community’s expectations and your own integrity as a communicator as you develop a personal practice around AI-assisted writing.

4. Your Pastoral Data Is Private

When you use Lumen, you share sensitive ministry information: sermons, congregational context, theological identity, and personal pastoral voice. We treat this data with the same seriousness we hope you bring to pastoral confidentiality.

• Your uploaded documents and generated content are never used to train AI models.
• Your pastoral content is never shared with other users or visible to PCM staff except when you explicitly request support.
• You own your content. You can export or permanently delete your data at any time.

For full details, see the PCM Lumen Privacy Policy Addendum at progressivechurchmedia.com/privacy/.

5. Avoid Over-Reliance on AI in Pastoral Leadership

AI tools can reduce friction in ministry workflows — but they can also create new risks if they become a substitute for the deep work of pastoral presence, prayer, and community listening.

We encourage Lumen users to:

• Use AI assistance as a starting point, not an endpoint
• Maintain a regular practice of writing and thinking independently of AI tools
• Be attentive to whether AI assistance is saving time or displacing the kind of slow, reflective work that shapes good pastoral leadership

6. Acceptable Use of PCM Lumen

You agree not to use Lumen to generate content that:

• Promotes hatred, discrimination, or violence toward individuals or groups
• Is sexually explicit or harmful
• Misrepresents AI-generated content as entirely original human writing in contexts where honesty requires disclosure
• Is intended to deceive, defraud, or harm others

PCM reserves the right to restrict or terminate access to Lumen if it is used in ways that contradict these principles.

1. Use AI to Support Ministry

PCM Imago is designed to help churches create visuals for:

• Worship slides
• Church social media
• Livestream graphics
• Educational resources
• Church communications and events

The tool should be used to support ministry, storytelling, and community life.

2. Honor the Dignity of All People

Images created with PCM Imago should respect the dignity of every person. Please do not use the tool to create imagery that includes:

• Hate speech or discrimination
• Degrading portrayals of individuals or groups
• Harmful stereotypes
• Harassment or intimidation

Our faith traditions call us to treat every person as beloved.

3. Avoid Exploitative or Sexualized Content

PCM Imago is built for church communication and ministry use. The tool should not be used to generate:

• Sexually explicit imagery
• Fetishized or exploitative portrayals of people
• Images intended to shock, humiliate, or demean

Such content may result in loss of access to the tool.

4. Be Thoughtful With Sacred Imagery

Many PCM Imago presets involve biblical or theological themes. When generating sacred imagery, we encourage users to approach these themes with care and respect for the diverse ways Christian communities understand these stories. AI images should support worship and reflection rather than trivialize sacred narratives.

5. Represent Communities With Care

PCM Imago intentionally encourages diverse and inclusive representation. When generating images that depict people, please strive to avoid:

• Stereotypes
• Tokenized representation
• Exploitative portrayals of marginalized communities

Images should reflect the beauty and dignity of human diversity.

6. Review AI Images Before Using Them

Artificial intelligence can sometimes produce unexpected results. Before using generated images in public communications, please review them carefully to ensure they are:

• Accurate
• Appropriate for your audience
• Aligned with the message you intend to communicate

Human discernment is always more important than automation.

7. Respect the Limits of AI

AI tools are creative assistants, not theological authorities. PCM Imago can help spark visual imagination, but it should never replace the wisdom, care, and leadership of the people who guide faith communities. Technology can support ministry — but it cannot replace community, compassion, or discernment.

Progressive Church Media designs its AI tools to reflect the values of progressive Christianity:

• Inclusion
• Justice
• Dignity
• Creativity
• Faithful imagination

We believe technology can help churches communicate hope in new ways when it is used responsibly. Both PCM Lumen and PCM Imago are built on that conviction — and on the belief that the humans who use these tools will always bring what AI cannot: lived experience, pastoral relationship, and the wisdom of communities seeking to follow Jesus faithfully.

Thank you for helping ensure that PCM’s AI tools remain instruments of justice, care, and faithful imagination.