A Brazilian pastor who left the United States in late 2025 rather than stay beyond the expiry of his visa is again leading his congregation in Texas, after a change in U.S. immigration rules ended a one-year waiting period for religious workers seeking to return, Baptist Press reported.
In response to an AI-Native ministry strategy, this opinion suggests that AI must remain as infrastructure underneath a mutual learning ecosystem, supporting a "ministry with" posture directed towards human flourishing, rather than as its focus or a driving force. The focus, which AI serves must remain people, relationships, communities, local knowledge, theological reflection, and human discernment.
An AI-Native Ministry asks, “What is the necessary human element we can serve?” and AI comes along to implement that vision as part of the ministry's core infrastructure rather than a set of tools external to the organization. This is not without its risks but wise Christian leaders must be prepared for the shift that is already upon us.
A small island nation with a stable democracy, a high degree of freedom, and a majority Christian population faces a catastrophic threat because of the actions of others in the world. As sea levels rise, the world has a responsibility to ensure that the islands and the people who have flourished on them for more than 2,000 years (over 120 years as Christians) do not disappear.
The mission isn’t ours, it is God’s. But those who hold power in the missions community (usually those holding the purse strings and prioritizing activities) too easily forget that. To reach nations with the gospel requires a posture change. Instead of doing missions through, with, or by sending indigenous leaders, expatriate involvement must show up differently and now be willing to come under indigenous leadership.
