Using AI (Carefully) to Help Edit and Clarify Jesus Stories for Sharing

Introduction

Let’s be clear right up front: Jesus stories are sacred.

They’re not marketing copy. They’re not user-generated content.

They’re evidence of the Kingdom breaking into everyday life.

So when we bring technology—especially something as powerful and impersonal as artificial intelligence—into the process of editing or clarifying a testimony, we need to tread carefully.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use it.

Used wisely, AI can help you:

• Clean up transcripts

• Clarify rambling or nervous phrasing

• Translate emotional impact into readable prose

• Create excerpts, summaries, and format-ready versions of long stories

This post will walk through how to use AI tools as a steward, not as a filter.

Because in ministry, we don’t need artificial truth. We need amplified authenticity.

Why Use AI at All?

Many powerful Jesus stories come in “rough” form.

• Someone shares via voicemail or phone video with lots of ums, pauses, and restarts

• A person writes their story in broken sentences or scattered thoughts

• A long testimony needs to be shortened for email or social without losing its meaning

You could spend hours manually editing these stories—or you can use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Wordtune to support the editing process while staying true to the storyteller’s voice.

AI can:

• Generate a cleaner version of a spoken or written story

• Suggest alternate headlines or intro sentences

• Condense a 500-word testimony into a social-ready 100-word version

• Pull out 1–2 key quotes to feature in newsletters or slides

The key is not to let the machine write the story.

It’s to let the machine serve the story.

Start with a Transcription, Not a Blank Page

If someone shares a spoken testimony, use a tool like:

• Otter ai

• Descript

• Your CRM’s built-in call transcription

• Google Docs voice typing

Once you have a transcript, copy and paste it into your preferred AI tool and prompt something like:

“Can you clean up this transcript so it reads smoothly but keep the voice and message of the speaker intact?”

This works especially well when:

• The speaker is nervous or repetitive

• The audio quality is poor

• The story is beautiful, but not yet legible for sharing

Then you review it manually.

You keep the parts that still carry fire.

You toss the parts that feel synthetic or over-scrubbed.

Clarify Without Sanitizing

Here’s the great danger of AI in ministry storytelling: it’s too good at removing the awkwardness.

And awkwardness is often where the anointing is.

• The nervous laugh before they mention Jesus

• The broken syntax when someone says “I think… I think He really loves me”

• The long pause before the word “forgave”

If your AI tool cleans too deeply, you lose more than you gain.

So prompt carefully:

“Rewrite this to clarify meaning, but keep the emotion and voice raw and human. Do not remove any mentions of God or Jesus.”

Or:

“Make this easier to read aloud, but do not polish it like a brand story. Keep the feeling intact.”

And always review. AI is fast, but discernment is sacred.

Use AI for Repurposing, Not Testimony Creation

Never ask AI to make up a Jesus story.

Never let it invent an example to fill space.

That’s not ministry. That’s mimicry.

Instead, use AI for:

• Creating headlines or captions for real stories

• Drafting summaries for newsletters or slides

• Turning long testimonials into structured blog posts

• Creating questions for follow-up interviews or deeper dives

• Suggesting alternative titles or themes for story categories

AI is best as a production assistant, not a ghostwriter.

Protect the Storyteller’s Voice and Consent

If you use AI to rework a story, get approval from the original storyteller before sharing it publicly.

Say:

“We cleaned up your story just a little so it’s easier to follow—would you like to see it before we share it?”

Better yet, show them side-by-side:

• Original

• Edited

• Final

And let them pick. That honors their experience and builds trust.

This extra step slows you down a bit—but it speeds up culture-building.

People feel safe when they know you won’t change their meaning for your mission.

Final Word: Machines Can Serve—but Only People Can Testify

Testimonies are born in fire, not code.

They are offered, not extracted.

And while AI can help clean up the edges, it can’t create the presence of God.

So use the tool. Don’t worship it.

Let it serve the story. Don’t let it shape the message.

And above all, stay close to the raw, beautiful, halting truth of what Jesus has done.

Because that’s what changes people.

That’s what stirs hearts.

That’s what builds the Kingdom.

Call to Action:

Need help building a system that collects, cleans, and shares testimonies at scale—without losing the human voice? Dancing King Marketing can help you integrate AI wisely, with spiritual clarity and creative excellence. Schedule a strategy session with us today.