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TL;DR Most pastors treat sermons as one-time events, but they’re actually untapped content goldmines. 1. AI tools like SermonShots can repurpose sermons into reels, posts, and clips that reach people all week. 2. AI also gives insight into real-life struggles, helping pastors preach with more relevance. 3. Repurposing is about reimagining content for new formats—not just reposting. |
I recently had the opportunity to catch up with my friend Corey Alderin and talk shop, as we often do. As a serial entrepreneur in the ministry space, Corey has this rare ability to spot problems that churches face but haven’t quite articulated yet and then build solutions that actually work. His latest venture, SermonShots.com, tackles something that’s been staring pastors in the face for years: powerful messages that reach people for 30 minutes on Sunday morning, then disappear.
Here’s Corey’s revolutionary question: What if that sermon you spent 15 hours preparing could keep discipling people all week long? What if the message that moved hearts on Sunday could reach someone scrolling through Instagram on Tuesday, or someone searching for hope on YouTube on Friday?
Most churches are still treating their sermons like one-time performances instead of leveraging them as ongoing ministry tools. SermonShots.com uses AI to help pastors transform those Sunday messages into engaging clips, social posts, and content that meets people where they already are throughout their week.
Here’s some of our conversation:
Q. Here’s something I’ve been thinking about. Most pastors spend more time preparing their sermon than they do thinking about what happens to it after Sunday. What’s really behind this “preach it and forget it” mentality?
A. Historically, sermons were created for a single moment in time: Sunday morning. Once they were preached, their purpose was fulfilled, and there wasn’t much need or opportunity to reuse them. Most churches didn’t have the technology, platforms, or resources to extend the reach of that message beyond the pulpit. But today, that has changed. We live in a digital world where people consume content throughout the week on social media, YouTube, podcasts, and more. The sermon is still powerful, but now it has the potential to speak far beyond the sanctuary. Many pastors simply haven’t made the shift in mindset yet. They are still treating sermons like one-time events instead of long-term resources that can keep discipling people all week.
Q. You know, pastors are always trying to figure out what their congregation is really wrestling with. How can AI actually give pastors better insights into their people’s hearts and minds than traditional pastoral care?
A. AI can help pastors come up with sermon ideas that speak more directly to what people are actually thinking about. By analyzing common questions people ask online, trending topics in culture, or even which parts of past sermons get the most engagement, AI can reveal themes that really matter to their audience. It might highlight that people are searching for help with anxiety, meaning, or forgiveness far more than we realize. That insight can inspire pastors to craft messages that feel timely and personal. Instead of guessing what might connect, they can start with real data about what their community is already wrestling with. AI becomes a tool for listening at scale, helping pastors teach with even more relevance and clarity.
Q. Let’s say you’re coaching a pastor who’s frustrated that their great sermons aren’t reaching beyond Sunday morning. They hand you a raw sermon video and say, “I want this message to actually make a difference beyond our sanctuary walls.” What’s your game plan?
A. The first thing I’d do is turn that sermon into short, vertical clips and post them as reels on social media. Sermon clips are by far the most effective format for reaching new people. Unlike a full sermon video, clips are quick, engaging, and tailored for how people scroll and watch content online. One of the biggest benefits is that reels are shown to people who don’t already follow your page, which helps expand your reach beyond your existing audience. You can take a single moment from the sermon and use it to spark interest in the full message. It’s a simple shift that can dramatically increase visibility.
Q. I’m curious about the creative side of this. What’s the most surprising or innovative way you’ve seen pastors use AI with their sermon content?
A. One thing that has really inspired me is seeing pastors use AI not just to clip their sermons, but to brainstorm completely new content ideas based on them. I often hear pastors say, “I know I should be posting more, but I just don’t know what to post.” Some have started feeding their sermon into AI and asking, “What other videos could I make from this message?” It opened my eyes to how AI can be more than just a time saver. It can actually help pastors think more creatively about how to teach and reach people. That idea inspired me to start working on a new feature that helps pastors do exactly that.
Q. There’s a lot of talk about “repurposing” content in the church world these days. What fundamental misunderstanding do you see pastors having about what that actually means?
A. One of the biggest misconceptions is thinking that simply posting the full sermon video on different social media platforms counts as repurposing. That is more like reposting, not truly repackaging the message for new audiences. Even when churches take the next step and create clips, they sometimes try to turn those clips into summaries of the entire sermon. But clips work best when they are short, catchy, and focused on one powerful idea. The goal is not to disciple someone in 60 seconds. The goal is to inspire them to take a next step, whether that is watching the full sermon, coming to church, or starting a conversation. Repurposing is not about condensing the message, it is about opening a door.
Q. A lot of pastors hear “AI” and immediately think it’s too complicated for them. What’s the most beginner-friendly way they can dip their toes in the water?
A. One of the simplest habits a pastor can start is taking the transcript of their sermon and uploading it into an AI chat tool. From there, they can just start asking questions. For example, tell the AI, “This is my sermon from Sunday. What ideas do you have that I can share on social media?” That one step opens the door to a whole range of content ideas, from reels to quotes to devotional thoughts. You do not need to be tech-savvy to do this. Just treat it like having a conversation with someone who is helping you brainstorm. The more you engage with it, the more useful and natural it becomes.
Q. Looking into your crystal ball, where do you see all this heading? How will AI change the way churches think about sermon content over the next few years?
A. In the next few years, I think we are going to see new types of content emerge that churches can easily tap into. AI will make it easier for pastors and teams to stay on top of trends, because what once felt complicated or time-consuming will now be simple and fast. But what I am most excited about is how AI will streamline the entire workflow. It will not just help generate content, it will also make it easier to organize, schedule, and share that content across different platforms. We are moving toward a time when repurposing a sermon will be as simple as uploading a video and clicking a few buttons. That kind of integration is going to make consistency and creativity much more accessible for every church, no matter the size.
Q. Alright, time for some tough love. What’s the biggest mistake you see churches making when it comes to getting their content out there?
A. One of the biggest mistakes I see is simply not posting enough. With the ability to leverage AI and your sermon, the Church has one of the best opportunities to flood the internet with meaningful, hope-filled content. A thirty-minute sermon that a pastor may have worked on for weeks is full of powerful moments, and now AI makes it fast and simple to pull those out. Just a couple of years ago, creating a single video clip might have taken a video expert two hours. Today, almost anyone in the church can create that clip and ten more pieces of content in less time than that. We should be posting more. Every time we do, we are filling the internet with messages that matter.
Q. Here’s a hypothetical that might make you squirm a little: If someone forced all churches to go back to pre-AI content creation tomorrow, what would you personally miss most about the tools we have today?
A. I am probably biased, but I would definitely miss using AI for social media the most. It is very rare to hear from a church that feels like they are posting enough. Almost everyone feels like they should be doing more, but the time and resources just are not there. That is where AI has been a game changer. It makes creating content from sermons fast, easy, and accessible to anyone on the team. Without it, churches would have to go back to spending hours editing videos, writing captions, and brainstorming ideas.
Want to learn more about turning your sermons into high-impact content using AI? We’ve created a practical course at RepurposeYourSermon.com designed specifically for pastors who want to save time, reach more people, and get the most out of every message they preach. Want to see a step-by-step walkthrough of repurposing a sermon with SermonShots? Check out our tutorial article here on ChurchTechToday.com
