Whiteboards, Prayer, and Prompts: Church Leaders Are Vibe Coding With AI to Build Custom Apps Today

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a rented coworking space filled with whiteboards, laptops, and the hum of quiet collaboration, a new kind of church gathering is underway. There are no sermons, no pews, and no developers in sight. Just church leaders and Christian entrepreneurs using generative AI to build working software, line by line, without ever writing code.

They're using a method known as vibe coding, a new branch of no-code development powered by large language models. Much like how ChatGPT can generate articles, videos, or images from simple prompts, new AI tools now allow users to describe what they want an app to do, and the AI builds it for them in real time.  Kenny Jahng, co-host of the event said, "Vibe coding has transformed faith leaders from consumers of church tech to creators of it. And the best product managers for ministry are the ones already pastoring the people."

This feels like something that would happen in a Silicon Valley incubator. But it's a build-a-thon for the Church.

"Faith leaders have always built communities. Now they're building software too," says Jahng.

Over the past year, various ministry leaders across the country have vibe coded everything from sermon repurposing apps to Sunday school check-in systems, mentoring match platforms, internal dashboards, and digital giving tools. All of them were built, not by software engineers, but by ministry leaders describing their needs to an AI. Jahng stated, "Faith leaders aren't waiting for tech companies to understand their mission. They now just build the tools themselves."

According to the 2025 State of AI in the Church report, published by ChurchTechToday.com, AIforChurchLeaders.com and Exponential AI NEXT, 91% of pastors now say they are open to using AI in ministry work, and more than half of weekly sermon writers already use generative AI tools for research, ideation, or editing. The posture among ministry leaders is shifting quickly - from cautious observers to creative builders.

That momentum is the backdrop for the 2025 AI Vibe Code for Good Build-a-Thon, a two-day working meetup being held in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 11–12. Leaders from several dozen Christian national organizations are expected to attend. Participants will arrive with a problem they want to solve or a tool they want to build. They'll leave with working software — created entirely through natural language interaction with AI no-code platforms.

The gathering is hosted by Big Click Syndicate, a strategic consultancy that works with nonprofits, and faith-based companies to create content with purpose that nurtures raving fans for their mission. It's run in partnership with Hopeware, a strategy-first product lab known for guiding clients from concept to code, helping mission-driven organizations increase their technology effectiveness.

Learn more at churchtechtoday.com/vibe 

AI Vibe Code For Good Build-a-Thon Details
Dates: September 11–12, 2025
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Website: http://www.churchtechtoday.com/vibe 
Media Inquiries and On-Site Visit / Interview Requests: Contact Kenny Jahng at 973-500-8536 or [email protected]

SOURCE AIforChurchLeaders.com