Understanding the technology behind AI church assistants—without the tech jargon
You've probably heard the term "AI" thrown around a lot lately. Maybe you've even used ChatGPT or heard about it from a friend. But there's a term you might not be as familiar with: LLM, which stands for "Large Language Model."
And here's why it matters to your church: the technology powering tools like ChurchCalls.ai—the AI agents that can answer your church phones 24/7—is built on LLMs.
But what actually is an LLM? And why should you care?
Let me paint you a picture.
📊 KEY TAKEAWAY
Large Language Models (LLMs) are the "brains" behind AI assistants:• They power natural conversation (not robotic scripts)• They understand context (like knowing your church's mission)• They're rapidly improving (getting smarter every month)
Cost: Already built into tools like ChurchCalls.ai | No technical expertise needed | Ministry-focused results
Imagine you hired someone to answer your church phone. But instead of training them the old-fashioned way—sitting them down with a manual and hoping they remember everything—you gave them the ability to instantly read and understand every book, article, and conversation ever written about churches, customer service, and compassionate communication.
That's essentially what an LLM does.
It's a type of artificial intelligence that's been "trained" on massive amounts of text from across the internet. This training allows it to understand language, context, and even tone. So when someone calls your church at 2 AM in crisis, the AI agent doesn't just spit out pre-programmed responses—it has a real conversation that feels natural, empathetic, and helpful.
I'm not talking about fancy technology for the sake of it. I'm talking about making sure every single call to your church is answered with care.
There are three major companies leading the charge in LLM development, and each brings something different to the table:
OpenAI created ChatGPT, which you've probably heard of. It's the LLM that sparked the AI revolution in late 2022. ChatGPT is conversational, creative, and great at understanding complex questions. Many businesses use OpenAI's technology because it's powerful and well-known.
Google's LLM is called Gemini (formerly Bard). As you'd expect from Google, Gemini excels at search and information retrieval. It's deeply integrated with Google's ecosystem, which makes it strong for research-heavy tasks.
Anthropic built Claude—an LLM specifically designed to be safe, helpful, and harmless. Claude prioritizes understanding context, maintaining conversational nuance, and following complex instructions. This is the LLM currently powering ChurchCalls.ai because of its reliability, natural tone, and ability to handle sensitive conversations with care.
Here's the honest truth: the AI landscape changes constantly. What's best today might not be best six months from now.
Right now, we use Claude by Anthropic because:
But we're always watching the market. OpenAI, Google, and others are improving their models every month. If a better option emerges that serves churches more effectively, we'll adapt. Our commitment isn't to a specific technology—it's to making sure your church never misses an important call.
Here's what matters: You don't need to understand the technical details of LLMs to benefit from them.
What you do need to know is this:
LLMs enable AI agents to:
Approach How It Works Church Experience Voicemail
Caller leaves message 67% hang up without leaving a message
Auto-Attendant
"Press 1 for..., Press 2 for..."Frustrating menu navigation
LLM-Powered AI
Natural conversation, context-awareEvery call answered with care, 24/7
Data from Barna Research (2024) and church communication studies
Think about it this way: when someone calls your church, they're not looking for a robot. They're looking for help. Maybe they're a first-time visitor trying to find service times. Maybe they're going through a crisis and need prayer. Maybe they're just trying to reach the church office.
An LLM-powered AI agent can handle all of these scenarios—naturally and compassionately—because it understands language the way humans do.
LLMs are trained on billions of examples of human conversation. They learn patterns, context, and tone. This means when your AI agent answers the phone, it's not following a rigid script—it's having a real conversation.
For example:
That's the power of LLMs. They don't just respond—they understand.
You don't need to become an AI expert. You don't need to understand how LLMs are trained or how they process language.
What you do need to understand is this:
LLMs make it possible for small churches to have 24/7 phone coverage without hiring a full-time receptionist. They make it possible for crisis calls to be handled with compassion at 2 AM. They make it possible for first-time visitors to get answers instantly—and feel welcomed.
And the technology is only getting better.
At ChurchCalls.ai, we're committed to staying on the cutting edge—not because we love technology, but because we love churches. We believe every call to your church matters. And we're using the best tools available to make sure every single one is answered with care.
Q: What is a Large Language Model (LLM)?A Large Language Model is an AI system trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like language. It powers conversational AI that can handle complex, natural discussions—like the AI agents ChurchCalls.ai uses to answer church phones with empathy and context.
Q: Which LLM does ChurchCalls.ai currently use?ChurchCalls.ai currently uses Claude by Anthropic, chosen for its natural conversational tone, careful instruction-following, and safe, reliable performance in sensitive church communications. However, we continuously evaluate emerging technologies to ensure churches always have access to the best available AI solutions.
Q: Do I need to understand AI technology to use ChurchCalls.ai?No. You don't need any technical knowledge to benefit from LLM-powered phone support. ChurchCalls.ai handles all the complexity behind the scenes—you simply get 24/7 phone coverage that sounds natural and helpful, with setup as easy as forwarding your church number.
Q: How is LLM-powered AI different from traditional auto-attendants?Traditional auto-attendants use rigid menu systems ("Press 1 for..., Press 2 for...") that frustrate callers. LLM-powered AI engages in natural conversation, understands context, and adapts to different scenarios—from visitor inquiries to crisis calls—providing a human-like experience without the robotic feel.
Q: Is LLM technology constantly improving?Yes. Major providers like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic release improved models regularly—sometimes monthly. ChurchCalls.ai monitors these developments closely and adopts better technology as it emerges, ensuring your church always benefits from the latest advances without any action required on your part.
Q: Can an LLM really understand the unique needs of my church?Absolutely. LLMs excel at learning and applying specific context. ChurchCalls.ai's AI agents are trained on your church's mission, values, service times, and ministry details, enabling them to provide accurate, personalized responses that reflect your church's unique identity and approach to ministry.
Q: What happens if the AI agent doesn't know how to answer a question?When faced with questions beyond its knowledge or requiring human judgment, the AI agent can seamlessly transfer the call to a staff member or take a detailed message. The system is designed to handle common inquiries independently while recognizing when human intervention is needed—providing both efficiency and appropriate escalation.
If someone called your church right now—at 10 PM on a Tuesday, or 6 AM on a Saturday—would they get a caring, helpful response?
Or would they hear voicemail?
LLMs are changing what's possible for churches. They're making 24/7 accessibility affordable. They're making every call feel personal. And they're giving small churches the tools to compete with megachurches—all for about the cost of a couple of lattes per day.
The technology is here. The question is: will your church use it?
You're already doing so much for your community. Let technology handle the phones so you can focus on ministry. See how ChurchCalls.ai works in a 5-minute demo video—no pressure, just possibilities.
