Can AI replace church, pastors, sermons, prayer, or real Christian community? In this live Grown-Up Church Kids episode, Dwan Hill and Shama Mrema sit down with Tommy Profitt, Lacy Abercrombie, and John Keith for a funny and honest conversation about ChatGPT, AI-generated sermons, church hurt, hearing God’s voice, spiritual discernment, creativity, singleness, parenting, and why church still matters. From Whoop Triggers and “Pastor GPT” jokes to deeper questions about revelation, silence, worship, scandals, and healing, this conversation wrestles with what technology can help us do and what it can never replace. If you grew up in church, left church, stayed in church, or are trying to trust church again, this episode is for you.

00:00 Can AI Replace Church?

02:14 Welcome to Grown-Up Church Kids

03:02 What Are Whoop Triggers?

07:20 Church Is Not Like It Used to Be

07:47 Do Christians Use AI?

10:36 AI, Creativity, and the Image of God

15:17 Questions You Would Only Ask ChatGPT

20:04 AI Sermons vs. Holy Spirit Revelation

21:36 How Do You Hear God’s Voice?

22:28 Religion, Relationship, and Spiritual Practices

27:16 What Kind of Church Did You Grow Up In?

31:24 Growing Up Between Black Church and White Church

35:10 God’s First Language Is Silence

38:05 Why Church Still Matters for Families

41:43 Singleness in the Church

47:11 Critiquing Church From the Outside

49:21 Deconstruction vs. Leaving Church

50:17 Church Is Where We Practice Being Human

53:24 Killing Our Critical Spirit

55:29 A Word for People Hurt by Church

58:06 Thank God for the Church

01:02:31 The Church Is Alive and Well

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Grown Up Church Kids is more than a show, it’s a full-circle moment where Sunday Morning Meets Real Life. Bringing together community, conversations, shared stories, and songs that shaped a generation, this is a space for Grown-Up Church Kids to reconnect with their roots, redefine their journeys, and celebrate the faith together.

There are more of us than you think.

🔔 Subscribe on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9KOBazbPvWdcopb_dd1M5g

🎧 Listen on Audio

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📚 Resources

https://amzn.to/3PISqfX

FOLLOW

More from Dwan Hill

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DwanHill

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwanhill

Website: https://www.dwanhill.com/

More from Shama Mrema

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AfterSchoolProgram

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shama4realz

Website: https://www.shamamrema.com/

More from Grown-Up Church Kids

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9KOBazbPvWdcopb_dd1M5g

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grownup.churchkids/

Website: https://www.grownupchurchkids.com/

More from The Choir Room

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechoirroom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.choirroom/?hl=en

Website: https://www.choirisback.com/

CREDITS:

Director & Editor: Kyle Whittaker

Producer: Hannah Gifford (Open Hand Management)

Production Assistants: Sarah Bush, Abby Loomis

Audio: Garrett Miller, Aaron Rochotte

Video: Seth Scruggs

Video, Photo & Social: Jordan Rubino

Management: Annie Cunningham

#grownupchurchkids #dwanhill #shamamrema #jonkeith #lacyabercrombie #tommieprofitt #thechoirroom #faithjourney #churchkid

You grew up in church too? Take the GCK Check In and see what kind of grown up church kid you turned out to be: https://go.grownupchurchkids.com/checkin

Michael Bethany joins Grown-Up Church Kids to talk about growing up Pentecostal and COGIC, learning the difference between gospel music and modern worship, leading in CCM spaces like Gateway, and how he thinks about speaking in tongues today. This conversation is full of church kid nostalgia, honest theology, Black church memories, worship leading, spiritual gifts, and the journey of carrying Pentecostal faith into new rooms without losing the fire.

0:00 Welcome to Grown-Up Church Kids

0:45 Introducing Michael Bethany

2:30 The guest speaker experience in the Black church

5:15 "Lily in my valley" and the art of the preacher introduction

8:00 Growing up in a storefront COGIC church

11:20 Did cameras and phones kill something real in church?

14:45 Everyone got to talk in old church and why that mattered

17:30 Church traditions, liturgy, and belonging

20:10 COGIC theme song breakdown and what it actually means

23:00 From COGIC to CCM: Michael Bethany's musical journey

27:15 Singing BGVs for Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin

29:40 How Michael Bethany ended up at Gateway Church

33:00 The bridge between gospel and CCM worship culture

36:20 Do you still speak in tongues?

40:10 What Paul teaches about tongues and spiritual gifts

43:30 Dwan's mom delivering a message in tongues that changed his life

46:00 What Pentecostals and Presbyterians can learn from each other

49:15 Finding the secret place beyond the performance of church

52:30 How Michael Bethany wrote Secret Place and Walk With You

55:00 God connects people for a reason: how Dwan and Michael met

57:30 Michael Bethany performs Secret Place live

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Grown Up Church Kids is more than a show, it’s a full-circle moment where Sunday Morning Meets Real Life. Bringing together community, conversations, shared stories, and songs that shaped a generation, this is a space for Grown-Up Church Kids to reconnect with their roots, redefine their journeys, and celebrate the faith together.

There are more of us than you think.

🔔 Subscribe on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9KOBazbPvWdcopb_dd1M5g

🎧 Listen on Audio

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2607662

📚 Resources

https://amzn.to/3PISqfX

FOLLOW

More from Dwan Hill

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DwanHill

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwanhill

Website: https://www.dwanhill.com/

More from Shama Mrema

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AfterSchoolProgram

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shama4realz

Website: https://www.shamamrema.com/

More from Grown-Up Church Kids

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9KOBazbPvWdcopb_dd1M5g

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grownup.churchkids/

Website: https://www.grownupchurchkids.com/

More from The Choir Room

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechoirroom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.choirroom/?hl=en

Website: https://www.choirisback.com/

CREDITS:

Director & Editor: Kyle Whittaker

Producer: Hannah Gifford (Open Hand Management)

Production Assistants: Sarah Bush, Abby Loomis

Audio: Garrett Miller, Aaron Rochotte

Video: Seth Scruggs

Video, Photo & Social: Jordan Rubino

Management: Annie Cunningham

#grownupchurchkids #dwanhill #shamamrema #stephenmcwhirter #thechoirroom #faithjourney #churchkid

Stephen McWhirter is known as the songwriter of “Come Jesus Come,” but behind the worship songs is a story of addiction, church hurt, forgiveness, and radical restoration. In this episode of Grown-Up Church Kids, Stephen shares how growing up around ministry shaped his view of God, why he once hated Jesus and Christians, and how a 3 a.m. encounter with God changed everything.

Dwan, Shama, and Stephen talk about church hypocrisy, addiction, repentance, forgiving his father, family, ministry, and what it means to know Jesus beyond the people who misrepresented Him.

00:00 Stephen’s Story Begins
01:15 That’ll Preach
06:31 When a Christian Artist Gets Real
07:48 “I Don’t Know If You Want Me On This Podcast”
09:27 Growing Up With Church Hypocrisy
10:40 Addiction, Anger, and Hating Jesus
14:15 The Billy Graham Crusade
15:22 Reading The Case for Christ at 3 A.M.
16:13 “You Won’t Do It. I’ll Do It.”
17:05 Quitting Drugs Overnight
18:14 Returning to Church
20:14 Forgiving His Father
24:09 His Father’s Final Breath
25:20 Why Forgiveness Is So Hard
27:15 Repentance, Consequences, and Grace
31:07 “You Don’t Know Who You Are Yet”
33:05 Ministry With Jesus vs. Ministry For Jesus
35:08 Choosing Family Over the Grind
40:28 Stephen’s Book and Music
41:32 “Come Jesus Come” and What’s Next
41:54 Old Rugged Cross

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Grown Up Church Kids is more than a show, it’s a full-circle moment where Sunday Morning Meets Real Life. Bringing together community, conversations, shared stories, and songs that shaped a generation, this is a space for Grown-Up Church Kids to reconnect with their roots, redefine their journeys, and celebrate the faith together.

There are more of us than you think.

🔔 Subscribe on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9KOBazbPvWdcopb_dd1M5g

🎧 Listen on Audio

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2607662

📚 Resources

https://amzn.to/3PISqfX

FOLLOW

More from Dwan Hill

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DwanHill

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwanhill

Website: https://www.dwanhill.com/

More from Shama Mrema

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AfterSchoolProgram

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shama4realz

Website: https://www.shamamrema.com/

More from Grown-Up Church Kids

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9KOBazbPvWdcopb_dd1M5g

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grownup.churchkids/

Website: https://www.grownupchurchkids.com/

More from The Choir Room

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechoirroom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.choirroom/?hl=en

Website: https://www.choirisback.com/

CREDITS:

Director & Editor: Kyle Whittaker

Producer: Hannah Gifford (Open Hand Management)

Production Assistants: Sarah Bush, Abby Loomis

Audio: Garrett Miller, Aaron Rochotte

Video: Seth Scruggs

Video, Photo & Social: Jordan Rubino

Management: Annie Cunningham

#grownupchurchkids #dwanhill #shamamrema #stephenmcwhirter #thechoirroom #faithjourney #churchkid