Join us on Tuesday, December 9, for the Wisconsin Council of Churches Annual Meeting 2025: Hope, Fears, and Realities: Religious Leadership and AI. We will gather in Appleton at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 724 E South River St.
The morning will include worship, the business meeting, and the keynote. We will share lunch and fellowship time, followed by workshops in the afternoon.
Keynote | Dr. Kate Ott
As digital technology becomes ubiquitous and AI integration increases, religious leaders face increasingly complex theological and ethical concerns. Yet, we are often overwhelmed by the speed of development and the diversity of digital justice concerns. Moral discernment seems to be the scarcest resource of all. Let's put aside our panic and awe and pause for a critical conversation where we release the ever-growing do's and don'ts list of AI use and consider a flexible, values-based ethical approach to AI for religious leadership.
About our Speaker
Kate Ott, PhD, is a Christian social ethicist addressing the formation of moral communities with specializations in technology, youth and young adults, sexuality, pedagogy, and professional ethics. She serves as the Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Professor of Christian Social Ethics and director of the Stead Center for Ethics and Values at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. She is the author of Christian Ethics for a Digital Society and Sex, Tech, and Faith: Ethics for a Digital Age, as well as additional books, articles, and chapters. For more on her work, see http://www.kateott.org.
Workshops
The WCC Annual Meeting offers the opportunity to attend a variety of workshop sessions on topics related to church and society. Among the offerings this year are two workshops with Dr. Ott. You can indicate your interest in these sessions when you register for Annual Meeting.
Q&A with Kate Ott | Conversation with our speaker is often a popular opportunity to spend time up close and have a deeper engagement with the issues raised during the keynote. This will be a curated conversation. We suggest that participants arrive with questions in mind so they can write them on provided notecards for our moderator. We may not be able to address every question individually.
Putting Ministerial Digital Ethics into Practice | We use a variety of digital technologies and forms of artificial intelligence on a daily basis for theological research, spiritual engagement, administrative assistance, and evangelism. Participants will workshop a current digital technology related concern. We will use a values-based ethical framework to assess (or reassess) the ministerial, congregational, or community use of that technology. Each participant will leave with a plan and framework they can use in their context.
Additional workshops to be announced.
Individual Registration $120. Registration deadline is December 1.
* Are you a delegate? Check with your judicatory to find out if they’re registering you or if you are responsible for registering yourself.
Judicatory Leaders & Leaders of Ecumenical Partner Organizations Retreat
Dr. Ott will also meet with leaders of our member organizations over dinner on December 9th. This retreat begins shortly after the annual meeting concludes and continues through midday on December 10. There is an additional registration fee for the retreat.