Using AI to Train for Biblical Counselling: Fictional Case Studies, Real Care

By Bobby Macintosh · Updated October 2026

Anyone who has sat with a grieving widow, a couple in crisis or a young person battling despair knows that pastoral care is holy and demanding work. Scripture calls us to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2), and to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Doing that well takes wisdom, scriptural depth, patience and practice.

Practice is where AI might help, carefully. Training for counselling has long used case studies: realistic but fictional scenarios that let learners think through how they would listen, what Scripture might speak to, and what pitfalls to avoid. AI tools can generate such scenarios quickly and help a training group explore them. This article suggests how to do that wisely, and draws some firm lines around what AI should never be used for in pastoral care.

First, the boundaries

Before anything else, three non-negotiables.

Never put a real person’s story into an AI tool. Counselling conversations are confidential. Names, details and even disguised accounts of real situations should not be pasted into an online service. Assume anything you type may be stored or reviewed. Case studies for training should be fictional from the start.

AI is not a counsellor. It doesn’t know the person, can’t discern the Spirit’s work, can’t pray for them, and can be confidently wrong. It must never be used to give advice to someone who is struggling, or offered to them as a substitute for a person.

Know when to refer. Some situations, such as risk of suicide or self-harm, abuse, domestic violence, or serious mental illness, need immediate, appropriate help and often professional or statutory involvement. Every church should have clear safeguarding procedures. If someone is in immediate danger, contact emergency services. In the UK, the Samaritans can be reached free on 116 123; in the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text.

Why case studies help

Good case studies let trainees practise the slow, careful skills of pastoral care without risk to anyone:

• Listening before speaking. “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13). James puts it simply: “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak” (James 1:19).
• Asking good questions that help a person tell their story.
• Bringing Scripture wisely, at the right time and in the right tone, rather than reaching for a verse as a quick fix.
• Recognising complexity: the mix of suffering, sin, circumstances and body that makes up most real struggles.
• Knowing your limits and when to involve others.

Generating a fictional case study

Here’s a prompt structure that produces useful training material while keeping the scenario fictional and the tool in its place:

Create a fictional case study for a church pastoral care training group. Do not base it on any real person.
Scenario: a [age, situation] church member struggling with [e.g. grief after a parent’s death / anxiety about work / conflict with an adult child].
Include: (1) a short summary of what the person shares in a first conversation; (2) three or four open questions a caring listener might ask; (3) two or three passages of Scripture that might eventually be relevant, with references only, and a note on why timing matters; (4) possible pitfalls for the helper (for example, rushing to advice, minimising pain, or missing signs that referral is needed); (5) any indicators that would mean this should be referred to a professional or handled under safeguarding procedures.
Don’t present this as advice for a real situation.

The training group can then discuss it together. Would you ask those questions? Which passages would you hold back, and why? What would make you refer?

Using Scripture carefully in case studies

AI tools tend to attach Bible verses to problems rather mechanically, a bit like a topical index. Part of the training value is critiquing that tendency.

Take the book of Job. Job’s friends sat with him in silence for seven days, which was wise. Then they spoke at length, and much of what they said sounded pious but misjudged his situation. In the end God said they had not spoken rightly (Job 42:7). A good discussion question for any AI-generated case study is this: Are the suggested passages comforting, or are we becoming Job’s friends?

Ask the group, too, whether the scenario reflects the whole counsel of Scripture: lament as well as hope, the reality of sin as well as grace, the importance of the church community and not just individual advice.

Where AI case studies fall short

They’re too tidy. Real people rarely present one neat problem. Encourage trainees to add complications.

They can reflect cultural assumptions. A scenario may assume a particular family structure, culture or level of resources. Ask the tool for scenarios from different contexts, and notice what changes.

They can blur pastoral and clinical care. Biblical counselling, pastoral care and clinical counselling are distinct, and Christians hold different views on how they relate. Be clear about which your training covers, and where its limits lie.

They can sound authoritative. A case study’s “suggested responses” are just a starting point for discussion, not a model answer.

The shepherd’s heart

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep by name (John 10:14). The ministry of care he entrusts to his church is personal, embodied and prayerful. No tool can do it for us.

But tools can help us prepare. A well-designed fictional case study, discussed in a group under experienced leadership, can sharpen our listening and deepen our use of Scripture. It can also make us more aware of our limits. If AI helps us practise, so that when a real person sits in front of us we’re a little wiser, slower to speak and quicker to love, then it has served us well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use AI to help me counsel someone?
Not directly. Don’t share their details with an AI tool, and don’t rely on it for advice about their situation. Seek supervision or advice from experienced people instead.

Is it appropriate to use AI case studies in church training?
Yes, if they’re fictional, discussed under experienced leadership, and treated as discussion starters rather than model answers.

What organisations offer biblical counselling training?
There are several, with different emphases. Two well-known examples are the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF) and the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). Ask your church leaders what they recommend.

When should I refer someone to a professional?
Whenever there’s risk of harm, abuse, or signs of serious mental or physical illness, and whenever you’re out of your depth. Follow your church’s safeguarding policy.

Sources and Further Reading

• Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF).
• Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).
• Samaritans (UK and Ireland); 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US).
• Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, “Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles” (2019).

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Accessed via Bible Gateway.

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