Artificial intelligence helps Bishop church deliver sermons en español

Congregants at Calvary Chapel Bishop, on Main Street just south of West Line, have seen a QR code printed on the front of their church bulletin since the Sunday, Sept. 6 worship service.

"For Spanish translation of the sermon, please scan this QR code with your mobile device to read or listen with personal headphones," is the message that accompanies it.

Using the artificial intelligence platform called OneAccord, which was designed by a software engineer that grew up as a “pastor’s kid,” according to the oneaccord.ai website, Calvary Chapel is now delivering sermons bilingually in English and Spanish.

"Translation happens through AI in real time — no quiet room, no human interpreter," Pastor Craig Fitzer said. "Spanish-speaking attendees either read the sermon on their phone or listen through their headphones, hearing it in their own language as it’s preached. The translation runs on their device, so there’s no special equipment to borrow."

When asked whether implementing automated Spanish-language translation in the service was motivated by the needs of congregants who are primarily Spanish-speaking, or by the church's desire to grow the congregation through dual-language outreach — or, to use a Christian term, evangelization — Fitzer said it was both.

"Some congregants genuinely need Spanish," he said, "and it’s also an outreach opportunity. The goal is one family worshipping together rather than splitting into separate services."

Fitzer said several congregants who understand Spanish tried out OneAccord for two months before the official launch, and found the quality of the translation was solid.

"The AI translation has been tested and is precise and works very well in real time," he said, adding that the church makes sure newcomers know how to use the technology on their smartphones.

The cost to the church for using the platform is about $150 a month, he said.

A few worshippers are using the real-time, AI-assisted "Spanish service" every Sunday, Fitzer said, and he hopes the news about this merger of worship, language and technology will draw more people to Calvary Chapel. “The need in Bishop is great,” he said.

According to recent U.S. Census Bureau data, close to 16% of Bishop’s population is Hispanic. Also according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Inyo County nearly one in five, 19.3%, of people age 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home.

And the adaptations at Fitzer’s church appear to be part of a national trend.

According to an Aug. 20, 2025 blogpost titled "How Ministry Leaders and Churches Are Embracing AI with Purpose & Faith" that was published in "Religion & Peace," a blog hosted by Connecticut’s Hartford International University for Religion & Peace (blog.hartfordinternational.edu), more and more faith leaders and communities are using AI to strengthen ministry.

"Once reserved for tech companies and research labs, AI is now becoming part of church life," the blogpost states, citing reports and surveys indicating that, at the time of its publication, 45% of church leaders were actually using AI, and 91% of them welcomed the use of AI in ministry.

Other local pastors have taken notice of Calvary Chapel’s pioneering efforts with live AI translation, according to Fitzer, who said a pastor in Big Pine, who recently launched a new church that is currently meeting at his home, has started sending some of his Spanish-speaking congregants to Calvary.

Fitzer also said he likes the fact that the OneAccord platform recognizes the “Christianese” that is preached from the pulpit, and that it can render seamlessly into Spanish such terminology as Bible references, Old and New Testament imagery and moral concepts.

During services, the OneAccord QR code is also projected onto a church screen, Fitzer said, as are the Spanish lyrics to songs, "so Spanish-speaking attendees can sing along with the rest of the congregation."

This is not the first instance of Calvary Chapel’s use of technology to enhance the worship experience. The church has been livestreaming services and mid-week Bible studies on YouTube for years, and makes available assistive listening devices for congregants who are hard of hearing, Fitzer said.