ChatGPT and Missions Research
I train a custom dataset with mixed results
If you are like me, you have been watching all of the hype over ChatGPT and wondering what it might do for ministry leaders. As I have grown more accustomed to using it as a research tool I have wondered what sort of applications we might make for things other than the total takeover of human civilization as we know it.
I was wondering how one might train an AI chatbot to answer questions specifically about missions. If there was a custom-trained model, answers would be constrained to the data that is put into it. For missions research, this could be very helpful. Consider, for example, a missionary wanting the Christian perspective on outreach to a particular religious bloc. If you ask the “big” chatbot at OpenAI, you would be getting all results, not filtered by a Christian worldview. For sure, that is what you want sometimes, but not always.
Missio Nexus is the publisher of Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ). I have the entire catalog of EMQ articles going back to the 1960s here on a desktop computer. Could I train a custom chatbot to serve up EMQ articles? It turns out I can, and I did. Here is how I went about it.
The detailed directions for doing this yourself are here: How to Train an AI Chatbot With Custom Knowledge Base Using ChatGPT API | Beebom. Let me give you the 10,000-foot view.
1. I downloaded all of the EMQ content and put it into text form.
I went onto the EMQ website’s backend and downloaded the listing of posts which included the URL and text for each article. Initially, the dataset was not great because it included lots of stuff I did not want from the website, like the menus, footers, and so forth. I just wanted the text. I was about to write a python script to scrub all of that out when I had an epiphany. I asked ChatGPT to write the script for me. The first prompt I gave it was, “Write a python script to remove the first 14 lines of a file.” I used that script and created a batch and soon had over 3,400 articles with no initial menu. I asked for an additional three scripts, each time removing a bit more of the unwanted text. I also added the URL to the top of each file. All I did was edit a few lines of python, ChatGPT did most of the work. I also removed all of the HTML formatting using a Linux tool called pandoc.
If all of this seems like too much already for you to try, don’t be discouraged. You could skip this and let it all be indexed.
2. I set up the server environment.
This is a fancy way of saying I made a directory on my computer and installed python and a few of the necessary modules. You can read about that in the above link. These are all for Linux, but I am just running the Ubuntu Linux session on my Windows computer.
3. I got a key from OpenAI and paid for $25 worth of tokens.
I did not know how much this would cost and thought a limit of $25 was reasonable for a test. You take the key they give you and paste it into a script available from the website above.
4. I started indexing.
I placed all of my text into the correct folder and fired up the python script per the instructions. It began chunking away at the text and took about 25 minutes to index all 3,426 text files. Total cost to index my dataset was $3.40 which is cheap.
The software creates a small webserver on your computer. You simply type in the URL of this little server and your very own ChatGPT session starts, knowledgeable about the data you have fed into it.
In this example, I asked about mutuality as it is a topic our team is discussing as a possible annual theme for Missio Nexus. It is not very fast. On my computer, which is a smoking fast gaming desktop, it took 45 seconds to create that answer. Subsequent queries were a little faster, but not by much.
Here are some other sample questions:
1. How should a missionary prepare to serve cross-culturally?
My own dataset ChatGPT answer:
A missionary should prepare to serve cross-culturally by first seeking God's will and direction for their life. They should ask themselves if they are willing to learn to love people and live with them so that Jesus can become real to them. They should also find out if they love the particular people to whom they may be called, which may take years and include language study, travel, cultural exchange, and short-term mission service. Additionally, they should do their seeking within the context of Christ's body, the church, as Christ does not call loners. Finally, they should be aware that the call to cross-cultural ministry is only one of the many necessary gifts the Holy Spirit cultivates in God's people, and that mission agencies and training schools are only specialized tools in the hands of the Almighty to enable his church to send out equipped cross-bearers to other cultures.
Comparing this to the regular ChatGPT session reveals an equally good answer, I think:
Preparing to serve cross-culturally as a missionary requires a combination of practical, spiritual, and cultural preparation. Here are some steps that a missionary can take to prepare themselves for service:
1. Research the culture: Learn about the culture you will be serving in. Read books, watch documentaries, and talk to people who have lived or traveled in the region. Understanding the culture's values, beliefs, and practices will help you communicate and connect with the people you will be serving.
2. Learn the language: Language is a vital tool for communicating with people in a foreign culture. Consider taking language classes or using language-learning apps to become proficient in the local language.
3. Build relationships: Building relationships is key to effective cross-cultural ministry. Seek out opportunities to meet people from the culture you will be serving in and form friendships. Attend cultural events and participate in local activities.
4. Learn about the local church: The local church can be an excellent resource for understanding the culture and connecting with people. Learn about the history of the church in the region, its current state, and its unique challenges.
5. Prepare spiritually: Cross-cultural ministry can be challenging, and it's important to prepare spiritually. Spend time in prayer and Bible study, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
6. Learn about cross-cultural communication: Communication styles can vary significantly between cultures. Learn about cultural norms for communication, including body language, tone of voice, and nonverbal cues.
7. Develop cultural sensitivity: Cultural sensitivity is the ability to recognize and appreciate cultural differences. Be open-minded and willing to learn from the people you will be serving. Avoid imposing your cultural values on others.
8. Prepare practically: Living in a foreign culture can require significant adjustments. Prepare practically by researching housing options, transportation, and healthcare in the region.
By taking these steps, a missionary can prepare themselves to serve cross-culturally effectively.
2. What is contextualization?
My own dataset ChatGPT answer:
Contextualization is the process of developing theological understandings that are appropriate to the linguistic and cultural contexts in which the young churches exist. It is a form of theologizing that involves interpretation of the Bible from a particular point of view.
The “regular” ChatGPT had a good answer as well, even better:
Contextualization is the process of adapting or presenting something, such as a message or practice, to fit the context of a particular culture or situation. In the context of missionary work, contextualization is the practice of communicating the gospel message in a way that is relevant and understandable to the culture being served.
Contextualization recognizes that different cultures have unique worldviews, values, and practices, and seeks to present the gospel in a way that is respectful and sensitive to those differences. It involves studying the culture and language of the people being served, understanding their beliefs and practices, and adapting the message of the gospel to make it accessible to them.
Contextualization is not about changing the core message of the gospel, but rather presenting it in a way that is relevant and meaningful to the people being served. It recognizes that the gospel is a universal message that transcends cultural boundaries and seeks to communicate it in a way that can be understood and embraced by people from any culture.
Contextualization can be a challenging process, as it requires sensitivity and a deep understanding of both the gospel message and the culture being served. However, when done well, it can help to bridge cultural gaps and make the message of the gospel more accessible to people from a wide range of backgrounds.
Now, to be fair, the commercial version of ChatGPT is remembering what I already asked it. Thus, the contextualization question above is preconditioned because I had just asked the first question. It gave me a focus on the topic I had already asked about. I don’t believe my little server does that.
3. What was the largest missions conference ever held?
My own dataset ChatGPT answer:
The largest missions conference ever held was the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, which was organized by John R. Mott, who won the Nobel peace prize for his life’s work in missions.
The ChatGPT answer:
The largest missions conference ever held was the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, which took place in July 1974 in Lausanne, Switzerland. The conference was organized by evangelist Billy Graham and brought together over 2,700 participants from 150 countries, including many prominent Christian leaders and mission workers.
The Lausanne Congress was significant for several reasons. It was the first major international gathering of Christian leaders from a wide range of theological traditions and helped to forge a new era of cooperation and collaboration in world missions. The conference also produced the Lausanne Covenant, a statement of faith and commitment to global evangelization that has been widely adopted by Christian organizations and individuals around the world.
The Lausanne Congress was a major milestone in the history of Christian missions and helped to inspire a new generation of missionaries and evangelists to take the message of the gospel to every corner of the world.
The kicker on these two answers above: they are different and they are both wrong. The New York Mission Conference of 1900 had about 100,000 participants.
Summary
My experiment here showed that it is possible to create and train a relatively low-cost AI chatbot. Is it worth it? At this point, I don’t think so, unless the data is very specific. Why do I say this? Because I also created another server and trained it using my book on Innovation. It was the only Chatbot that could answer questions specific to my book.
The use of ChatGPT for missionary research offers some interesting prospects, but I for one have not determined that it is a breakthrough for our field of study.
Prove me wrong, please!