You keep hearing two things that don’t fit together. One, you need to be using AI or you’ll get left behind. Two, AI is going to strip the soul right out of your business. Both of those can feel true at the same time, and it leaves you stuck, either avoiding the tools completely or handing over work that was never yours to hand over.
This week I sat down with Kenny Wyatt, CEO of Pushpay, and we untangled the whole thing. Kenny spent almost 30 years building technology companies before God called him into serving churches through technology, so he has lived on both sides of this. His conviction is simple and it reframed the entire question for me: the right tools should strengthen human connection, not replace it.
Episode highlights:
AI works best when it strengthens human connection instead of replacing it.
Some parts of your business should stay personal, and your job as a leader is to name them and guard them.
Clear boundaries and written policies keep AI a tool, not a liability.
Servant leadership is an operating system, not a slogan on the wall.
Growth creates “heat loss” between teams, and aligned goals and metrics close the gap.
Failure is part of the climb, not a sign you took the wrong path.
“Technology should bring you closer to your people, not further away.” — Kenny Wyatt
Kenny Wyatt is the CEO of Pushpay, a leading payments and engagement platform serving churches, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations. With more than two decades of leadership across technology and high-growth companies, he’s passionate about building customer-centric businesses and strong cultures, and about helping organizations scale while staying true to their purpose.
If you’ve been treating AI as an all-or-nothing decision, this conversation gives you a wiser, more grounded way to think about where it belongs in your business, and where it never should.
Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Episode timestamps:
00:00 — Welcome and introducing Kenny Wyatt
01:00 — Kenny’s background and how God called him from tech into serving churches
05:00 — Why technology should strengthen human connection, not replace it
08:00 — How churches and businesses can embrace technology as a tool for ministry
10:30 — Using AI wisely and stewarding it well
12:00 — Where to keep the human touch and how to set clear AI boundaries
17:00 — Servant leadership as an operating system
18:00 — Learning from failure and the Colorado 14er analogy
19:00 — Hiring for mission alignment and aligning goals and metrics
20:30 — Staying focused, avoiding shiny objects, and giving people room to grow
"Don't automate the thing that made your business worth building." — Kenny Wyatt
A quick recap of the conversation, lightly cleaned up from the audio so it reads easy.
From tech to the church. Kenny spent almost three decades building technology companies, and when he asked what the next chapter should look like, he kept landing on the same collision: technology and the church, and reaching the people who were slipping through the cracks. That’s the calling that pulled him out of a 30-year career and into serving churches.
Technology should strengthen connection, not replace it. Used well, the right tools do the opposite of what most leaders fear. Once you grow past the point where you personally know everyone, technology is how you keep knowing your people and serving them well. The goal is closer, not further away.
Steward AI, don’t hand it the keys. Be a good steward of the tool. Use it to work faster and serve better, but keep a human in the loop and stay clear about where it’s applied and where it isn’t. The wisdom is drawing the line around the parts of your work that need genuine human presence.
Servant leadership is an operating system. It isn’t a slogan on the wall. It shows up in your systems, your hiring, what you reward, and how you coach your people, or it doesn’t really show up at all.
Growth creates “heat loss.” As you scale, communication gaps open up between teams and functions. Aligned goals and shared metrics are what close that gap and keep everyone moving the same direction.
Failure is part of the climb. Growth isn’t a straight line. Kenny compares it to summiting a Colorado 14er, with false summits and setbacks before you reach the top. Some of his best leadership moments came from taking a chance on someone ready for more than their role allowed.
Watch for the shiny object. The distraction shows up right when things start working. The real question is whether the new opportunity actually serves the people you’re called to serve, or just looks like growth.
Resources mentioned:
The Kingdom Profit Plan: my free guide + planner for building a profitable business in about 20 hours a week (rachelngom.com/profit)
Pushpay: the giving and engagement technology company Kenny leads, serving churches and nonprofits.
Work with me directly: apply here
Related listening + reading:
The Power of Positive Leadership and Leading in Faith (With Jon Gordon)
The TOXIC Personal Development Industry: Harmonizing Personal Progress with Faith
Multiplying Your Money With Biblical Principles (Tips for Christian Entrepreneurs)
New to Called to Build? Start here, the letter I’d been waiting three years to write.
If this shifted how you see AI in your business, the most helpful thing you can do is send it to the next woman wrestling with the same question.
PS: I spent too long thinking I had to choose between using the tools and keeping the work personal. You don’t. The wisdom is deciding, on purpose, where a human always stays in the loop, and letting the tools carry the rest.
Where does your business still need a human? Name the parts of your work that should stay personal, and decide to protect them on purpose.
Where could AI actually serve you and your people well? Identify the tasks it can make more efficient without compromising your values, and write down the boundaries.
What “shiny object” is quietly pulling you off mission? Ask whether your newest opportunity truly serves the people you’re called to serve, or just looks like growth.
(Grab it at rachelngom.com/profit, free guide + printable planner.)
Hi, I’m Rachel, host of Christian Entrepreneurs Rise Up and creator of the Called to Build Substack. I help Christian entrepreneurs build profitable, Kingdom-funding businesses without losing their relationship with God or their family in the process. If you’re a Christian entrepreneur ready to build the business God is calling you to, you can apply to work with me directly.
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