Getting started with Grok Bot: a pastor's first week
If starting with an AI assistant feels like a lot, you're not behind. Most of us started with one small, boring job. Here's what Grok Bot is, how to begin without getting overwhelmed, and a simple plan for your first week.
What Grok Bot is
Grok Bot is an AI assistant you talk to in plain language. It has its own computer and web browser to work in, so it can do tasks, not just answer questions. Through connectors it can work with tools you already use, like email, your calendar, Google Drive, and Planning Center. It can also run routines on a schedule, such as every Monday morning.
You can make more than one bot, and each one can have its own job. We find that easier to manage than one bot that does everything. (More on that in running several bots.)
Start with one small job
Don't try to hand off your whole week. Pick one task that is repetitive, low-risk, and easy to check. Any of these is a good first job:
- The weekly church email: it gathers what's coming up and drafts the email for you to review.
- A staff roll-up: a short summary of what needs your attention.
- Receipts and expenses: matching receipts so month-end is less painful.
Using an "Add to Grok Bot" button
Some blueprint cards on the homepage have an Add to Grok Bot button. It's a template: it sets up a bot with the instructions for that job so you don't start from a blank page. Click it, look over what it will do, and change anything that doesn't fit your church. Every card also has a full written blueprint if you'd rather set it up yourself.
Connect accounts only when you need them
You don't need to connect everything on day one. Connect an account when a job actually needs it. If your first job is the weekly email, that might be just your calendar and email. Fewer connections means less to think about and less that can go wrong.
Guardrails that make it feel safe
- It drafts, you press send. Have it prepare emails and messages for you to review. You decide what goes out.
- It asks first. It checks with you before consequential actions like buying, deleting, or posting.
- Review its work for the first few weeks. Read what it produces the way you'd check a new volunteer's work. Once it's consistently right, you can relax a little.
A simple first-week plan
- Day 1: Make your first bot. Tell it who you are, what your church is like, and the one job you want help with.
- Day 2: Connect only the account that job needs. Ask it a simple question to check that it can see the right things.
- Day 3: Have it do the job once while you watch. Read the draft and tell it what to change.
- Day 4: Give it your preferences in plain words: tone, length, what to always include, what to never do.
- Day 5: Run the job again and compare. It should need fewer corrections.
- Day 6: If it's going well, set it up as a routine on a schedule.
- Day 7: Rest. Next week, keep reviewing its work. Only add a second job once the first one feels routine.
Questions pastors ask
- Do I need to be technical?
- No. You talk to it in plain sentences, the way you'd explain a task to a new volunteer. If you can write an email, you can get started.
- Is it safe with church data?
- You choose which accounts to connect, and you can leave sensitive ones out. It asks before consequential actions like sending, buying, deleting, or posting. Start with low-risk work and only connect more as you build trust.
- How many bots should I start with?
- One. Give it one small job and let it run for a few weeks. Add a second bot when the first one feels routine.