Every Language, Every Sunday: How AI Translation Is Closing the Gap Between Who Lives Near Your Church and Who Sits in Your Pews

A conversation with Dave Deasy, CMO of Wordly, on language barriers, the caption habit nobody saw coming, and what happens to a congregation when “at some point” keeps getting pushed down the calendar.

This article originally appeared in Church Tech Today on March 31, 2026.

One in five Americans now speaks a language other than English at home.

That’s more than 70 million people — and a significant share of them live within a mile of a local church that has never thought of itself as multilingual.

I recently sat down with Dave Deasy, Chief Marketing Officer at Wordly, to talk about that gap, and what AI is doing to close it.

The congregation you didn’t know you had

Q: Dave, let’s start with something that might catch a few pastors off guard. Most church leaders I talk to assume they have a pretty good read on who’s actually in their community. But the demographic data on language diversity in American cities tells a different story. What are you seeing, and how fast is that gap between who’s in the neighborhood and who feels welcome on Sunday morning actually widening?

A: One of the most eye-opening things we see when we talk with pastors is how different the neighborhood demographics look compared to the congregation demographics. Many church leaders assume they have a pretty good understanding of who lives around them, but the data shows communities have changed dramatically.

For example, about one in five Americans now speaks a language other than English at home. That’s more than 70 million people. When you look at who lives within a mile of many churches, you’ll often find families speaking Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Korean, or other languages at home. But those same families aren’t always walking through the church doors.

We’re also seeing that growth happen well beyond the traditional immigrant hubs. Over the past few decades, the number of people speaking a language other than English at home in the U.S. has nearly doubled, and much of that growth has taken place in mid-size cities and suburban communities that historically didn’t think of themselves as linguistically diverse.

The hard part is that churches usually discover this gap after the fact. Sometimes it’s a volunteer saying they invited a coworker from work, but the person mentioned afterward that they couldn’t really follow the sermon. Or a parent explaining that their kids loved the youth group, but their spouse stopped coming because they struggled to understand everything that was happening in the service. By then, the opportunity to welcome them may already be gone. The community was there all along, the church just didn’t realize there was a language barrier standing in the way.

What’s encouraging is that when churches do recognize this gap and take steps to address it, the impact can be immediate and measurable. One northern Illinois church, for example, introduced Wordly’s live translation across all five of its campuses and saw an overwhelmingly positive response within the first two months. Approximately 900 people engaged with the platform, accessing services in 36 different languages across more than 10 weekly gatherings.

More importantly, it changed participation. The church saw an increase in attendance, culminating in its highest-attended Easter service in its 40-year history. It’s a powerful reminder that the barrier isn’t lack of interest, it’s lack of access. When people can fully understand what’s being said, they’re far more likely to show up, stay, and become part of the community.

The Spanish reality

Q: That northern Illinois church — 900 people, 36 languages in two months — is a striking number. But across all your church customers, I’d guess one language dominates the demand by a wide margin. What does Wordly’s data actually show, and how many congregations are sitting right in the middle of that reality and still doing nothing?

A: Spanish is absolutely the most visible example of this shift right now. The Hispanic population in the U.S. has crossed 65 million, and in many communities, Spanish is the primary language spoken in entire neighborhoods surrounding churches that still operate entirely in English.

Across our church customers, Spanish is the most requested language on the Wordly platform. That tells us that the need has been there for a long time.

Many churches try to meet that need with a bilingual volunteer or an occasional Spanish service. Those are good efforts, but they don’t fully solve the accessibility problem. There’s a big difference between a church that occasionally serves a Spanish-speaking community and one that is truly accessible to it.

True accessibility means someone can walk in on any Sunday, open their phone, and immediately understand everything happening in the room. When that’s possible, participation changes completely. People feel like they belong instead of being guests. It also means someone can access a service whenever they need encouragement or faith, without waiting for a Spanish-language service or traveling to a different campus. Faith and support should be available to everyone, anytime.

The caption habit nobody saw coming

Q: You said “true accessibility means someone can walk in on any Sunday, open their phone, and immediately understand everything.” That phone piece connects to something else entirely — captions. Younger people grew up with captions on by default. Netflix, YouTube, TikTok. Are churches missing something if they assume captions are only for people who can’t hear?

A: Captions are a fascinating shift that a lot of churches haven’t fully noticed yet. For younger generations, captions are how the media works. Gen Z, for example, often keeps captions on even in quiet rooms. It’s become a comprehension habit, not just a tool for those with hearing challenges.

In fact, an estimated 85% of viewers worldwide use captions or subtitles at some point while watching content, whether it’s a TV show, livestream, or online presentation. Audiences increasingly expect to be able to follow along visually, and that expectation extends to any content they engage with, including church services.

Research shows retention and engagement improve by nearly a third when people can both hear and read information at the same time. Churches are already competing with a media environment where captions are standard. Providing live captions during sermons, announcements, and readings helps everyone follow along more closely, not just people who need accessibility support.

The quiet congregation

Q: That retention improvement applies well beyond younger audiences. It brings up another group churches probably undercount — people dealing with hearing loss. It’s largely invisible, which may be part of the problem. Why do you think pastors don’t surface this more? Is it awkwardness, or a genuine blind spot?

A: Hearing loss is one of the most common, and most invisible, accessibility challenges in churches.

Roughly 15% of American adults have some level of hearing loss, and that percentage rises significantly in congregations with older members. But most people don’t speak up about it. Many feel embarrassed or self-conscious, so they try to follow along rather than ask for help.

As a result, they may catch some of the sermon but miss other parts, and over time, they can slowly disengage.

This isn’t something pastors are ignoring on purpose, it’s just hard to see. Unlike a wheelchair ramp or a visual impairment, hearing challenges are largely invisible.

When a church provides live captions that attendees can read on their phone or device, it changes the experience. A 70-year-old doesn’t have to ask for help or feel self-conscious about missing words. They can simply follow along, fully included, with dignity and independence. That kind of effortless participation makes a bigger difference than most people realize.

What other industries already know

Q: “Following along with dignity, without having to ask for help” — that’s less accessibility feature and more belonging infrastructure. Wordly works across corporate, government, and global associations too. When you compare how those sectors approach multilingual access to how most churches do, what’s the sharpest difference?

A: One of the biggest differences we see between churches and other sectors is mindset. In enterprise, government, and global organizations, language access is treated as a basic expectation. Conference organizers, for example, realized that providing translation allowed more people to truly participate, connect, and benefit from the event. When everyone could understand and engage, attendance naturally grew and the event’s impact expanded.

Churches are in the same position, but too often accessibility is still seen as optional. The reality is simple — when you remove language and other barriers, people feel seen, welcomed, and included. They can fully participate in worship, teaching, and community life.

The organizations that move first aren’t doing it because they have extra budget or resources, they’re doing it because someone decided that inclusion matters. For a church, that can be the difference between a family feeling connected or feeling like outsiders. It’s about more than compliance or convenience, it’s about giving every person in the room the chance to experience faith fully.

One other item to note is budget and resources. Corporate and government sectors often have more flexibility with money and resources to fund things like translation and captions. Fortunately, new tools like AI are leveling the playing field and making it affordable for any organization to bring language access to all of the gatherings.

The 10-minute setup claim

Q: “Someone decided that inclusion matters” — that’s probably the decision that unlocks everything else. But once that decision is made, the next fear is Sunday morning execution. You say setup takes under 10 minutes once a church is onboarded. For someone who’s been burned by tech promises before, walk us through what a realistic first month actually looks like.

A: I completely understand why pastors are skeptical when they hear “10-minute setup.” Many churches have had experiences where technology sounded simple but ended up becoming complicated. The good news is, pastors don’t need to be tech-savvy themselves, and they don’t have to hire a dedicated tech person to make it work. Wordly is designed so a volunteer or staff member can get it running smoothly with just a few straightforward steps.

Here’s what the real process looks like — after a church purchases Wordly, we schedule an onboarding session with one of our customer success representatives. During that session, we learn about their setup, whether they’re serving in-person attendees, online attendees, or both, and walk them through how a typical service would run.

The church designates someone as the Wordly account administrator. That person creates a “session” for the service, which is very similar to creating a calendar event. For example, if Sunday service is from 10–11 a.m., they simply schedule that time in Wordly.

The platform then generates a QR code and a URL that attendees can use to join. Churches typically share those in a few simple ways: signage in the back of the church, flyers in pews, and often a slide projected at the start of the service.

The AV setup is also straightforward. An audio cable connects from the church sound system into a small analog-to-digital converter. These devices cost under $100 and are widely available. That converter plugs into a computer running the Wordly session. Once the audio feed is connected, Wordly begins translating the speech in real time.

From there, attendees scan the QR code with their phone or open the link on their computer. They can choose their language and either read captions or listen to translated audio through headphones.

Most churches tell us after their first service that they expected it to be more complicated than it was.

Beyond the chatbot

Q: That Haitian wedding detail — family members following every word in real time — that says more than any feature list. Let’s zoom out. Everyone’s talking about ChatGPT. But where is AI actually heading for ministry over the next two or three years? What’s coming that would genuinely surprise a church leader who thinks they already have a handle on this?

A: As the world becomes increasingly global over the next three years, churches are facing a new reality: attendees, visitors, and online audiences are more diverse than ever. Free tools like Google Translate or chatbots can’t keep up with the speed, accuracy, or live context that the ministry requires. Wordly is designed specifically for real-time translation and accessibility in worship and church settings. It listens to spoken content, translates it instantly into dozens of languages, and delivers it as captions or audio so everyone can participate fully, whether they’re in the sanctuary, on a livestream, or attending a different campus.

But what many pastors aren’t thinking about yet is that this goes far beyond the sermon. AI translation is becoming an always-on layer of ministry, showing up in the moments that matter most. For example, a church in the Midwest recently used Wordly during a wedding ceremony for a Haitian couple, allowing family members to follow every word in Haitian Creole in real time. The same applies to funerals, counseling sessions, community outreach events, and small groups — where understanding in the moment creates deeper connection, dignity, and belonging.

Over the next few years, this capability will become essential for churches that want to engage a global audience. Wordly makes it possible to run multilingual services and small groups, provide real-time captions for those with hearing challenges, and do all of this without needing tech experts or a team of interpreters. Churches that embrace this now will lead, creating environments where language is no longer a barrier to participation, but an opportunity to expand ministry.

Looking forward, Wordly also sets the stage for personalized, AI-assisted ministry experiences. Attendees could engage with discipleship resources that adapt to their language, background, or spiritual journey, and churches could produce lesson plans, outreach content, or digital resources in minutes. This shift is removing language as a barrier to belonging altogether. Over the next three years, the mission is clear: as congregations become more global, Wordly ensures that every person can hear, understand, and participate fully — helping churches grow in ways that match the evolving needs of their communities.

The church that keeps waiting

Q: An always-on layer of ministry — translation at weddings, funerals, counseling, small groups. That’s a different scale than a Sunday morning add-on. But here’s the honest tension: a pastor finishes this conversation and thinks, “We should probably look into this at some point.” What do you say directly to that pastor?

A: I get it, it’s easy to think, “We should look into this at some point.” But the reality is that AI translation in churches is growing quickly, and if a church waits too long, people who need to hear words of faith and feel welcome in their community may naturally go somewhere they can participate fully. That doesn’t mean anyone is being excluded intentionally, it just reflects how people seek connection and understanding in a diverse, fast-moving world.

Every week without translation is a week someone in the room can’t fully follow along and doesn’t speak up. Churches that move first don’t do it because they have extra budget or resources, they do it because someone finally decides it’s a priority. The great thing is, Wordly is inexpensive and flexible, with a pay-as-you-go model so churches only pay for the hours they actually use.

For a family, a visitor, or even one individual in your congregation, having translation available this Sunday could make the difference between feeling included or feeling like an outsider. The sooner a church embraces AI translation, the sooner every person in the community can hear, understand, and engage fully without barriers, without waiting, and without feeling like they don’t belong.

Last word on translation

Q: Dave, last question — what is Wordly’s real sweet spot for local church ministry? Forget the feature list. What’s the core problem you solve that you wish every pastor walked away knowing?

A: At its core, Wordly is about something very simple: making sure everyone can fully participate. We give everyone a voice and make sure nobody misses a word. Whether someone is listening or speaking, whether they’re in the room or joining remotely, Wordly removes the language and accessibility barriers that can keep people from being part of the conversation.

Looking ahead, translation is going to be essential for churches that want to grow their congregations. Communities are more diverse than ever, and people won’t wait for services to fit their language needs — they want to participate now. Wordly makes that possible in real time, and because it’s powered by AI, it’s an affordable solution for churches of all sizes. There’s really no excuse why every church can’t offer translation and accessibility so that everyone who walks through the doors, or joins online, can fully engage, understand, and belong.

Learn more about Wordly at wordly.ai