AI Project Reporting and Governance Framework

1. Purpose and Rationale

Purpose of this Framework

This Framework establishes how Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects are reported, reviewed, governed, and replicated across The Elevation Church and all its expressions. It sets out what must be reported, who is accountable, the standards every solution must meet, and the pathway by which a solution built in one expression can be refined and deployed for the benefit of the whole church.

Why this Framework is needed

The AI Training Programme achieved what it set out to achieve: decentralised AI adoption across the network. Teams are now producing creative and operational output independently, and several expressions have progressed beyond everyday use into building substantive AI-powered web and mobile applications supporting reporting, assimilation, follow-up and other expression-level objectives.

That progress creates a new responsibility. Solutions are now touching member data, carrying the name of the church, and in some cases becoming load-bearing for ministry operations. Innovation at this level must be matched with structure; not to slow it, but to protect it and to multiply it.

What this Framework covers

2. Scope — What Must Be Reported

This Framework applies to all expressions, departments, ministries, small groups, and volunteer or staff teams operating under The Elevation Church, and to any AI tool, system, service, or application used or built for ministry purposes — whether developed internally, built with no-code or AI development tools, commissioned from a third party, or subscribed to as a service.

Not every use of AI requires reporting. The following three tiers determine what is expected.

Projects already under way

Any existing or ongoing AI project within an expression or network — including solutions already live — must be reported to the AI Ministry within thirty (30) days of the issue of this Framework. Existing projects will not be halted; they will be reviewed, brought into standard, and, where appropriate, assessed for replication.

Regardless of tier, always report

• Any solution that stores, transmits, or processes member personal data;
• Any solution that is member-facing or carries The Elevation Church name, logo, or domain;
• Any solution built or maintained by an external party, vendor, or volunteer outside the expression;
• Any incident, data exposure, or AI-generated output that caused or could have caused harm, offence, or doctrinal misrepresentation;
• Any recurring cost, subscription, or hosting arrangement entered into for an AI solution.

3. Governing Principles

Every AI project in the network is measured against seven principles. They apply from the first line of a prompt to the last day a system is in service.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

Accountability for AI governance across the network is assigned as follows.

5. The Reporting Process

Reporting is deliberately light. For most projects it is a single form and a short conversation. The process below applies in full to Tier 3 projects; Tier 2 projects complete Stage 1 only.

How to report

All submissions are made through the AI Ministry reporting channel — this portal. Where an expression is unsure which tier a project falls into, submit the form. Assessing scope is the AI Ministry's responsibility, not the expression's, and no one will be penalised for reporting something that turned out not to require it.

Service standards

• Acknowledgement of any submission within three (3) working days.
• Tier 3 review decision within ten (10) working days of a complete submission.
• Pre-launch check within five (5) working days of request.
• Where a decision will take longer, the AI Ministry will say so and give a date.

6. Review and Approval Criteria

Every Tier 3 submission is assessed against the following. The questions are the standard; a project that can answer them well is approved.

Possible outcomes

• Approved — proceed as submitted.
• Approved with conditions — proceed, with specified changes to be made before launch.
• Changes required — resubmit addressing the points raised.
• Redirected — an existing network solution already meets this need; the expression is connected to it.
• Not approved — reasons given in writing, with a route to reconsideration.

7. Data Stewardship Standards

Information members give the church is given in trust. The classification below determines how each category may be handled with AI tools, and it applies to every tier of use — including everyday Tier 1 activity.

Standing rules

• Use church-managed accounts for ministry work, not personal accounts.
• Remove names, phone numbers, and identifiers before submitting anything to an AI tool, even where the underlying task is permitted.
• Member data is not exported to personal devices, personal drives, or personal storage.
• Credentials, API keys, and account passwords are never placed into AI tools or shared in group chats.
• Access is granted by role and removed promptly when a worker changes role or steps down.
• Any suspected exposure of member data is reported to the AI Ministry immediately — the same day it is noticed.
• Where a member asks how their data is handled, they receive a straight answer; the Data Steward supports the response.

Content integrity

AI-generated content published in the name of The Elevation Church must be reviewed by a human before release. Scripture references, quotations, attributed statements, and statistics are verified against source. AI-generated images and video must not misrepresent people, events, or ministry outcomes, and must not depict real identifiable individuals without consent.

8. Replication and Scale Pathway

A solution that meets a real need in one expression should not remain local if it can serve the network. The pathway below describes how a local build becomes a network standard.

What makes a solution replicable

• It solves a problem that other expressions demonstrably share.
• It is documented well enough that someone who did not build it can run it.
• Its data handling already meets the standards in Section 7.
• Its costs are predictable and scale sensibly.
• Its code, accounts, and credentials are in the custody of the church.
• It does not depend on one individual's continued availability.

Recognition of originating teams

Where a solution is adopted network-wide, the expression and team that built it are credited, and the originating builders are invited into the standardisation work. Initiative is to be honoured, not absorbed quietly.

9. Ongoing Obligations

Approval is the beginning of a solution's life in the network, not the end of the governance conversation. The following obligations continue for as long as a solution is in service.

Support available from the AI Ministry

Governance runs in both directions. Expressions bringing projects into this Framework can draw on the AI Ministry for:

• Advisory input at the idea stage, before effort is spent building the wrong thing;
• Technical review, templates, and reusable components;
• Connection to expressions solving the same problem;
• Training and capability support for expression teams;
• Escalation support where a vendor, cost, or technical issue exceeds the expression's capacity.

10. Framework Review and Document Control

This Framework is reviewed to ensure it remains current, proportionate, and useful. It must be reviewed:

• At least annually;
• Following a significant AI-related incident or data exposure;
• Following a material change in the AI tools or platforms in network use;
• Following changes to applicable data protection law, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act;
• Following material changes to the structure of the network or the AI Ministry.

Reviews are led by the AI Ministry. Amendments are approved by the Global Lead Pastor and Executive Leadership, recorded in the version history, and communicated to all Resident Pastors.

Document control

Version history

A. Appendix A — AI Project Reporting Form

The following information is requested at Stage 1. The form is submitted online through this portal; this appendix is provided so teams can prepare their answers in advance.

B. Appendix B — Definitions