Lucas van Middendorp
“I want to use technology to enhance the church, not replace it.”
My introduction to Donkey Mobile began when Henrik contacted me on LinkedIn. I don't usually respond to such requests, but this time something caught my attention. The CSFR match with Henrik and the fact that I vaguely recognized the app piqued my curiosity.
After a long and theoretical study of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at Eindhoven University of Technology, I felt the urge to create something that truly helps people. After an internship in fintech and a stint at a Norwegian company developing technology to remove plastic waste from the water, I was ready for a new challenge. The news came at just the right time.
"AI in church? That feels strange..." Many people immediately think of AI as a hype or ChatGPT gone wild. But AI is actually much broader: how can you use data to build predictive models that add value? How do you develop technology that simplifies processes or provides meaningful insights?
At Donkey Mobile, I find that challenge: not AI as a goal, but rather as a means to help churches with their needs. Reduce faith to an algorithm? No, not at all: "Test everything, hold fast to what is good," is what we are told to do. That's precisely what motivates me to seek this balance: using technology to strengthen the church, not replace it. And data? We have that: hundreds of church services and many thousands of users per week.
Since July 2025, I've been working at Donkey Mobile one day a week alongside my graduation project. I'm looking forward to using my knowledge of AI and data to develop new, innovative features for Donkey Mobile. It's more than just algorithms.
Do you, like Lucas, want to build the future of the church? We're looking for talent! Check out our
vacancies
page.
