Craig Groeschel (born December 2, 1967) is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church, an American evangelical multi-site church with locations in 12 U.S. states.

Early life and education

Groeschel grew up in southern Oklahoma, attending Ardmore High School. After high school, he attended Oklahoma City University on a tennis scholarship and was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing. He met his wife Amy at OCU and the two married in 1991. That same year, Groeschel entered the ministry as an associate pastor in the United Methodist Church. He attended Phillips Theological Seminary, which is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and earned a Master of Divinity degree. He was an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City at the time of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing.

Pastoral career

In 1996, Groeschel and a handful of people started Life Covenant Church in a two-car garage. He later told Business Week that he started the process by performing market research of non-churchgoers and designed his church in response to what he learned about people's preconceptions about boring church experiences. Groeschel's approach was successful and attendance grew rapidly, eventually resulting in Life.Church becoming one of the largest Protestant churches in the United States with 46 physical Life.Church locations as of 2025. Groeschel began using videos to deliver some of his sermons beginning in 2001, discovering that the videos were popular with churchgoers. In 2006, he set up a website called Mysecret.tv as a place for people to confess anonymously on the Internet. Groeschel also began delivering services to the Second Life virtual world on Easter Sunday 2007.

Life.Church's YouVersion Bible app, developed by the church's technology team, achieved 1 billion downloads as of November 2025. Life.Church also makes available free resource libraries and software platforms to other churches.

Workplace culture and allegations

In April 2026, The Roys Report published an investigation documenting accounts from more than a dozen former Life.Church staff members describing a toxic workplace culture. According to the reporting, employees reported being required to divulge extensive personal information during hiring interviews, with sensitive details later being used against them in the workplace. Former employees described the environment as involving excessive criticism for minor missteps, expected vulnerability in personal matters, and terminations of employees for offenses while leadership faced no similar accountability.

In February 2022, multiple witnesses reported observing Groeschel putting a male employee in a chokehold in the Life.Church headquarters. A staff member who arrived shortly after reported the employee required medical attention and suffered a bruised esophagus. Life.Church stated the incident "was intended as a brief, lighthearted interaction" that "didn't land the way (Groeschel) meant it to," while a former personal assistant to Groeschel stated that the affected employee had expressed alarm about the incident. The former assistant noted that, based on Groeschel's demonstrated patterns regarding loyalty, anger, and control, the assault could have involved intentions beyond "male bonding." An Edmond Police Department records request found no police report filed regarding the incident. Former staff stated that employees had been terminated for significantly less serious conduct.

Life.Church stated it does not use non-disclosure agreements but uses separation agreements for employees receiving severance beyond legal requirements. However, former staff members documented that separation agreements contained restrictive language prohibiting statements that could "disparage or reflect adversely on the church," and reported instances of employees forfeiting severance packages rather than signing such agreements.

Personal life

Groeschel is married to Amy and has six children and seven grandchildren. They live in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, where Life.Church is based.

Business

Groeschel served on the Board of Directors of Gulfport Energy Corporation. Groeschel's 2016 compensation was a grant of 3,824 equity shares on June 10, 2016 with a value of $125,006.56 at close of business that day. On December 15, 2017, Groeschel sold 7,059 shares of Gulfport Energy stock for $85,837 according to SEC filings. In November 2019, Gulfport Energy announced Groeschel's resignation from the board.

References

Bibliography

  • Chazown: A Different Way to See Your Life (2006)
  • Confessions of a Pastor (2006)
  • Going All the Way: Preparing for a Marriage That Goes the Distance (2007)
  • It – How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It (2008)
  • The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn't Exist (2010)
  • Dare To Drop The Pose (2010)
  • Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working (2011)
  • Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After (2011)
  • Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World (2012)
  • Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are (2013)
  • Fight: Winning the Battles that Matter Most (2013)
  • From this Day Forward: Five Commitments To Fail-Proof Your Marriage (2014)
  • #Struggles: Following Jesus in a Selfie-centered World (2015)
  • Divine Direction: 7 decisions that will change your life (2017)
  • Hope in the Dark : Believing God is good when life is not (2018)
  • Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant To Be Safe (2020)
  • Winning The War In Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (2021)
  • Lead Like It Matters: 7 Leadership Principles For A Church That Lasts (2022)
  • The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most (2023)
  • Craig Groeschel web site