Life.Church
| Life.Church | |
|---|---|
 A Life.Church location in Oklahoma City | |
| Location | Edmond, Oklahoma based with 46 physical campuses and Church Online |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Evangelicalism |
| Website | life.church |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Craig Groeschel |
Life.Church (pronounced "Life Church", formerly known as LifeChurch.tv, Life Covenant Church, and Life Church) is an evangelical Christian multi-site megachurch based in Edmond, Oklahoma, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church. Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. Weekly attendance was 85,000 people in 2025 across 46 physical locations. The church operates YouVersion, a ministry that publishes the Bible App.
History
[edit]
In January 1996, Life.Church was founded as Life Covenant Church in Oklahoma City with 40 congregants meeting together in a two-car garage.[1] The church membership grew rapidly, and Life.Church built its first facility (now known as the "Oklahoma City Campus") in 1999.[2]
In 2001, MetroChurch, a 25-year-old, nondenominational church in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma merged with Life.Church, establishing it as a multi-site church.[3] With this merger, they changed their name to "LifeChurch". Following the multi-site model, the church established campuses in Tulsa and Stillwater, Oklahoma in 2003, with these new campuses using satellite video teaching for services.[4]
Life.Church opened an additional campus in Oklahoma City, the South Oklahoma City Campus, in Spring 2005.[5] In February 2006, Life.Church introduced a campus in Fort Worth, Texas, its first location outside Oklahoma. In April 2006, the church established its "Internet Campus"[6] which broadcasts weekly services live over the internet.
On Easter Sunday, 2007, Life.Church began broadcasting from a campus in the online game Second Life.[7] Life.Church also opened campuses in northwest Oklahoma City in 2007, Wellington, Florida in 2012, and Albany, New York in 2016.[8][9][10]
In 2012, the church had more than 26,000 members.[11]
In 2015, the church had 15 campuses in different American states.[12]
In 2018, the church claimed 85,000 members and operated 30 campuses.[13] In 2025, weekly attendance was 85,000 across 46 locations.[14]
YouVersion Bible App
[edit]Life.Church developed YouVersion, the Bible App, which was made available for free download. As of November 2025, YouVersion had achieved 1 billion downloads.[15]
Workplace culture and allegations
[edit]In April 2026, The Roys Report published an investigation documenting former Life.Church staff allegations of a toxic workplace culture. According to the reporting, employees described being required to divulge extensive personal information during hiring interviews, with sensitive details later being used against them in the workplace. Former staff reported excessive criticism for minor missteps, expected vulnerability in personal matters, and described experiencing anxiety, gaslighting, and physical illness related to work environment stress. Approximately 400 former employees have connected through a private support group to share their experiences.[16]
In June 2026, former graphic designer Leeann Holmberg sued Life.Church for disability discrimination, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and Age Employment Discrimination Act (ADEA).[17]
Beliefs
[edit]The Church has an evangelical confession of faith and is a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church.[18]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ KFOR, Life Church in Edmond named 3rd largest church in America, kfor.com, USA, October 13, 2017
- ↑ Carla Hinton, Life.Church celebrates its 20th anniversary, oklahoman.com, USA, January 10, 2016
- ↑ Tamie Ross, MetroChurch members OK Life Church merger, oklahoman.com, USA, January 8, 2001
- ↑ Bob Smietana; Rebecca Barnes (September 2005). "High-Tech Circuit Riders". Christianity Today. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ↑ Banerjee, Neela (September 2006). "Intimate Confessions Pour Out on Church's Web Site". The New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ↑ "Faces of Faith: A passion to bring people to Christ". Times Union. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ↑ Stephanie Simon (April 8, 2007). "It's Easter; shall we gather at the desktops? / Virtual houses of worship await you online in Second Life". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ↑ "Life.Church Northwest Oklahoma City makes a move". oklahoman.com. November 26, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ↑ "LifeChurch.tv Members Chip in $6M for New Campus in Fla". www.christianpost.com. January 28, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ↑ "Life.Church opens new building in Latham". Times Union. December 15, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ↑ Justin G. Wilford, Sacred Subdivisions: The Postsuburban Transformation of American Evangelicalism, NYU Press, USA, 2012, p. 169
- ↑ Todd M. Kerstetter, Inspiration and Innovation: Religion in the American West, John Wiley & Sons, USA, 2015, p. 241
- ↑ Michael Gryboski, Life.Church Has Grown to 30 Campuses and 85,000 Attendees, christianpost.com, USA, September 12, 2018
- ↑ Outreach Magazine, Life.Church, outreach100.com, USA, accessed February 5, 2025
- ↑ App builder's YouVersion puts Bible in half-billion phones (Religious News Service, 11/19/2021)
- ↑ Ann Marie Shambaugh, "Former staff at Life.Church describe toxic work culture and an alleged assault by Pastor Craig Groeschel", The Roys Report, April 23, 2026.
- ↑ Ann Marie Shambaugh, "Former employee sues Life.Church for disability, age discrimination", The Roys Report, June 3, 2026.
- ↑ Life.Church, Our beliefs, life.church, USA, retrieved August 8, 2020