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 campuses, making it the largest megachurch in the United States. The church operates YouVersion, a ministry that publishes the Bible App.App builder's YouVersion puts Bible in half-billion phones (Religious News Service, 11/19/2021)
History
In January 1996, Life.Church was founded as Life Covenant Church in Oklahoma City with 40 congregants meeting together in a two-car garage. KFOR, Life Church in Edmond named 3rd largest church in America, kfor.com, USA, October 13, 2017 The church membership grew rapidly, and Life.Church built its first facility (now known as the "Oklahoma City Campus") in 1999.Carla Hinton, Life.Church celebrates its 20th anniversary, oklahoman.com, USA, January 10, 2016
In 2001, MetroChurch, a 25-year-old, nondenominational church in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma merged with Life.Church, establishing it as a multi-site church.Tamie Ross, MetroChurch members OK Life Church merger, oklahoman.com, USA, January 8, 2001 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.
Life.Church opened an additional campus in Oklahoma City, the South Oklahoma City Campus, in Spring 2005. 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" 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. Life.Church also opened campuses in northwest Oklahoma City in 2007, Wellington, Florida in 2012, and Albany, New York in 2016.
In 2012, the church had more than 26,000 members.Justin G. Wilford, Sacred Subdivisions: The Postsuburban Transformation of American Evangelicalism, NYU Press, USA, 2012, p. 169
In 2015, the church had 15 campuses in different American states.Todd M. Kerstetter, Inspiration and Innovation: Religion in the American West, John Wiley & Sons, USA, 2015, p. 241
In 2018, the church claimed 85,000 members and operated 30 campuses. Michael Gryboski, Life.Church Has Grown to 30 Campuses and 85,000 Attendees, christianpost.com, USA, September 12, 2018 In 2025, weekly attendance was 85,000 across 46 locations. Outreach Magazine, Life.Church, outreach100.com, USA, accessed February 5, 2025
Workplace culture and allegations
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.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.
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).Ann Marie Shambaugh, "Former employee sues Life.Church for disability, age discrimination", The Roys Report, June 3, 2026.
Beliefs The Church has an evangelical confession of faith and is a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Life.Church, Our beliefs, life.church, USA, retrieved August 8, 2020
See also
List of the largest evangelical churches List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
References
External links Official website