Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel (born December 2, 1967) is the founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, a church with thirteen locations in six states. He is married with six children and lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, where LifeChurch.tv is based.Groeschel was born in Houston, Texas and grew up in southern Oklahoma, attending Ardmore High School. He attended Oklahoma City University, a private university in Oklahoma City affiliated with the United Methodist Church, on an athletic scholarship, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Marketing. Shortly thereafter, he met his wife Amy, 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 secured a Master of Divinity degree. He was an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City.In 1996, Groeschel and a handful of people started Life Covenant Church in a two-car garage. Groeschel’s non-traditional style was successful and attendance of Life Covenant grew rapidly, eventually evolving into what is now the thirteen LifeChurch.tv campuses in six states (including Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee, and New York).Craig was named the 5th most influential pastor in 2006 and LifeChurch.tv was named America’s Most Innovative Church in 2006 and 2007.[