Bob Smietana | Religious News Service | September 28, 2026
(RNS) — The pastor of one of the nation’s largest churches will no longer speak at Life Surge, a series of Christian leadership and finance events accused of pressuring attendees into taking on thousands in debt.
Pastor Craig Groeschel of the Edmond, Oklahoma-based Life.Church joins former college football star Tim Tebow and Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla as speakers who have cut ties or suspended their involvement with Life Surge in the wake of an investigation by Mother Jones magazine and sports podcaster Pablo Torre.
Groeschel had been scheduled to speak at Life Surge events in Charlotte, North Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; Tampa, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee, this fall. He will not do so in light of recent reports, said a spokesperson for Life.Church, which draws 100,000 people to services at campuses around the country.
“Pastor Craig is grateful to have had the opportunity to share his message at these events,” she told RNS in an email. “He doesn’t plan to speak at any upcoming events and will continue to prioritize his ministry to the church.”
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Life Surge — which claims to draw 100,000 people a year to its events, held at megachurches or stadiums — offers “a one-day, life-changing event where thousands of local Christians gather to learn why and how to create and multiply financial resources for Kingdom impact.”
“Join thousands of believers who are ready to honor God with their resources and live with eternal purpose,” the group’s website states.
The events have featured well-known Christian speakers, like Tebow and Christian management expert John Maxwell, along with sports celebrities like Mazzulla, Magic Johnson, David Ortiz, and Emmitt Smith.
But an investigation from Mother Jones and sports podcaster Pablo Torre alleges that Life Surge pressured attendees into taking on tens of thousands of dollars in debt to pay for faith-based investment classes. Attendees, who pay $20 for a daily ticket, also could sign up for a $97 three-day class, following that, there are “SurgeU” courses that run from $10,000 to $40,000.
The investigation also raised questions about faith being used to pressure attendees into buying Life Surge products.
“So I know that many of you today have probably signed up for classes, have probably signed up to take the next step,” Mother Jones quoted Tebow as saying during a 2023 Life Surge event. “I want to encourage you to finish that, to follow through on that commitment, to finish strong.”
Tebow told an ESPN radio station that he was “pausing” his appearances at Life Surge after the investigation was published.
“I think the allegations are extremely serious and it’s something that we take very serious,” Tebow told WRUF, an ESPN station in Gainesville, Florida. “For us, we are having our team do an investigation but also pausing our relationship until we can learn more about the facts to be able to understand more.”
Mazzulla, who is Catholic and outspoken about his faith, told the Boston Globe that he “completely backed out” once he heard of the allegations against Life Surge.
“The most important thing is to, number one, focus on the people who were wronged and, number two, do the best job you can authentically and morally and ethically to share your faith without negatively impacting people,” he told the Globe. Mazzulla declined an interview request for RNS.
Life Surge has denied any wrongdoing. “Life Surge does not condone using a person’s religious faith, fear, or spiritual beliefs to pressure that individual into purchasing a product,” the group told Mother Jones.
The group also said its events draw more than 100,000 attendees a year and gave some details of its product sales.
“Fewer than 3% of Life Surge ticket purchasers go on to enroll in advanced training beyond the Impact Class,” the group told Mother Jones. “For those who want to go deeper into specific strategies, additional training is available, ranging from one-year to multi-year programs. As an example, a multi-year program runs approximately $27,000 over three years, or roughly $9,000 per year.”
A Facebook group with complaints about Life Surge has about 1,400 members. The Better Business Bureau also has a page of complaints. Life Surge was sued earlier this year by a former employee for allegedly not paying overtime.
Kit Doyle RNS photo/Kit Doyle
Bob Smietana. RNS staff in Pittsburgh, Penn., in April 2024. (RNS photo/Kit Doyle)
Bob Smietana
Bob Smietana is a national reporter for RNS based near Chicago, covering evangelicals, weird religion and the changing religious landscape. He is the author of “Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters.”
Smietana is an award-winning religion reporter and editor—and proud grandpa— who has spent 25 years producing breaking news, data journalism, investigative reporting, profiles and features for magazines, newspapers, trade publications and websites. Most notably, he has served as, religion writer at The Tennessean, senior editor of Christianity Today, former editor and longtime correspondent for RNS and contributor to USA Today and The Washington Post. He is best known for his coverage of Islam and Islamophobia, including his comprehensive reporting on the Murfreesboro mosque conflict, his coverage of evangelical Christianity, including breaking stories about leaders like Beth Moore and Dave Ramsey, and for his coverage of the changing religious landscape.