Craig Groeschel was born on December 2, 1967 , and 58 years old as 2026 . he is a well-known pastor, author, speaker, and leadership teacher. His name is closely connected with Life.Church, a large multi-site church movement that began in Oklahoma in 1996. Over the years, his work has reached people through church services, books, podcasts, leadership events, online resources, and digital Bible tools. he is height 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighs about 76 kg (168 lbs) .
What makes Craig Groeschel’s story interesting is the way faith and technology have worked together in his ministry. He has often looked for new ways to communicate Christian teaching and serve people outside a traditional church building. Life.Church later became closely associated with the YouVersion Bible App, giving millions of people access to Bible content through phones and other digital devices. he is net worth $5 million to $8 million .
Groeschel is also widely known for teaching about leadership.
As of 2026, Craig Groeschel continues to serve as founding and senior pastor of Life.Church and remains active as an author, speaker, and leadership educator.
Who Is Craig Groeschel?
Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. He and his wife, Amy, started the church in a two-car garage in Edmond, Oklahoma, in January 1996.
The ministry began on a much smaller scale than the organization people know today. Over time, Life.Church developed multiple locations across the United States and built a large online presence.
Groeschel’s work has never been limited to Sunday preaching. He has spent years teaching about leadership, personal habits, relationships, spiritual growth, and organizational culture.
His public work can be grouped into several areas:
| Area | What Craig Groeschel is known for |
|---|---|
| Ministry | Founder and senior pastor of Life.Church |
| Leadership | Teaching leaders about habits, teams, culture, and communication |
| Writing | Author of books about faith, leadership, relationships, and personal growth |
| Podcasting | Host of the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast |
| Speaking | Speaker at leadership and church events |
| Digital ministry | Connected with the growth of Life.Church’s technology-focused ministry |
| Bible resources | Life.Church’s connection to the YouVersion family of Bible apps |
Groeschel’s public identity therefore combines several roles. He is a Christian pastor, but he is also known outside church settings because much of his leadership teaching applies to general organizational life.
Craig Groeschel and Life.Church
How Life.Church Started
Life.Church began in 1996 when Craig and Amy Groeschel started a church in Edmond, Oklahoma.
According to Groeschel’s official biography, the church began in a two-car garage. Its mission has remained focused on helping people become fully devoted followers of Christ.
The story of Life.Church is important when understanding Craig Groeschel because much of his leadership teaching comes from his experience helping the organization grow.
Rather than treating church ministry and organizational leadership as completely separate subjects, Groeschel has often connected them. He teaches about vision, teams, culture, communication, habits, and service while placing Christian faith at the center of his work.
Growth of the Church
Life.Church later expanded into many locations across the United States. It also developed an online church experience and a large collection of digital resources.
Technology became a major part of the ministry. Life.Church launched a digital church experience in 2006, according to Groeschel’s official biography.
The church also became closely connected with YouVersion, the Bible app project that began in 2008.
This combination of physical locations and digital tools helped Life.Church reach people who might not attend a traditional church service.
Life.Church and Technology
Technology has played an important role in the Life.Church story.
Instead of using digital tools only as an extra way to promote services, Life.Church built online resources into its ministry model. This included online services, Bible resources, church curriculum, videos, and mobile applications.
The YouVersion family of Bible apps is one of the most visible results of this technology-focused approach. Global Leadership Network materials reported in 2026 that the YouVersion family had been installed on more than one billion unique devices worldwide.
That figure shows the scale of the digital project, although an installation count does not mean the same number of active users.
Craig Groeschel’s Leadership Philosophy
Leadership is one of the most important parts of Craig Groeschel’s public work.
His leadership teaching often focuses on simple ideas that can be used in daily life. Rather than presenting leadership as a position or title, he frequently discusses leadership as influence, responsibility, habits, communication, and service.
Leadership Starts With the Leader
One recurring theme in Groeschel’s teaching is that leaders need to work on themselves before trying to improve everyone around them.
This includes personal habits, attitudes, communication, discipline, and decision-making.
A leader who wants a healthy team cannot ignore personal behavior. People watch what leaders do, not only what they say.
This idea can apply to many settings:
- A manager leading a workplace team
- A teacher working with students
- A parent guiding children
- A pastor serving a church
- A coach working with athletes
- A person managing a small business
- A volunteer leading a community group
Culture Matters
Groeschel also spends considerable time discussing organizational culture.
Culture is shaped by what an organization rewards, accepts, encourages, and ignores. A written mission statement may describe what an organization hopes to become, but everyday behavior shows what it really values.
For leaders, this means paying attention to questions such as:
- How are people treated?
- What behavior receives praise?
- What problems are ignored?
- How are mistakes handled?
- Do leaders listen?
- Do team members feel trusted?
- Is communication clear?
- Does the organization act according to its stated values?
These questions appear in many forms throughout Groeschel’s leadership content.
Consistency Over Hype
Groeschel’s 2025 Global Leadership Summit talk, “Boring Your Way to Success,” focused on the value of consistent and intentional actions.
The idea is simple: long-term progress often comes from repeated habits rather than constant excitement.
This message is useful beyond business or church leadership. Personal growth often works the same way.
A person may feel motivated to change on Monday, but lasting progress depends on what happens on Tuesday, Wednesday, and the weeks that follow.
Small actions repeated over time can have a major effect.
Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast is one of his most recognizable projects.
The podcast provides short leadership lessons designed to be practical and easy to apply. His official website describes episodes as generally lasting about 30 minutes or less.
Topics include:
- Team leadership
- Communication
- Workplace culture
- Personal habits
- Decision-making
- Managing people
- Motivation
- Leadership mistakes
- Personal growth
- Organizational problems
The podcast is useful for people who prefer learning through audio or video instead of reading an entire book.
Recent Leadership Content
Groeschel’s website continues to publish leadership material in 2026.
Recent posts have addressed subjects such as middle managers, first impressions, team motivation, organizational slack, and leadership habits.
For example, a September 2026 post discusses ways to reduce organizational slack, while an August 2026 article discusses how leaders can recognize talent that others may overlook.
This shows that his leadership content continues to address current workplace questions rather than focusing only on older ministry topics.
Craig Groeschel as an Author
Craig Groeschel has written many books covering Christian life and leadership.
His books include subjects such as:
- Marriage
- Dating
- Faith
- Doubt
- Prayer
- Mental and emotional struggles
- Thought patterns
- Decision-making
- Leadership
- Church growth
- Personal purpose
His official biography describes him as a New York Times bestselling author.
Lead Like It Matters
One of Groeschel’s best-known leadership books is Lead Like It Matters.
The book draws from his experience leading Life.Church and presents lessons for people who want to build healthy organizations and ministries.
The book discusses subjects such as leadership principles, team motivation, organizational momentum, and the responsibilities of leaders.
Its audience is not limited to pastors. Many of its ideas are presented in a way that can also apply to people leading teams and organizations.
Winning the War in Your Mind
Another widely recognized title is Winning the War in Your Mind.
The book focuses on thought patterns and the relationship between thinking and daily life. Groeschel combines Christian teaching with practical suggestions for dealing with unhealthy patterns of thought.
The topic connects with a larger theme in his work: people often need to pay attention to what happens internally, not only what happens around them.
The Benefit of Doubt
The Benefit of Doubt: How Confronting Your Deepest Questions Can Lead to a Richer Faith was released in February 2025.
The book addresses questions and doubts about faith. Rather than treating questions as something that must always be hidden, Groeschel discusses how honest questions can become part of a person’s spiritual journey.
This is significant because doubt is common among people of faith. Readers may have questions about God, suffering, prayer, the Bible, or their own beliefs.
The book presents Groeschel’s Christian perspective on those questions.
Think Ahead
Think Ahead focuses on decision-making and the choices people make today.
Its central subject is the connection between present decisions and future consequences.
This theme fits naturally with Groeschel’s broader leadership teaching. Good decisions are rarely about one moment alone. They can affect relationships, careers, organizations, finances, habits, and spiritual life.
Craig Groeschel’s Latest Book in 2026
As of September 2026, Groeschel’s official website lists Heal Your Hurting Mind as his latest release.
The book addresses subjects including anxiety, depression, burnout, and difficult emotions from a biblical perspective.
The Global Leadership Network’s 2026 speaker information also lists Heal Your Hurting Mind: Biblical Hope for Anxiety, Depression, Burnout, and the Emotions No One Talks About as his latest book.
Because the book discusses serious emotional and mental health concerns, it is important to understand its role correctly. It presents a Christian and pastoral perspective. It should not be treated as a replacement for professional medical or mental health care when such care is needed.
| Book | Main subject |
|---|---|
| Lead Like It Matters | Leadership and organizational culture |
| Winning the War in Your Mind | Thought patterns and personal growth |
| The Benefit of Doubt | Questions, doubt, and Christian faith |
| Think Ahead | Decisions and future consequences |
| Heal Your Hurting Mind | Faith, emotional struggles, and biblical hope |
Craig Groeschel and the Global Leadership Summit
Craig Groeschel has had a long relationship with the Global Leadership Summit.
Global Leadership Network materials identify him as a founding and senior pastor of Life.Church and a bestselling author. He has appeared at the Summit over many years.
His involvement reflects one of his major interests: helping leaders improve their influence and organizations.
The 2026 Global Leadership Summit took place August 6–7, 2026. Groeschel was listed among its speakers.
His participation also shows how his audience extends beyond church ministry. Leadership events often bring together people from business, nonprofit work, education, churches, and other fields.
Craig Groeschel’s Teaching Style
One reason Groeschel has built a large audience is his practical communication style.
He often takes a broad idea and turns it into several simple actions.
For example, instead of discussing leadership only as an abstract subject, he may connect it with everyday questions:
- What should a leader do when a team member fails?
- How can a manager build trust?
- How should someone handle difficult feedback?
- How can people develop better habits?
- What happens when an organization becomes too comfortable?
- How can leaders communicate a clear vision?
This style makes his material accessible to people who may not have formal leadership training.
Simple Language
Groeschel generally communicates in direct language.
His books, sermons, and podcast episodes often use examples and stories to explain larger ideas.
This is one reason his material can appeal to both experienced leaders and people who are learning about leadership for the first time.
Practical Application
A major feature of his teaching is application.
Rather than stopping with an idea, the content often asks readers or listeners to consider what they can do differently.
This approach can be useful for personal development because information alone does not automatically produce change.
A leadership lesson becomes more valuable when a person can apply it to a real conversation, meeting, habit, decision, or relationship.
Craig Groeschel and Digital Ministry
Digital ministry has become a major part of modern Christian communication, and Craig Groeschel has been closely connected with this shift.
Life.Church launched a fully digital church experience in 2006, according to Groeschel’s biography.
The church also developed resources that other churches could use.
Life.Church’s Open Network provides free church resources, including sermon material, message series, LifeGroup curriculum, videos, and other resources.
This model allows churches with limited production resources to access material created by a larger organization.
YouVersion Bible App
The YouVersion Bible App is one of the most important technology projects connected with Life.Church.
The project began in 2008 and grew into a global Bible platform.
Global Leadership Network’s 2026 materials state that the YouVersion family had surpassed one billion installations on unique devices.
That milestone illustrates how digital technology can extend religious resources far beyond a single physical location.
Family Life
Craig Groeschel is married to Amy Groeschel.
According to his official biography, they married in 1991 and have six children. The family also includes sons-in-law and grandchildren.
Groeschel frequently speaks about the relationship between leadership and family life.
This is an important part of his public message because leadership does not exist only at work.
A person may be successful in an organization while struggling at home. His teaching often encourages people to consider the effect of their habits and decisions on family relationships as well as professional life.
Craig Groeschel’s Main Areas of Work
The following table gives a simple view of the major parts of Groeschel’s public career.
| Work area | Main activity |
|---|---|
| Life.Church | Pastoral leadership and ministry |
| Books | Christian life, leadership, habits, faith, and personal growth |
| Podcast | Leadership lessons and practical advice |
| Global Leadership Summit | Leadership speaking and education |
| Digital ministry | Online church services and resources |
| YouVersion connection | Digital Bible access through Life.Church’s technology work |
| Church resources | Free materials for churches and ministry teams |
Lessons From Craig Groeschel’s Career
There are several practical lessons people can take from Groeschel’s career, regardless of their religious background.
Start Small
Life.Church began in a garage.
That does not mean every project will grow into a large organization. It does show that a large vision can begin with limited resources.
People often wait for perfect conditions before starting something.
Groeschel’s story offers a different approach: begin with what you have, serve the people in front of you, and improve as you learn.
Use Technology With Purpose
Technology is not valuable simply because it is new.
Its value comes from how it helps people.
Life.Church’s history shows a strong focus on using digital tools to distribute teaching, Bible content, and church resources.
For leaders in other fields, the lesson can be broader: use technology to solve real problems rather than adopting technology simply because it is fashionable.
Build Healthy Habits
Groeschel repeatedly discusses habits.
Habits matter because daily behavior often shapes long-term results.
Someone who wants to become a better leader may begin with simple habits such as:
- Listening before responding
- Preparing for meetings
- Giving clear feedback
- Reading regularly
- Keeping promises
- Reviewing mistakes
- Protecting family time
- Making time for reflection
These actions may appear small, but consistency gives them power.
Keep Learning
Groeschel’s podcast, books, blog, and speaking work all show an emphasis on continued learning.
Leaders face new problems as organizations grow.
A method that worked five years ago may not work in the same way today.
Good leadership therefore requires curiosity, reflection, and a willingness to change when evidence shows that a different approach is needed.
Why Craig Groeschel Remains Relevant in 2026
Craig Groeschel remains relevant because his work sits at the meeting point of several subjects.
His current website shows that his work continues to develop. In 2026, his published content includes discussions about team structure, talent, organizational efficiency, motivation, and leadership behavior.
His latest book also shows an ongoing focus on personal struggles and emotional well-being through a biblical lens.
This broad range gives his work several entry points for readers.
Where to Find Craig Groeschel’s Work
People interested in Craig Groeschel can find his current work through his official website.
His website includes information about his books, podcast, speaking appearances, leadership articles, and other resources.
Life.Church also provides free church resources through Open Network.
For people interested specifically in leadership, the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast is a useful starting point.
Readers interested in his Christian teaching can also find Life.Church sermons and other ministry material online.
A Simple Guide to Craig Groeschel’s Books
If someone is new to Craig Groeschel’s writing, the right starting point depends on the subject they want to study.
| If you want to learn about… | A relevant Craig Groeschel book |
|---|---|
| Leadership | Lead Like It Matters |
| Thought patterns | Winning the War in Your Mind |
| Doubt and faith | The Benefit of Doubt |
| Decision-making | Think Ahead |
| Emotional struggles and faith | Heal Your Hurting Mind |
This is not a ranking. Each book addresses a different subject, so readers can choose based on their own interests.
Craig Groeschel’s Broader Impact
It is difficult to discuss Craig Groeschel without discussing the scale of the organizations and platforms associated with his work.
Life.Church grew from a small beginning into a large church organization with physical and digital ministry.
The YouVersion project became a widely used digital Bible platform.
Together, these projects show a model of ministry that combines preaching, writing, technology, leadership education, and digital communication.
What Readers Can Learn From His Leadership Approach
The most useful lessons do not require someone to copy Groeschel’s career.
Instead, readers can consider the principles behind the work.
First, start with a clear purpose.
Second, build habits that support that purpose.
Third, invest in people.
Fourth, communicate clearly.
Fifth, use technology when it helps people.
Sixth, keep learning.
Seventh, remember that leadership affects personal relationships as well as organizations.
These principles can be adapted to many situations.
A student can use them while leading a project. A manager can apply them with a team. A parent can use them at home. A church leader can apply them in ministry.
Conclusion
Craig Groeschel’s story brings together Christian ministry, leadership, technology, writing, and communication. From starting Life.Church in a two-car garage in 1996, he became a widely known pastor and leadership teacher with an audience that extends well beyond his local church.
Life.Church remains central to his work. The organization has expanded its physical and online ministry while producing digital resources for churches and individuals. Its connection with YouVersion also helped bring Bible content to a huge global audience.
Groeschel’s books show another side of his work. Titles such as Lead Like It Matters, Winning the War in Your Mind, The Benefit of Doubt, Think Ahead, and Heal Your Hurting Mind cover leadership, thought patterns, faith, decision-making, and emotional struggles.
His leadership podcast provides another way to access his teaching. Current content from 2026 continues to discuss workplace culture, team leadership, motivation, communication, talent, and organizational efficiency.
For readers, the broader lesson is not simply about becoming a famous leader. It is about learning how purpose, habits, communication, service, technology, and personal growth can work together.
Craig Groeschel’s career also shows how a small beginning can develop into a large platform when people remain focused on serving others and improving their methods over time.
Whether someone approaches his work as a Christian reader, a church leader, a manager, an entrepreneur, or simply a person interested in personal growth, his books, podcast, sermons, and leadership resources provide several ways to study his ideas.
The most useful takeaway is simple: meaningful leadership is built through repeated actions. Clear communication, healthy habits, thoughtful decisions, care for people, and consistent learning can shape both individuals and organizations over time.
FAQs
Who is Craig Groeschel?
Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church, an author, speaker, and leadership teacher. He is also the host of the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast.
What is Craig Groeschel known for?
Craig Groeschel is known for Life.Church, Christian teaching, leadership education, books, podcasting, and his connection with the YouVersion Bible app project.
What is the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast about?
The podcast focuses on practical leadership subjects such as communication, team culture, habits, decision-making, organizational health, and personal growth.
What is Craig Groeschel’s latest book?
As of September 2026, his official website lists Heal Your Hurting Mind as his latest release. The book discusses emotional struggles such as anxiety, depression, and burnout from a biblical perspective.
What books has Craig Groeschel written?
Craig Groeschel has written books including Lead Like It Matters, Winning the War in Your Mind, The Benefit of Doubt, Think Ahead, and Heal Your Hurting Mind, along with other works on Christian life, relationships, and leadership.
