OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (WordNews.org) Jan. 20, 2021 — Life.Church turned 25 this month. The non-traditional Christian church started in 1996 out of a two-car garage in Oklahoma. It has since grown to 36 locations in 11 states, in addition to a global reach through Life.Church Online.

Founders said that the church has changed throughout the years, but the mission remains the same: to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

“When my wife Amy and I started Life.Church, we felt called to create a place where people could come just as they are to experience the life-changing love and grace of Jesus,” said Life.Church founder and Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel. “In these first 25 years, God has done even more than we could imagine. It has grown our faith, and we’re more passionate than ever to continue reaching people around the world with the good news of the Gospel.”

Life.Church’s reach extends internationally thanks to its missional use of technology. With the launch of Life.Church Online in 2006 and the YouVersion Bible App in 2008, the local church reaches people in every country of the world. There are currently 90 Life.Church Online services throughout the week, with more than 900 volunteers

Life.Church Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel

in 50 countries assisting with live prayer, encouragement, and pastoring. After launching in just two languages, the Bible app now offers the Bible in 1,500 languages and has been downloaded on more than 450 million unique devices worldwide.

“Technology allows us to go and make disciples in ways that weren’t possible in the past. With these tools, we’re able to digitally reach people who might never walk through the doors of a physical church,” said Bobby Gruenewald, Life.Church pastor, innovation leader and YouVersion founder. “As a church, we’re passionate about using every tool within our grasp to spread God’s truth and love across the planet.”

Church leaders said generosity is also a foundational concept in Life.Church’s culture. Church attenders volunteer their time in support of more than 80 local and global nonprofit organizations. The church has given more than $40 million to these partners to date. Additionally, Life.Church has given away millions of free ministry resources through its Open Network to help equip church pastors and leaders worldwide.

“Our decision to give away our resources for free came at a time when it didn’t make financial sense, but we knew it’s what God was calling us to do,” said Groeschel. “Looking back, now we can see how God used that act of obedience to grow our faith and shape our church. These first 25 years have been incredible, and we truly believe the best is yet to come.”