Pastor Craig Groeschel Steps Away From Life Surge Alongside Tim Tebow And Joe Mazzulla
Life Church founder and senior pastor, Pastor Craig Groeschel, has publicly announced that he is no longer speaking at upcoming Life Surge events, after Tim Tebow and Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla also stepped back from the Christian organization.
Groeschel had been one of the regular speakers at Life Surge gatherings and events, which is promoted as large Christian leadership and financial events always held across the United States. A Life.Church spokesperson further said Groeschel was thankful for the opportunity to share his message at previous events but does not plan to participate on the upcoming gatherings. The spokesperson continued as he added that he will continue to prioritize his ministry through the church.
The decision by Groeschel, comes shortly after an investigation by the Mother Jones and sports podcaster Pablo Torre which raised an allegations about Life Surge’s sales practices. According to the circulating reports, some attendees said they felt pressured to purchase increasingly expensive financial education programs after attending the organization’s lower-cost events.
Life Surge has rejected those characterizations and said it does not use religious faith, fear or spiritual beliefs to pressure people into purchasing its products. The organization has also provided information about its programs and stated that only a small percentage of ticket purchasers continue into its more advanced training.
As the allegations spread more widely, Tim Tebow recently said he is pausing his relationship with Life Surge while his team investigates the allegations to gathers additional information. Mazzulla, meanwhile, told The Boston Globe that he had completely withdrawn after learning about the allegations.
Groeschel’s departure has also added another prominent Christian voice to the growing group of speakers distancing themselves from Life Surge while questions surrounding the organization receive public attention.
For Groeschel, the immediate focus appears to be his ministry at Life.Church. His decision does not represent an accusation of wrongdoing against Life Surge; rather, his spokesperson confirmed that he will no longer participate in its upcoming events as the controversy continues to unfold.
